I ditched weighted bannetons for a plain bowl and never looked back

We're not going to get into the weeds on this, but I'll keep it simple. For years I did the whole weighted banneton routine, and I wasted so much time worrying about the right rice flour blend and cloth tension. Then I switched to a plain ceramic bowl with a floured kitchen towel out of pure desperation during a kitchen remodel, and the dough actually kept its shape better and the scoring came out cleaner. The banneton always left these weird lines on the crust that I had to convince myself were rustic, but the towel gives me a smooth, even surface that bakes up way more consistent. That was about 8 months ago, and I haven't touched my baskets since. Anyone else think the gear companies just sold us on problems we never really had?

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emmafisher1mo ago

I read a post on The Fresh Loaf a while back where a guy tested bannetons against a towel lined bowl side by side, same dough, same day. He said the towel bowl gave him a smoother crust and the baskets mostly just added that spiral pattern people mistake for skill. My own take is simpler: the basket holds shape by gripping the dough, but that grip is also what dries out the surface and makes it stick when your flour game is off. A floured towel does the same job with less fuss, and you can toss it in the wash. The one thing I would say is towels soak up some moisture, so if your dough is wet you may need a thicker layer of flour. Eight months is a good run, so you are probably onto something.

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