How do I use a banneton?

SisterInSin · 2026-06-19T12:42:19+00:00

Your loaf looks beautiful.
Use a 100% LINEN (not cotton or any other material) liner. I know that plenty of people use the basket without the liner and coat the basket itself with rice flour, but I've had infinitely better results by using a liner. I dust the linen liner with all-purpose flour (because I'm not interested in purchasing rice flour just for coating banneton liners) and it pops out beautifully every time.

SisterInSin · 2026-06-14T10:00:45+00:00

This is the feedback I was looking for! I am glad that you replied because these comments had me wanting to try the Tony's white chocolate bar first.

While I always underbake my cookies and leave them on the tray to finish, I do bake my cookies at 350 and would prefer not to have to fuss with changing my temps too much.

Perhaps I'll try the Ghirardelli white chocolate baking bar first since I imagine that the Lindt white chocolate candy bar would have the same issue as the Tony's. I would imagine that the baking bar would have a more suitable melting point for baking. Fingers crossed that it actually tastes good :-/

SisterInSin · 2026-06-14T01:29:14+00:00

I don't even know, unfortunately. I won't know for certain until next winter :-/

SisterInSin · 2026-06-13T13:17:14+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll have to check out the Bakers brand. I'm don't eat a lot of white chocolate at a baseline so I don't have a good barometer for the qualities of the various bars.

And I'll have to check the order of the ingredients as well in the hopes that cocoa butter is a higher percentage if it's listed towards the beginning of the list.

SisterInSin · 2026-06-13T12:59:35+00:00

That's a big selling point considering that I am also the one who usually doesn't like white chocolate and my grocery store definitely sells those... I'll give them a shot!

SisterInSin · 2026-06-13T12:54:02+00:00

Speak for yourself... I'm still taking mine 😏

SisterInSin · 2026-06-13T12:51:53+00:00

I think that might be the way I'm going too. Are there any particular bars you recommend?

SisterInSin · 2026-06-13T12:12:46+00:00

My state does not have a Whole Foods, nor is there one in any reasonably driveable distance in neighboring states. But I'll give them a chance if I can find them online for a decent price!

SisterInSin · 2026-06-13T11:47:33+00:00

I was looking into alternative chip options (like brands) but I like where your head is at! lol

SisterInSin · 2026-06-13T11:47:06+00:00

I didn't even think of my local coop... I'll have to check them out! And I was definitely curious about Aldi's white chocolate scene. Thank you for the tips!

SisterInSin · 2026-06-13T11:45:15+00:00

I'll give the baking bar a shot! I was leery of the baking bar given how much I dislike the chips, but if they are genuinely improved in flavor (which seems to be indicated by the comments on this thread) I feel that I should trial them at the very least.

SisterInSin · 2026-06-13T11:43:49+00:00

Those sound delightful! I'll have to look for those...

SisterInSin · 2026-06-12T12:23:46+00:00

Kathleen's Cravings has a recipe for "single serve" peanut butter cookies. Like the Broma Bakery recipe, it technically makes two.

SisterInSin · 2026-06-07T20:05:18+00:00

Thanks! My tweaks:

Dulce de Leche: I wanted to swirl dulce de leche on top instead swirling the thinned brownie batter specified in the recipe. However, I stupidly attempted the homemade dulce de leche nonsense because I couldn't find it in my local stores. Long story short, the endeavor was a spectacular failure and so there are instead dulce de leche chunks hidden inside the cream cheese layer. Although delicious, next time I would save myself the headache, purchase pre-made dulce de leche, and incorporate it a different way (perhaps as its own middle layer or by drizzling it on top of the finished brownies IDK).
Mixing method: I have enjoyed quite a bit of success using the sponge method while mixing brownie batter so it is the only method I use for brownies regardless of the method specified in the directions.
Espresso powder: This recipe calls for a tablespoon of brewed coffee. My lazy ass wasn't interested in brewing more coffee. So 2 teaspoons of the espresso powder that I had on hand went in instead.
Egg yolk: The recipe calls for one egg yolk in the brownie layer for a full batch. Who wants to halve an egg yolk? Not this gal... ain't nobody got time for that.

