Hello,
I was wondering what people do with their bread basket liners for upkeep?
I am using a coiled basket with some linens for proofing. I shake them out and brush them after a bake but wasn't sure if other people maintain them differently.
Are people washing them after a particular problem like an extremely wet dough, long time of use or anything else?
I recall a baker once telling me that washing any linens was a big no, no.
Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
I wash them with bleach and dry them if they get moldy. I just air dry between uses if they are not moldy. I own a bakery.
They say to never wash a couche, but I have no idea why not. I would wash mine if I had a reason to.
Washing, a big no-no?? That's ridiculous. But washing only when necessary? Sure, that's economical and sensible - saves time, saves water, saves wear on the cloth. Certainly no need to wash every time, and no need for any schedule either. Just leave it alone, unless you say to yourself "That's so dirty, it's really going to affect the bread".
Maybe in a high-volume bakery where each recipe is a known quantity and no experiments are going to be taking place, it might be clear that unless someone makes a really stupid mistake the couches just aren't going to need washing. But even there, a stupid mistake could happen. And in a home or small bakery, where recipes are being tried out and modified, unpredictable things are going to come up - like a dough that unexpectedly splatters instead of bouncing. ?
i just bang my liners out a bit (the elastic kind) and store them stacked in the baskets and covered with a towel to keep dust out. I live in a dry climate and don’t use any fats in my recipes that would go rancid. So far so good.
All this information from everyone is incredibly helpful, thank you so much :D