I cover my rising dough with a piece of wax paper topped with a kitchen towel but I pour olive oil over the dough and spread it with my hand to create an oil envelope for the dough. I would guess that this both helps the dough maintain moisture as well as serving as a coating for the rising dough. A woman I knew close to 40 years ago, made bowl covers by sewing a square piece of linen to an equally sized square of heavy plastic and simply reused them for years. She just draped the covers over her bowls and let the dough rise that way.

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