With all due respect, the recent posts about banneton include too much
whining about the relative cost of these special dough-rising baskets.
Surely some of the 5000+ folks that subscribe to this list care about good
bread and feel the same as I do. Though in some instances it might be
admirable to "make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" but to make an
imitation is NOT the same as the genuine article. Yes, you COULD proof a
rustic loaf in a cheap China-made basket lined with unwashable fabric of
unknown origin, or line an ordinary bowl with a linen dish towel, but it
won't be the same. The characteristic imprint made by the beautiful
craftsmanship of an Austrian-made brotformen cannot be duplicated by these
cut-rate means. You get what you pay for! Using good tools and caring for
them properly add joy to the creative process of building extraordinary
bread. In the big picture, a $25,000 car or a $250,000 home is expensive.
A $25 banneton is not.
May your dough always rise and your crust be crisp!
Carolyn