I love Brinna’s pugliese, and make it frequently.  But I have a problem.  I use a floured cloth in a big bowl for the second rise.  And no matter how much flour I put on that cloth, the dough seems to stick to the cloth.  I have used what I consider extraordinary amounts of flour, but it still sticks.  And then, of course, when I turn the bread out, the cloth pulls on the dough, the dough deflates, and I get a flat, though yummy, pugliese.

I’ve seen online that others manage to make this bread come out nice and round and high.  Any tips on how I can do it too?  Would a real banneton be that much better?

Thanks for your help!

mattw - 12 January 2011 07:16 PM

And no matter how much flour I put on that cloth, the dough seems to stick to the cloth.  I have used what I consider extraordinary amounts of flour, but it still sticks. 

What sort of cloth are you using?  Something smooth like canvas or linen would probably work best.  You might try rice flour instead of wheat flour; I normally use semolina, but I don’t use a cloth.  A banneton would certainly solve the sticking problem.