Bread fork?

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Ilya Flyamer on 13 Dec 2024 at 00:05

Hi all, been a while since I've posted anything around here. I do come and check out what people are posting from time to time :)

Got a secret santa gift this year - a big round banneton with a brush (I assume to brush off excess flour etc), and a strange small 2-pronged fork. They all come together in one package. Why the fork? The gifter (no longer a secret) is not a baker and has no clue, they thought I'd know what to with it, and yet, I just can't figure it out!

My only idea is to use it to burst big bubbles on the surface, but it's also easy enough without any fork...

Any thoughts?

(In case it helps, it was probably bought in Germany)

A two-pronged bread fork is a type of utensil commonly used to handle bread or baked goods without getting your hands dirty. It has two long, sharp prongs that allow you to pick up slices of bread, pastries, or rolls, especially in situations like serving at the dinner table or in buffets. The prongs are typically designed to be narrow and slightly curved to grip the bread without squashing it.

This utensil is often used in formal dining settings or by people who want to maintain hygiene and elegance when handling food. It’s also useful for picking up slices of bread from a bread basket or cutting board. The two prongs allow for easy picking without damaging delicate bread textures.

my guess is it's an extremely rare and specialized tool to scrape out flour encrusted in the crevices of the banneton. Every family should have one!

Rob

Plus, this little fork can be handy for managing food, like when serving or trimming, or for poking rolls to prevent big bubbles. You're right that you can do without it, but using it adds a bit of creativity to the process! 

by bending two prongs on a small 4 prog fork. I use it to peel boiled potatoes.  Actually I had first bent the outside prongs out of the way. Hubby saw my nifty little fork and removed the bent prongs. (I actually preferred it bent) but still use it.

In my experience, larger two tined forks are used for carving and serving meat. My mom had a smaller silver two tined fork that we always called an olive fork. When I look at Mr. Google, that's what I'm coming up with also. Bread serving forks seem to be mostly three tined, and kind of elaborate. (Again, Mr. Google.) I don't claim to be an expert in this area.

Susan