Darren72 wrote:If you are going to bake regularly, the banneton can be a good investment. I bought some from SFBI and posted about the experience
here.
Darren, thanks for that link. It's helpful and I probably should have posted my query there.
kanin wrote:SFBI is a good source and all of their bannetons are reasonably priced. The largest is especially useful for Poilane-style miches, which weigh about 4 pounds after baking.
kanin, I'm assuming you're talking about the wicker looking baskets rather than those that look like brotforms? The brotform lookalikes appear to only hold up to 2 lb dough.
kanin wrote:I don't recommend the couche from SFBI, though. Go with the couche from King Arthur Flour, which is much stiffer and better at holding the shapes of your baguettes and ovals.
I was looking for a cheaper alternative and saw some unbleached muslin at Hancock Fabric. No matter the weight, they all seemed flimsy. This seems like a good suggestion. I also saw mention of using a canvas painter's drop cloth, which I assume would be heavier, but would probably just be too much fabric to work with for any potential cost savings.
kanin wrote:You should also consider a digital scale even if Clayton doesn't provide weight measurements. I think he weighs a cup of flour as 5 ounces each, which is significantly more compared with recipes from other authors. Most books go with 4.5 ounces per cup.
I should have mentioned that I've got a digital scale, but haven't used it much because all Clayton's recipes are volume measurements. This is one of my issues with his book as everything I have been led to believe suggests that this is pretty inaccurate. Still, the breads have turned out OK, and it has made me "listen" to the bread more and try to develop a sense of whether I think it needs more or less flour to get to a desired consistency. So it's been good practice from that point of view.
I am also reading the opening chapter of
Cookwise, the "Wonders of Risen Bread" which is really helping to explain some of the science to me. Although Corriher says she used 5.6 oz per cup as her standard conversion!