Bulka Sourdough Banneton Bread Proofing Basket Small 9.1" Oval Smooth 500g

Best Banneton basket I’ve bought. I was originally gifted one of these, and have purchased several more since. I’ve had all different types of bannetons made from wood or composite materials and these are the only ones I never have to worry about my bread coming out. They come out easy, and the clean up is simple. I like the variety of sizes and different basket patterns. I will admit, they are a little more expensive than other types but the investment is worth it.

Very pleased with this product. The pattern and material clearly different than the typical round bannetons which make beautiful circles on boules. This one flours very nicely. I bake large loaves using 1000 grams of flour and 75-80% hydration depending on the type of flour. The final mix of close to 1800 grams fits perfectly in this basket for final proof. Using parchment paper to invert, the doughs release easily to go directly in oven. The basket cleans easily once dry with a soft toothbrush. Seems like this will be a durable product.

I rarely leave reviews, but I felt compelled after the customer service I received and my initial use of this brotform. Starting with the customer service: I went to this company’s website to see if they had the smaller oval brotform in stock there. Unfortunately that was not the case, but I did manage to find an email. I figured I would reach out and see if they knew when the 500 gram oval brotform would be back in stock. They responded rather quickly and said it would be a few weeks. When I refreshed the Amazon product page though, much to my surprise, I was able to place an order. The shipping took longer than the standard 2 day shipping that I’m used to when using Amazon, but I can hardly complain given that I was able to order a previously out of stock product. Next, let’s get to actual usage. I’ve been making sour dough bread for a couple years now. The loaves are just for my wife and myself, so I’m not producing them in large quantities. My preference for my loaves are for them to be made of 100% whole grains, but this can get rather tricky given spelt, rye, einkorn, and even whole wheat flours all typically have less protein than your typical white bread flour. This has resulted in difficult-to-work-with, sticky, wet doughs. After doing a bit of research, I learned that wood pulp brotforms are ideal for these types of doughs. Setting my wicker banneton aside, I decided to finally give this brotform a use. I have to say, I am quite impressed. When using my wicker banneton in the past, I’ve had my frustrations with sticking after crafting the perfect dough. This especially held true upon my first use. Not sure what to expect, I prepared myself for the worst upon first use. After flipping the brotform upside down and waiting for a few seconds, I felt the dough release and let out a sigh of relief. I couldn’t believe it, but the dough did not stick! I’m sure I will be using this brotform for many more loaves and I am quite impressed with how the first loaf went. If you’re on the fence about whether or not wood pulp brotforms actually make a difference, leave your doubts behind. I can say with confidence this product is worth your money.

Comes clean much easier than my old bamboo banneton. Very durable I will buy more for gifts.

Good banneton, I like the size and the construction and the fact that it doesn't stick too much. The amount of flour and water is 500gr and 350ml of water and almost fits after proofing so keep that in mind

I enjoy baking bread, particularly sourdough. After years of using a round, linen-lined rattan banneton, I decided to buy an oval one in a size that better matched my Challenger Bread Pan. There are countless variations of the same thing, all from the places where tropical materials grow. They do a perfectly adequate job for a low price, and the linen is not that hard to rinse out and air dry overnight, but I wanted to try something different. I came across the Bulka made in Germany -- where they know a thing or two about bread -- from spruce pulp, and I decided to try something that seemed to be a vote for quality over price. By my 2nd proof, I was convinced that the brotform (loaf shape/form) works better than a lined basket. My experience is that there is no need for dusting with rice flour before an overnight proof. The dough releases readily enough. After an overnight refrigerator proof there is a bit of a skin where the dough contacted the wood, which makes it super easy to make a score for the bread to open up during the oven spring part of the bake. The "hardest" part of cleanup is keeping an eye on the oven thermometer to put the banneton in once the temperature has dropped to 250 degrees F or so. There rarely is anything to dust off, but drying out in the cooling oven does seem like a good food safety step. My bakes suggest that the claim of "superior crumb and crust" is truth in advertising, not a false promise. (See photos.) I haven't changed my recipes, just my proofing basket's material and shape. I usually make 400g to 500g loaves one at a time, yet I bought the 750g basket for the groove pattern. I am really pleased with my purchase and am considering whether to buy another one in the smaller size because it has no pattern and may be good for certain yeasted loaves, like ciabatta. If you can spare a few extra dollars for a quality product, you should give Bulka a try!

Wood pulp bannetons:work exceptionally well, especially when both banneton and dough are coated with rice flour. The biggest downside is that wood pulp is prone to mold, especially when your dough has wetter inclusions. I recommend using the residual oven heat after you bake to dry the banneton before putting it back into storage. I have the oval Bulka banneton and purchased it at the same time I purchased 9” round wood pulp bannetons from a different manufacturer. I do not see any difference in quality, but the Bulka was more than twice the price of the others. I would recommend that bakers have a combination of wood pulp and lined rattan bannetons and that they consider lower cost alternatives to Bulka.

Excellent Proofing Basket. Didn't use a liner, just rubbed a small amount of Rice Flour on the inside and the dough easily came out after proofing. I liked it so much I bought two more.

This is a great and professional banneton, easy to. maintain if you follow the instructions. No sticking if you use a bit of rice flour. Awsome!

Excellent quality

I’m very happy with my order. Great quality and delivered much earlier than expected. I highly recommend this seller and proofing basket

Quality of the wood pulp material is superb. It is an excellent product. However one thing they could improve is that they could tell us what is the quantity of dough for this size. I have ordered a larger size and now I can’t return it.

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