Proving dough in a cloth is an old baking technique. In Portugal, women used to prove bread in a very similar way but, in this case, they usually used white cotton sheets, that they would lay on top of a large wooden box or table, placing the dough pieces in between the folds of the fabric.

Baker's couche, pronounced koo-sh, is a version of this method, popularized in France by the Viennese bakers in the late 1700s, who brought with them thechniques for making baguettes and other breads that would benefit from this type of support while proofing. It is suitable for a modern professional setting, allowing bakers to place the cloth on top of trays, boards and trolleys. This is a very space efficient way of proving dough, specially when compared to bannetons.

The thick linen fabric works by holding the dough in between its strong folds and pulling the dough's outer moisture. This helps developing a skin that will hold the final shape of your bread and will create a crisp rustic crust. Commonly used to prove baguettes, this method can be used to prove any other bread, which is not too moist.

 

Fabric details

The fabric we use is made of 100% natural flax linen, untreated and unbleached, with roughly 400g/m2. It is produced in Normandy (France), by a 4th generation family business running since 1887. It is made for a professional and intensive use, and it will last a lifetime if well maintained.

*Linen is woven with long flat flax fibres that won’t burr with use like cotton will. This means that with regular use and flouring the linen becomes non-stick, where cotton fibres will stick to the dough. Only linen achieves a non-stick effect with use. Linen is durable, flexible and light, and is the best material to proof bread

 

Width

At the moment we have two available widths - 40cm and 65cm.

The narrower couche (40cm) is suitable for the home baker. Can easily be  placed on top of an oven tray or inside the fridge. The wider one (65cm) is more suitable for professionals. It can be placed in standard sized trays and trolleys and it is wide enough to proof regular size baguettes.

If you need a specific width that we don't have in stock, contact us. Minimum order applies.

 

How do we sell it?

We sell the baker´s couche by the meter. What you will receive is one piece of fabric with the total lenght of your order. For example, if you order 8m you will receive one piece with 8m lenght. It is up to you to cut it in smaller pieces if you wish to. The fabric has hems on the shorter ends, but it doesnt have hems where the fabric is cut. For that reason, the fabric will be cut with a few extra cm, to allow for you to make the hems after you have cut it to the sizes you need.

 

Care & Instructions

• Before your first use you must season your couche. . You can spray a little bit of water on the couche and then dust it with flour. Once the flour has dried, it will adhere to the linen. This will create a protective layer that will prevent your dough from sticking to the fabric. Everytime you use the linen you will need to flour it again gently. You can use any type of flour for the dusting.
• After each use, simply brush off any excess flour and air dry. If the dough sticks, let it dry and scrape off carefully. Don’t exert too much force when doing this to avoid tearing off the linen fiber. Hang the couche to air dry and roll-up to store. You must let the fabric dry completly before storing it to avoid mould.
• Washing the couche should be avoided. Water will wash away the yeasty, floury surface responsible for making breads unique crust. But, in case you need to wash it, use only tap water but expect it to shrink and become more rigid.

 

Now you only need to start using it!

Need a recipe to start making baguettes on your new baker's couche? Find one here (soon)!