Caring for a banneton

The dry brush method

A new cane or spruce pulp banneton needs a little preparation before it can cleanly release a loaf. However, once the initial seasoning is complete, your main task is keeping it dry. Moisture is the enemy of the natural fibers, leading to mold if the basket is stored away damp. After you tip your loaf out onto the parchment, resist the urge to wash the basket with soap and water.

Instead, let the empty basket sit in a warm, dry spot — like the top of a cooling oven — for a few hours. Once the remaining flour and moisture have completely dried out, use a stiff, dry fiber brush to sweep out any excess. A clean, dedicated toothbrush also works well to clear the tight crevices of a cane basket. If you notice small bits of dried paste stuck to the sides, a light scrape with a dull butter knife will pop them loose without gouging the wood.

Flouring for a clean release

To prevent sticking, most bakers use a fifty-fifty mixture of rice flour and white flour. Rice flour has no gluten, so it does not turn into glue when it meets the wet surface of your loaf. If your dough is particularly wet, you might feel tempted to use a stand mixer dough hook to build excessive structure, but even the strongest dough can stick to an unseasoned basket. Dusting the basket thoroughly before every use is your best insurance policy.

The environmental conditions in your kitchen will affect how the flour behaves. On humid summer days, the ambient moisture can cause the dusting to absorb into the basket faster than usual. Similarly, monitoring your dough temperature is crucial because a warm, sweaty dough will rapidly dissolve the protective flour barrier, making sticking much more likely. Keep the basket in a cool, draft-free spot during the final rise.

Handling mold and deep cleaning

If you live in a damp climate or accidentally stored your basket while it was still wet, you might find small spots of gray mold. Do not throw the basket away. Instead, submerge it in a sink of warm water and scrub it vigorously with a clean brush. Do not use dish soap, as the porous cane will absorb the perfume and ruin your next bake. One veteran baker advised, “just scrub it clean, rinse it with boiling water, and dry it immediately in a low oven.”

To dry it after a wash, set your oven to 120 degrees Celsius and bake the empty basket for about 20 minutes… this kills any remaining mold spores and evaporates all water from the deep pores. Let it cool completely before storing it. While you wait for the oven, you can easily pivot to making a simple weekend focaccia on a flat baking sheet, which requires no basket at all.

Safe storage practices

When your baskets are clean and dry, store them in a well-ventilated area. Stacking them tightly inside a dark, airtight plastic bin is a recipe for trapped humidity. Instead, stack them loosely on an open wire shelf or hang them from a kitchen hook by their rims. This keeps the air circulating around the fibers, ensuring they remain bone-dry and ready for your next baking day.