Drawn to its outside size
King Arthur gives up to 3 lb (1,361 g) of dough, so it takes a full bâtard with room to spare. Comes with a cloth liner.
Banneton size chart and the best proofing baskets
A 9 inch round banneton holds the common 750 g to 1 kg sourdough loaf; a 12 inch oval holds the same dough as a bâtard. Use the chart below to match your dough weight to a basket, then flour it with rice flour so the loaf turns out cleanly.
Which banneton size for 900 g of dough? A 9 in (23 cm) round or a 12 in (30 cm) oval. For 500 g, an 8 in round; for 1.2 kg, a 10 in round. Between two sizes, take the larger.
Our picks
Drawn to its outside size
Round basket for smaller loaves
King Arthur Baking Round Brotform and Liner
About 500 to 800 g of dough (our estimate)
Drawn to its outside size
At 8.5 in across it suits about 500 to 800 g of dough (our estimate). For the usual 900 g loaf, choose a 9 in basket.
The size most recipes need
9 in round cane banneton with liner
9 in (23 cm) round: about 750 to 1,000 g of dough
Natural rattan cane with a removable linen liner. Many makers sell this size; check the listed diameter is measured across the top.
Small oval loaves
10 in oval cane banneton with liner
10 in (25 cm) oval: about 500 to 750 g of dough
For a smaller bâtard or half a batch. A 12 in oval takes the full 900 g loaf.
How we know: weights and sizes are the makers' published figures, linked from each product page, and a dough range marked “our estimate” is our arithmetic on them. We do not perform hands-on testing. How we compare.
Banneton size chart: dough weight to basket size
Find your total dough weight (flour, water, starter and salt together), then read across. Between two sizes, take the larger basket: a loaf that rises above the rim spreads when it is turned out.
- 250–400 g
- 400–550 g
- 500–750 g
- 750–1,000 g
- 1,000–1,250 g
- 1,250–1,500 g
| Basket across the top | Total dough weight | Typical loaf |
|---|---|---|
| 6 in (15 cm) | 250 to 400 g | Small loaf or half batch |
| 7 in (18 cm) | 400 to 550 g | Small loaf or half batch |
| 8 in (20 cm) | 500 to 750 g | Smaller loaf, about 300 to 400 g of flour |
| 9 in (23 cm) | 750 to 1,000 g | The common 900 g sourdough loaf |
| 10 in (25 cm) | 1,000 to 1,250 g | Large loaf or a 1.5x batch |
| 11 in (28 cm) | 1,250 to 1,500 g | Large loaf or a 1.5x batch |
| Basket length | Total dough weight |
|---|---|
| 8 in (20 cm) | 400 to 550 g |
| 10 in (25 cm) | 500 to 750 g |
| 12 in (30 cm) | 750 to 1,000 g |
| 14 in (36 cm) | 1,000 to 1,500 g |
Free to cite or share with a link to this page (theovenspring.com/proofing/proofing-baskets#size-table). Dough weights are our general guide, checked against makers' published charts; pick by your basket maker's figure where one exists. Download the chart (CSV).
Weigh the whole dough, not the flour
A banneton is sized by the total dough: flour, water, starter and salt together. A recipe with 500 g of flour at 75% hydration makes about 900 to 950 g of dough, not 500 g. Add up the recipe or let the baker's percentage calculator do it.
A basket that is too small lets the loaf rise over the rim and spread when you turn it out. Too large, and a loose dough flattens to fill it. Aim for the shaped dough to fill the basket about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way up.
Banneton, brotform and proofing basket
They are the same thing: a basket that holds a shaped loaf while it proofs. Banneton is the French word, brotform the German one. Cane (rattan) baskets leave the spiral flour pattern; wood-pulp and plastic baskets leave a smooth or ribbed surface. None of them go in the oven: you turn the loaf out onto parchment or a peel and bake it in a pot or on a steel.
How to stop the dough sticking
Dust the basket or liner with rice flour, or half rice flour and half wheat flour. Rice flour has no gluten, so it does not turn into glue on wet dough. Cover the surface the dough touches, not only the rim. A liner gives a smooth top without the rings and is easier to keep clean; an unlined cane basket gives the classic pattern.
If the dough still sticks, it was usually over-proofed or very wet. Turn the basket over close to the parchment, and ease the stuck spot free with a floured finger rather than pulling the whole loaf.
