Hi Erica, you do want to keep the dough moist when it's rising in a banneton, but usually covering the top of the basket with a shower cap or Bowl Cover is sufficient. Some folks find it helpful to wrap the whole basket in a large plastic bag when they refrigerate the dough overnight. Do you flour the banneton liner well? I tend to use a half and half mixture of unbleached all purpose flour and brown rice flour for this purpose and rub the flour right into the cloth so it is embedded in the weave, and then sprinkle a little more flour on top of that. It's common for dough that is refrigerated overnight in a banneton to develop a slightly firmer "skin," but this normally won't inhibit the rise. If your major issue is the rise and ovenspring, I suspect this has more to do with shaping and proofing the dough properly than it does with your use of a banneton. For more help troubleshooting your sourdough baking, please don't hesitate to contact our Baker's Hotline. We're here M-F from 9am-9pm EST, and Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm EST, and you can reach us by phone at 855-371-BAKE (2253) or via CHAT.
February 3, 2023 at 4:21pm
In reply to I’ve been making sourdough… by Erica B (not verified)
Hi Erica, you do want to keep the dough moist when it's rising in a banneton, but usually covering the top of the basket with a shower cap or Bowl Cover is sufficient. Some folks find it helpful to wrap the whole basket in a large plastic bag when they refrigerate the dough overnight. Do you flour the banneton liner well? I tend to use a half and half mixture of unbleached all purpose flour and brown rice flour for this purpose and rub the flour right into the cloth so it is embedded in the weave, and then sprinkle a little more flour on top of that. It's common for dough that is refrigerated overnight in a banneton to develop a slightly firmer "skin," but this normally won't inhibit the rise. If your major issue is the rise and ovenspring, I suspect this has more to do with shaping and proofing the dough properly than it does with your use of a banneton. For more help troubleshooting your sourdough baking, please don't hesitate to contact our Baker's Hotline. We're here M-F from 9am-9pm EST, and Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm EST, and you can reach us by phone at 855-371-BAKE (2253) or via CHAT.