Dimpola 9-Inch Round Banneton Bread Proofing Baskets, Set of 2
Every recipe in Flour Water Salt Yeast makes two loaves, so you're going to need two proofing baskets. This Dimpola 9-inch set of two is the perfect no-fuss solution. Buy round, buy two, and stop thinking about it.
Buy NowWhy it earns its place
These are round bannetons, which is exactly what you want when you're baking in a standard 5-quart Dutch oven. The round shape helps the dough hold its form and gives you that classic loaf look once it's baked.
Rattan does something a bowl and a tea towel can't. The cane wicks moisture off the surface of the dough overnight, so what you tip into the pot has a dry, taut skin that takes a score cleanly instead of dragging.
Skip the oval baskets unless you specifically have an oval-shaped Dutch oven. For the methods and equipment used throughout the book (and on this site), round is the way to go. Simple, sturdy, and the exact size you need to proof both loaves at once.
How I actually use it
Dust the basket far more heavily than feels reasonable, and use rice flour. It doesn't absorb water the way wheat flour does, so it stays as a dry layer between the dough and the cane instead of turning to paste — this is the single thing that decides whether your loaf drops out or tears.
Shape both loaves, set one in each basket seam side up, and put them straight in the fridge overnight. In the morning tip the first one into the preheated 5-quart Lodge seam side down, score it, and get the lid on. The second basket waits in the fridge until the pot is free.
When you're done, tap the loose flour out and leave the basket somewhere open to dry completely before it goes back in the cupboard. Don't wash it. Don't stack them damp.
Specs
- Brand
- Dimpola
- Diameter
- 9 in (22.9 cm)
- Quantity
- 2 baskets, 2 cloth liners
- Basket Material
- Natural Rattan Cane
- Liner Material
- Cotton/Linen Cloth
- Care
- Dust with flour, tap out, air dry - do not soak or machine wash the basket
What to know before you buy
Your first loaf will stick. New rattan hasn't got flour worked down into the weave yet, so the first few bakes need a heavier dusting than the instructions suggest, and wheat flour on its own will glue the dough to the cane. Start with rice flour and save yourself a loaf.
They can't be washed, and that catches people out. Soak one or take a brush to it and the cane swells, splinters, and starts shedding fibres into your dough — at which point the basket is finished and no amount of drying brings it back. Tap, air, and store dry, or you'll be buying another set.
The liners are a decision, not a bonus. Bare rattan gives you the ringed pattern people buy bannetons for, the cloth liner gives you a plain crust and a basket that's easier to keep clean. Pick one and be consistent, because switching back and forth means re-seasoning the bare cane from scratch.
What else I considered
A mixing bowl and a floured tea towel is the free option and it does technically work. But cloth holds moisture against the dough instead of drawing it away, so the surface stays tacky, the towel sticks in patches, and scoring turns into a fight.
The oval sets are everywhere and they're the wrong shape for this kitchen. An oval loaf in a round 5-quart pot slumps at the ends and touches the sides, and you lose the spring you proofed all night for. If your pot is round, your basket is round.
