I appreciate your comments regarding the benefits of a brotform, especially over the use of a flour-dusted tea towel. (I used rice flour on the tea towel, and always dreaded the mess). What has made a huge difference for me, is, rather than using the tea towel, is to use the flimsy hairnets used by workers in the food service industry. (This was a tip suggested from a member of a FB bread baking group I belong to.) I use one inside an open-weave roughly 8 - 9" metal bread basket (that I found at Goodwill), whenever baking a sourdough boule, and it works like an absolute charm. No sticking, great shape to the loaf. I can even drape the excess hairnet over the dough, prior to covering the whole shebang with a tea towel, placing in a plastic bag, then resting in the fridge prior to baking. Really a huge improvement over the tea towel method, and no need for a brotform.

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