March 6, 2019 - 12:42pm
Dough sticking to towel
Hi, I'm having trouble with my bread doughs sticking to the towel when rising. The doughs are approximately 75% hydration and the towels are these ones: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XK69NRW/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm flouring both the surface of the dough and the towel generously, but each time the towel adheres to the dough and when I turn the bowl out onto the preheated baking stone and go to remove the towel, the dough stretches out with the towel and ruins the dough.
Thanks in advance,
Ben
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Just for the dusting of sticky towels etc, make a little bit of special dusting flour: 50% regular flour and 50% rice flour. The rice flour is more stick-resistant.
On top of the bread dough or under it? If the towel is under the dough, I suggest switching to either parchment paper, or a banneton dusted with rice flour. If the towel is on top of the dough try just using a piece of parchment or plastic wrap, or an inverted plate just to keep the moisture in.
The towel is underneath the dough, between it and the bowl it's rising in. I also fold the corners on top of the dough to cover it though and that hasn't been sticking for whatever reason, just the bottom. I'll pick up some rice flour for dusting for my next loaf. I also notice that bannetons tend to come with linen linings? Are the cotton towels I'm using too absorbent to leave bread to rise in?
I have those same towels. They work very well for me. Rice or masa flour (no gluten in these flours) does a great job. But if you have a sticking problem again, you could put the dough and banneton in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. That should do the trick.
Dan
Rice flour works great. But I have found Bob's red mill and the store brand at my Natural food store to be sandy. A $.99 bag from an asian market is milled much finer.
Awesome, good to know that these towels will work. I will try dusting generously with the rice flour and also I think I'm going to try kneading a little longer as well to hopefully reduce its stickyness more. Thank you all
I had troubles with dough sticking to thin cotton towels I used to line baskets. I tried spritzing with a spray of water after turning the towel-covered loaf out onto a peel. They released immediately.
Cathy