The before and after on my bread proofing baskets after 6 months of neglect

I picked up these two bannetons from a thrift store last winter and just scrubbed them last weekend because they had this weird gray fuzz coating from being stored damp in my cabinet. Turns out the difference between a clean basket and a moldy one is basically a ruined loaf vs. that perfect ear you see on instagram bakers. Anyone else forget to dry their proofing baskets and end up with a science experiment instead of bread?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivangrant20d ago

Buddy of mine found a spider living in his. Said the bread came out with extra protein.

lily57419d ago

Has anyone ever tried just nuking their old banneton in the microwave to kill the mold? I did that once after a particularly bad case of the gray fuzz and it actually worked, though the basket smelled like burnt hair for a week. But @ivangrant's spider situation is a new level of horror for me - I'd probably just throw the whole basket in the trash if I found a spider in mine. The thing is, even after you clean them, those deep creases in the cane always hold onto some funk, so I've started keeping a silica gel packet in my basket storage bag to keep the moisture down. Not the most glamorous solution but it beats waking up to a mold colony taking over your sourdough setup.