Cleaning and drying
After each bake, knock out the loose flour and leave the basket to dry completely at room temperature before you put it away; damp flour in a closed cupboard grows mould. Brush out dried dough with a stiff dry brush. If it needs washing, King Arthur's basket guide allows warm water without soap, followed by a full dry. Shake a liner out after each use rather than washing it, as King Arthur's guide advises, and wash it only as its maker's care says (King Arthur sells its own liners as machine washable).
No basket yet?
A bowl about the size the chart gives, lined with a smooth cotton or linen towel well dusted with rice flour, works as a banneton. For an oval loaf, a narrow bread pan or colander lined the same way does the job. Once the dough has proofed, turn it out, score and load it.
Questions bakers ask
What size banneton for 1,000 g of dough?
A 9 to 10 in round basket or a 12 in oval. At exactly 1 kg, the 10 in round gives a little more room.
What size banneton for 500 g of dough?
An 8 in round or a 10 in oval.
Round or oval banneton?
Match your baking vessel: a round loaf for a round Dutch oven, an oval loaf for an oblong pan, an oval cloche or a steel.
Do I need a liner?
No. A liner gives a smoother top and keeps the basket cleaner; without one you get the spiral flour pattern from the cane.
Can I put a banneton in the oven?
No. Bannetons are for proofing only; turn the loaf out before baking.
More equipment for this job
Keep what you own when it does the job. These are the other exact models we profile.
Drawn to its outside size
For two round loaves of 850 g to 1 kg
Brod & Taylor Banneton (Boule), Set of 2Two ridged 8.5 in round bannetons molded from sugarcane pulp and bamboo, rated by Brod & Taylor for 850 g to 1 kg loaves.
850 to 1,000 g of dough8.5 × 8.5 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For two oval loaves of 700 to 850 g
Brod & Taylor Banneton (Batard), Set of 2Two ridged 10 × 5 in oval bannetons molded from sugarcane pulp and bamboo, rated by Brod & Taylor for 700 to 850 g loaves.
700 to 850 g of dough10 × 5 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For a large round loaf
Frieling Brotform, Round, 10 inA hand-woven 10 in round cane brotform that leaves the classic floured spiral on a large round loaf.
About 1,000 to 1,250 g of dough (our estimate)10 × 10 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For a round loaf in a basket you can wash
Breadtopia Banneton, RoundA ridged 8 in round banneton made in the USA from a wood-fiber composite that goes in the dishwasher, rated by Breadtopia for 680 to 1,130 g of dough.
680 to 1,130 g of dough8 × 8 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For an oval loaf in a basket you can wash
Breadtopia Banneton, OvalA ridged 10½ in oval banneton made in the USA from a wood-fiber composite that goes in the dishwasher, rated by Breadtopia for 680 to 1,130 g of dough.
680 to 1,130 g of dough10.5 × 7.63 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For an extra-large round loaf
Frieling Brotform, Round, 11 inA hand-woven 11 in round cane brotform for a big round loaf, one size up from Frieling's 10 in.
About 1,250 to 1,500 g of dough (our estimate)11 × 11 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For a small round loaf up to about 600 g
Central Milling Round Proofing Basket (8 in)A handmade 8 in round banneton of coiled rattan with a linen liner, rated by Central Milling for up to about 600 g of dough.
Up to 600 g of dough8 × 8 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For a round loaf up to about 800 g
Central Milling Round Proofing Basket (9 in)A handmade 9 in round banneton of coiled rattan with a linen liner, rated by Central Milling for up to about 800 g of dough.
Up to 800 g of dough9 × 9 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For a round loaf up to about 1 kg
Central Milling Round Proofing Basket (10 in)A handmade 10 in round banneton of coiled rattan with a linen liner, rated by Central Milling for up to about 1,000 g of dough.
Up to 1,000 g of dough10 × 10 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For a small oval loaf of about 500 g
Central Milling Oval Proofing Basket (8 in)A handmade 8 in oval banneton of coiled rattan with a linen liner, rated by Central Milling for about 500 g of dough.
Up to 500 g of dough8 × 5.9 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For an oval loaf up to 800 g
Central Milling Oval Proofing Basket (10 in)A handmade 10 in oval banneton of coiled rattan with a linen liner, rated by Central Milling for up to 800 g of dough.
Up to 800 g of dough10 × 5.9 in outside
Drawn to its outside size
For a long oval loaf of about 1 kg
Central Milling Oval Proofing Basket (13 in)A long 13.5 in oval banneton of coiled rattan with a linen liner, rated by Central Milling for just over 1 kg of dough.
Up to 1,000 g of dough13.5 × 5.5 in outside