The good news is that searching for the best proofing basket is not going to take you long. There aren’t that many very good bread proofing baskets on the market so you will make your decision quite quickly.
Are proofing baskets essential baking tools? Not exactly. Just as bench scrapers are not essential baking tools.
Nevertheless, in both cases these are part of a complete baking equipment for our homes. They’re usually not that expensive so if you have a bit of extra money, I highly recommend buying a banneton for proofing dough.
The whole idea of using a proofing basket is that it’s amazing if you want a perfect round or oval shaped dough. Some also like baking with the ring impressions that the basket can leave on the dough. It certainly looks awesome on artisan breads and sourdough.
Thus, if you are baking artisan breads or sourdough in a Dutch oven, you’ll love proofing in a banneton.
You can certainly do without one either. It’s up to you.
After reviewing some of the best proofing baskets, we’ll also be talking about what proofing is and how to properly use a bread proofing basket.
Contents
Best Proofing Basket: My Favorite Picks
1. Overall Best: Forsun Round Bread-Banneton
The Forsun Round Bread-Banneton actually comes in two sizes: 8.5-inch and 10-inch. Choose the 8.5 inches one if you bake smaller loaves, like up to 1.5 pounds. Choose the 10 inches round banneton for holding 2 pounds of dough. The quality is one of the best and the price is one of the lowest, a perfect combination.
2. Oval Proofing Basket: Saint Germain Premium Oval Banneton Basket
If you want to experiment with oval bannetons, this one from Saint Germain is one of the cheapest and one of the best. It’s a 10-inch oval proofing basket. They also have round best bread proofing baskets, all needs and demands are covered by this manufacturer, for very decent prices.
3. Expensive Option: Frieling USA Brotform Round Bread Rising Basket
There are 3 options to choose from when it comes to the Frieling USA round proofing baskets: 8.5 inch, 10 inch, and 11 inch. You don’t see the 11 inch often, it translates into a 3 pounds loaf. If you’re into the habit of baking large loaves, then the 11 inch is perfect. Otherwise, go for the other 2 sizes. The 10 inch is pretty perfect for most of us. All three options are some of the most expensive best proofing baskets. Frieling USA is a manufacturer used by professional bakers, as well. Their quality is top-notch.
Best Proofing Baskets for Bread Reviews
Before going into explaining what proofing is and how you can use a bread proofing basket, let’s see which are our best options.
I should also mention just a few basic facts:
- proofing baskets won’t influence the proofing process – they won’t speed it up or anything of that sort
- you still need to experiment with proofing temperature and timing – or you can buy a proofing box and a banneton
- they just help preserve a nice round or oval shape with a few light circle imprints in the form of a coil
- you don’t bake the dough in a basket either
1. Forsun Round Bread-Banneton – Best Proofing Basket for Bread
The Forsun Banneton has an excellent price-quality rapport.
The price is quite affordable, one of the cheapest the you can get.
And the quality is excellent.
These two reason contribute to making this Forsun Banneton my first recommendation as a best proofing basket, even though there are many much more popular than this one.
But I think that this one will be worthy of your attention.
It’s made of high-quality rattan, free from dye and chemicals.
There are two options when it comes to available sizes: 8.5-inch and 10-inch.
Both are round-shaped.
The difference between them is this:
- 8.5 inch one holds up to 1.5 pounds of dough
- the bigger size holds up to 2 pounds of dough and it’s good for medium to large breads
They both come with cotton liners.
2. Frieling USA Brotform Round Bread Rising Basket – Expensive Proofing Basket for Bread
I actually discovered this proofing basket when reading a book about bread. It was mentioned in the Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish.
It’s a quite large bread proofing basket, measuring 11 inches. It makes a standard 11 inch loaf that will look simply amazing.
The quality is impressive, I wouldn’t have included it here if it weren’t of the highest quality.
There are 3 sizes to choose from: 8.5 inches, 10 inches, and 11 inches.
The 11 inch size translates into a 3-pound loaf. If you have a big family, this might be the perfect basket for you.
Otherwise, the 10-inch one would fit pretty much everyone’s needs.
Or, if you’re baking just for one, choose the 8.5-inch round proofing basket.
3. Saint Germain Premium Oval Banneton Basket – Best Oval Bread Proofing Basket
This oval proofing basket is of quite a high quality but the interesting thing about it is that it has a really good price if you get it on sale.
I don’t think it’s worthy of a full price but it’s a totally awesome deal if you get it on sale.
This is a 10 inch one so, not the biggest but an expected size for an oval banneton. It’s still enough for making a medium to large loaf.
And it’s obviously made of rattan. And it comes with a cloth liner.
This manufacturer also has a 10-inch round basket at a very acceptable price so, you can check that one out, too.
However, if you’re baking in a loaf pan then you should use the loaf pan directly for proofing. Once the dough is done with bulk fermentation, you can shape it in the loaf pan directly and let it proof in there.
An oval banneton can work for batard bread or for bread that have an oblong shape.
