Cleaning bannetons? Get Cooking Discuss Cleaning bannetons? in the Brick Oven Cooking forums; I do have a couple of loaves I bake in pans- but they aren't the same kind of hearth loaves. ...

[egalecki]

I do have a couple of loaves I bake in pans- but they aren't the same kind of hearth loaves. One of them is Reinhart's oat bran broom bread, which my husband loves. He prefers his sandwiches regular in size, so I humor him and make them in a pan. Since he pretty much lets me feed him whatever I choose (he even ate beets last night, a first for him) I am happy to do it this way!

Most of the bread I've been making, even the sourdough-based ones, have some added yeast in the recipe, so my proofing isn't as long as some. I do a lot of soaking before I mix, and I think I get as much flavor from that as I do an extended proof. I do proof white bread longer, since I feel it greatly improves the flavor, but I don't make it much anymore! The last "white" bread I made was pizza dough!

I'd love a couple more brotformen, but I am having trouble figuring out the sizes. Some places measure the diameter and some give a volume for the finished loaf. Not to mention the different shapes....

What sizes and shapes do all of you have, and how big a loaf do they make?

[BrianShaw]

Originally Posted by AnnieMacD

You can put them individually into large plastic bags and tie the ends so they will not dry out. The bags can be used over and over unlike plastic wrap. Professional bakers have racks on which they put them and then cover the whole rack with a plastic cover.

Interesting, a fact I did not know.

I'm an infrequent (compared to a commercial bakery) user of my bannetons so I've been storing them to specfically encourage drying. I open store in a closed cabinet... to allow the linen to evaporate its moisture in the hopes of staving off any mold or rot.

[AnnieMacD]

Brian,

Sorry, misunderstanding here! What I meant is to put them in large plastic bags when the dough is IN them so that the dough will not dry out. Certainly, when they are not in use it's best to leave them to dry out.

Elizabeth, my brotformen (round) has internal diameter 7.5 ins (187mm) at the top and accommodates an 800g loaf. I have an oval one 9 x 5.5 in (230 x 140mm) internal at top.

Annie

[BrianShaw]

Ahhh... that make sense!

[Frances]

Do any of you have problems with meal moths in the bannetons? I store mine as you've described, just shaking off any loose flour and leaving it to dry out.

But we do get an infestation of meal moths every once in a while and solve it by starving them out. Every thing goes in airtight containers and all stray crumbs cleared out... I'm just thinking the flour left over in the banneton looks like an ideal nesting place.

Here is a pic of the latest boule btw - the best yet. It was only in the banneton for the last rise of 4 hours (instead of overnight), which worked a lot better for me. I have found it very hard to control an overnight rise.

[egalecki]

That's beautiful! I didn't take pictures of my mass bake yesterday, but I did 4 whole wheat loaves, 4 rye, one raisin/seed loaf from Reinhart's book and 6 small batards. I put the batards in the freezer for when it's just my husband and me for dinner- they're a good size for two people. I had to bake inside (thank heavens for double ovens) because my tarp blew off and my wood was all wet. It's also been raining steadily for several days.

I haven't had trouble with meal moths for a while now, but I find that the infestation usually comes with a bag of something which comes in and doesn't get used up promptly. Bird seed is bad for it- and I usually put them in the freezer for 24 hours now before I store them to kill any larvae. There are "pantry moth" traps out there which can help.

I have trouble with the overnight rises too. I don't get much rise in the fridge and then I can't time it well once it's out the next day. I've been doing sort of a bastardized no-knead recipe- I mix it up the night before and then the next morning I fold it, put it back in the bowl and fold it again once more sometime later, when I can. It's very forgiving that way. I can shape it and proof it when I'm ready. I still get good oven spring even though I haven't been using the hot pot to bake it in. I just steam the crap out of the oven a couple of times.

[AnnieMacD]

Frances, your loaf is beautiful - what a wonderful crust - I love the depth of colour. I think maybe you could have proofed it a bit longer as it did crack open on one of the cuts. I rather like it like that myself, I have to say.

I tend to ferment in the fridge and then proof at room temperature. I think that gives the best crust. When I do big bakes, I don't use the fridge at all ( not enough room for one reason). Whole cycle takes 24 hours at room temperature.

Annie