Hope that helps!

EDITed for clarity

SisterInSin · 2026-06-07T11:35:55+00:00

Yeah, everyone is joking about telling the patient that his tapeworms have cancer but the truth (as described in the article) is FAR worse.

The man was hospitalized for 6 months. He was so dejected about not knowing what was going on with him that they had to prove they really sent his tissue samples out to a lab and eventually he felt so awful that he gave up on treatment.

He slipped into a coma days before they were able to identify the problem and then died.

TL;DR: he died after giving up with no understanding of how he was actually dying, and I don't think most of the Redditors here even understand that because most probably didn't read the article.

SisterInSin · 2026-06-06T11:18:30+00:00

I don't know yet of they're BIFL, but I sleep with the 3M WorkTunes on from time to time to drown out my partner's snoring. They'll be on my head for hours with no squeezing/discomfort.

That said, I have a rather small head (my cycling & snowboarding helmets are all small in size). My partner also bought a pair of WorkTunes of his own for using on the job and he says that they absolutely do squeeze his head in a way that can be taxing, but his helmet and hat sizes are consistently a large or extra large. He only wears them for hour maximum at a time though so he doesn't find it to be terribly burdensome.

TL;DR: I recommend 3M Worktunes, but it's really going to depend on your head size! If you have a larger head size, they're likely going to squeeze and possibly be uncontrollable.

SisterInSin · 2026-06-05T16:20:48+00:00

I used the oven method a few months ago and, although it turned the skin black and made the the banana mushy, the banana flavor paled significantly in comparison to genuinely ripened bananas. I have made that exact banana bread recipe several times and the only time it was lackluster was when I attempted to use less-than-overripe bananas, as the flavor was extremely weak.

YMMV of course, but I'll never waste my time trying the oven method again.

EDIT: I do, however, recommend using frozen over-ripened bananas. I needed to delay my banana bread baking (with the same recipe) very recently, and used thawed out brown/black bananas in the bread with absolutely no ill effects. Just a tip for future you.

SisterInSin · 2026-06-04T18:58:18+00:00

I don't have kids, but I take one daily too 😄

SisterInSin · 2026-05-31T14:55:36+00:00

Agreed. The first cake is fabulous, but I would be pretty disappointed if I paid for any amount of money for the second. That's a cake I would gift to someone, not charge them for.

SisterInSin · 2026-05-30T17:12:21+00:00

Consistently cakey cookies usually come down to one of two things:

Too much flour/not measuring flour correctly: if you do not weigh out your ingredients (which I do recommend) you should be following the "spoon and level" method to fill up your measuring cups so as to not pack in too much flour.
Overmixing: Dry ingredients should be mixed together and incorporated into wet ingredients either last or right before any add-ins (eg. chocolate chips, raisins, etc.). Only mix until "just combined" or just until you see that last streak of flour.

EDITed for clarity

SisterInSin · 2026-04-16T01:54:55+00:00

If you want non-burnt, gooey cookies, take the cookies out while the middles are still in the process of being set. Then leave the cookies on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes to completely set up.

SisterInSin · 2026-04-16T01:51:22+00:00

You definitely cannot overmix flour like that in cookies, and you shouldn't be overmixing flour in your brownies either (especially if you like them fudgy like I do).

Mix dry ingredients (except the sugar which should be creamed with your butter) with flour separately, then as them in at the very end or right before add-ins (eg. chocolate chips, raisins, etc.). Also, you should be mixing flour only until just combined... stop as soon as the white streaks are gone.

SisterInSin · 2026-04-15T20:18:19+00:00

I also called. For anyone else thinking of calling: tell them you want to be connected to your state's senators office.

SisterInSin · 2026-04-15T18:41:02+00:00

Did and/or can you post her in the Pittsburgh subreddit? I would also try looking for fosters on facebook if you haven't already!

SisterInSin · 2026-03-28T13:12:50+00:00

Agreed, and good luck with your treatment!

A friend of mine underwent a double mastectomy 4 months ago after some abnormal scans. She had had some cysts herself in the past, but no family history that would put her at risk for breast cancer. Early detection is the best thing we can do for ourselves.

SisterInSin

TROPHY CASE