4. Bread Bosses Bread Banneton Proofing Basket
This is one of the most popular banneton baskets for proofing bread in. However, it’s not at the top of my list of favorites. Let’s see why that it.
The thing is that there are a few user reviews who mention quality control issues. There are complaints about splinters, these are the most frequent, which pretty much makes the piece unusable. Complaints that it’s cheaply made also make an appearance.
Some people might say that it’s cheaply made but it’s certainly not the cheapest, best proofing basket that you could buy. But that’s because it comes with an additional accessory.
I wouldn’t say that there are a lot. And there are a lot more users reviews who state that they love this basket but I just wanted to mention these things so that you can get a balanced view of how things stand with this Bread Bosses model.
Those who love it mention that they make much better bread with this basket, it’s excellent for baking beautiful loves and the bowl scraper is just as good an useful.
There are a lot of happy customers and it’s definitely one of the most popular models on the market.
For the price, we get a 9-inch round banneton plus a plastic dough bench scraper. There’s also a sourdough starter kit e-book and a cloth liner. Considering all these components, the final price is decent.
The 9 inch holds 1.5 pounds of dough. It’s a very good size for most of us.
The other two sizes you can choose from are 10 inch and 12 inch. However both these sizes are oval bread basket. Only the 9 inch is round.
5. Wertioo Proofing Basket
This is another interesting kit that I wanted to review as one of the best proofing baskets.
The kit consists of:
- bread proofing basket
- bread lame
- dough scraper
- linen liner cloth
Also, given all these components, the price is quite good.
Another interesting thing is that we can choose from two sizes for the round bread baskets: 9 inch and 10 inch.
We can also choose between two sizes for the oval bannetons: 10 inch and 13.8 inch.
The 13.8 inches oval is the most interesting. It’s a harder to find size but it’s awesome for baking long loaves of bread. They’ll look beautiful.
If you don’t have a loaf pan but you have a baking stone for bread, use this 13.8 inches oval banneton to shape the dough and then baking it on the stone.
6. Sugus House Round Bread Banneton
This is yet another example of a good banneton that is sold for a very good price.
We get to choose from 2 sizes: 9 inch and 10 inch.
The 9 inch will be good 1.5 pounds dough, while the 10 inch works for 2 pounds dough.
If you make 3 pounds dough for a larger family, then you need to check out the 11-inch Frieling USA. That one is good enough when it comes to big sizes.
This Sugus House is no kit. We only get the basket and the liner.
However, we are informed that it’s handmade of high quality natural durable rattan that is also eco-friendly.
Still, this is my least favorite of all of my recommendations for the best proofing baskets. It has some serious negative reviews that you should check out before buying it.
Basically, I only included it among my reviews because I saw that there are others who recommend it as the absolute best banneton. I disagree and I want you to make an informed decision. Even if these products are not that expensive, those are still your money and time spent shopping.
What Is Proofing Bread? How Does a Banneton Help?
When we mention the words bread proofing basket, we all know what two of the three words mean. The term proofing might not be completely understood by everyone.
Proofing bread simply refers to the step when the yeast is activated in the dough. Proofing happens in yeast breads and it is the last rise in the process. It takes place after the dough has been shaped and it lasts until the dough is ready for baking.
We have the bulk fermentation (the first rising phase, before shaping) and then we have proofing as the second rise after the dough has been shaped.
Proofing is the last stage of fermentation for the yeast, when the yeast feeds on sugars and starches (carbohydrates) and expels carbon dioxide, which makes the dough rise and rise until it’s time for scoring and then baking.
Sourdough breads also require proofing as a last stage before baking.
But proofing bread is not only necessary because it expands the dough, it’s what actually gives the bread its flavor. It’s an important step when making all kinds of yeast breads, sourdough bread, and definitely important for pizza making but maybe a proofing basket can be a simple and wonderful solution to a step so important, we’ll see.
By the way, if you are interested, check out this article from weekendbakery on the myth of double in size. To be honest, I’m still going by the double in size saying but it’s an interesting read for bakers.
Making Bread Basic Steps
If you are completely committed to making fantastic bread, the basic steps of making bread dough until it’s ready for scoring and baking are the following:
- after kneading (can be done by hand, with a stand mixer or by a bread machine), the dough is shaped into a ball and placed in a bowl (you can lightly oil the bowl), the bowl is covered with a towel, and let to complete its firs rise
- for an ideal rise, the best temperatures are between 80°F – 90°F
- it can take anywhere from 45 minutes up to 2 hours
- the rising phase is considered complete when the dough has doubled in size – another way to test is to stick two fingers until the second knuckle and, once you take them out, the indentations should still be there and not filled entirely by the dough
- you can punch down the dough and shape it
- now comes the moment when you can move the dough from the bowl to the proofing basket, when the second rise or the proofing can begin
- if you’re using a loaf pan instead of a proofing basket, you can place the dough directly into the phase for its second rising – you see now why proofing happens after the dough has been shaped
- the proofing will give the dough a much better flavor and an increased volume than what can be achieved by simply doing the bulk fermentation
- to determine if the dough is done proofing, simply touch the side of the dough with your fingertip, just enough to make a small indentation
- if the indentation remains, you’re ready for baking
What Is a Proofing Basket for Bread?
