The Journal Guides
What size banneton do I need? Start with dough weight
Calculate the weight of an unbaked loaf, then compare it with a basket maker’s stated capacity and your baking vessel.
A recipe using 500 g of flour does not make a 500 g loaf of dough. Water, starter, salt and any other ingredients all add to the weight. That total, divided by the number of loaves, is the useful number when checking a proving basket’s stated dough capacity.
Add the whole recipe
For example, 500 g flour + 350 g water + 100 g starter + 10 g salt makes 960 g of dough before handling losses. Divide that into two equal loaves and each is about 480 g. Count the starter once as an ingredient; do not add its flour and water again when calculating total weight.
Use our dough-weight calculator to do the addition and division. It also includes an optional box for a basket maker's capacity rating. You supply that rating; the tool does not infer it from a photograph or diameter.
Check what the basket measurement means
A diameter or length alone cannot establish how much dough will fit. Height, the internal shape and how far the dough rises matter too. Check whether a seller’s measurements are internal or external and whether a capacity is stated as flour weight or total dough weight. Those are different numbers.
Choose the shape and check the oven vessel
A round basket supports a round loaf; an oval supports an elongated one. The shaped loaf must also fit the baking vessel and the method you use to load it. Our Round Rise basket is listed at 23 cm diameter x 8 cm high. Long Rise is listed at 25 x 15 x 8 cm. We have not verified a gram capacity for either, so these dimensions are not a promise of fit for the example recipe.
If your dough is too large
Dividing a batch into more loaves may be an option if your recipe allows it. Recalculate the weight per loaf and adjust the recipe’s baking instructions for the smaller loaves. Do not pack a basket to the rim and expect the dough to have room to prove.
Put the basket in its proper place
The basket holds the shaped dough during its final rise; the dough is turned out before baking. Read how to use a proving basket for the sequence, or compare round and oval shapes before choosing.