Let’s start by explaining what is a proofing basket. Bread proofing baskets are also called bannetons.
A proofing basket for bread is a round or oval-shaped small basket made mostly of rattan and usually they are handmade. Rattan is the thin pliable stems of a palm and it’s a material used for making furniture but it’s also preferred for bread proofing baskets.
The rattan is coiled and it will leave beautiful imprints into the dough that will be preserved through baking. If you’ve seen circles on a loaf and you wondered how they were made, now you know that they were imprints from the proofing basket.
Most of the round proofing baskets have a 9-inch diameter, while the oval ones usually measure 10 inches.
They also come with a linen liner cloth. The linen liner cloth has two purposes: to prevent the dough from sticking to the basket, which would transform into a cleaning ordeal, and for ensuring a smoother crust by providing a barrier between the dough and the rattan lines of the basket.
People actually tend to prefer using the basket without the cloth because they want those beautiful circles, it certainly elevates the design of a loaf.
But what actually is the role of a proofing basket?
It just helps you achieve a very nice shape. The shape can be nicely round or oval.
The time needed for proofing the bread and the temperature will still have to be determined by you, the proofing basket won’t help you.
You can place a proofing basket in the fridge if you’re more fond of proofing bread in the fridge.
Proofing Basket Alternative
A round bowl covered with a towel can do the same thing minus the perfect shape and that coil imprint on the crust.
In order to obtain a bread proofing basket alternative, you can also line up the bowel with a flour-dusted tea towel.
Also,
If you’re using a loaf pan for baking the breads, the rectangular ones that we’re all used to, there’s absolutely no point in using a bread proofing basket.
It works if you’re using a Dutch oven or a cloche or a baking stone for bread or even a sheet pan.
How to Use a Proofing Basket to Shape Dough
When using a bread proofing basket there are not a lot of things to keep in mind.
If you decide to buy a basket for proofing bread, when you get it, you need to prep it. That’s in case you decide not to use the linen liner cloth that comes with it.
The cloth might prevent the linear pattern that many people want so, it’s up to you to decide if you use it or not.
If you’re using a linen liner cloth, the dough might stick to the cloth when the time comes to turning the dough out of the basket.
If you’re making a wet dough, the linen liner cloth is what you want to use. Dampen the cloth a bit and work rice flour into the cloth to ensure a pretty efficient release, it might stick a bit but the cloth is washable. Wash it by happen to prevent any tearing out.
If you’re not using it to line the basket then just use it to cover the dough while it’s rising instead of a kitchen towel.
How do you prep a proofing basket when you get it?
Get it damp and then dust it with rice flour and they let it dry completely. Use rice flour if you want to prevent the dough from sticking. You could try with wheat flour, as well, but there might be a chance that the dough will stick to the rattan.
Place the dough in the proofing basket after the first rise has been completed.
If you’re using a proofing basket, when the proofing is done, I’m still going by the method of dough doubled in size or left in the fridge for at least 12 hours especially for pizza making, you turn the bread proofing basket upside down on the peel or you can turn it directly into the Dutch oven, on a sheet pan or a cloche.
You could additionally put your hand underneath the dough when you start turning the basket so that you can offer a soft lending to your dough.
Once that’s done, and the basket is empty, give it a few taps to remove the excess rice flour.
You will need to wash it from time to time but only use water, no soap. You can dry it with a towel, it’s okay to leave it a bit damp and then dust it with rice flour. Once it’s dusted with flour, you leave it to dry completely.
Best Proofing Basket vs Proofing Box for Bread
As we’ve established, a proofing basket just holds the nice round or oval shape of the dough as it rises and it will be removed from the basket once the proofing is done and it’s ready to be scored and put in the oven for baking.
A proofing box for bread is a totally different tool.
What is a proofing box for bread, you might ask? It’s your oven, your oven can become your proofing box and a perfect better replacement for a proofing basket. Or it can work in tandem with a bread proofing basket.
We use our ovens for baking but we can also use our ovens to make the dough rise. How do you do that?
A proofing box involves a few steps but it can actually influence the proofing process in a positive manner, if it’s done right, while a proofing basket just maintains a nice shape.
A proofing box for bread, also known as a proofer, is a warm area with temperatures ranging from 70 to 115°F. It actually keeps the dough warm and humid.
How can you transform your oven into a proofing box for bread?
It’s quite easy.
Place 3 cups of boiling water into a pan on the bottom of the oven, place the dough on the middle rack, and close the door.
Don’t turn the oven on, you’re not doing any baking yet. The dough should rise the proper amount in about 2 hours.
The dough can be placed in a banneton if you want the perfect round or oval shaped dough. Thus, your choice for the best proofing basket will go into the proofing box for bread, these two can work in tandem for excellent loaves.
