Baker's Linen

Bread dough usually needs to rise twice, first after kneading, then again after shaping. For this second "Gare" - the "Stückgare" - bakers even today prefer to use a longer web of linen. This cloth, also called baker's linen, serves on the one hand as a cover (e.g. as protection against drafts) and as a base to which the dough does not stick. The dough is placed on one half of the (lightly floured) cloth and covered with the other half. On the other hand, the linen cloth can be used as a kind of mold - for "pulling in the dough pieces," as it is called in technical jargon. To do this, the dough pieces are placed closely next to each other on the baker's linen and the cloth is folded in between so that it supports the dough pieces over the entire side and they do not stick together. This is especially convenient when placing baguettes or rolls to proof. To remove the baker's linen from the dough, it is best to lift the cloth carefully at an angle and remove it slowly, so that the delicate thin skin of the dough remains unharmed.

Another significant advantage over normal cotton tea towels is that linen can absorb and release moisture very well. As a result, it adapts to the surface moisture of the dough and acts like a second, protective skin that helps keep the moisture and temperature of the dough constant. This is particularly important and works even better when several pieces of dough are placed next to each other. Thus, the baker's linen naturally (and completely without plastic) ensures that the dough remains elastic, creating the conditions for a good success of the proofing and crust.

Our baker's cloth comes from the traditional weaving mill Vieböck, which uses for it strong, natural raw linen - that is, unbleached and undyed linen - from European long fiber flax. It is woven slowly on old shuttle looms, so the dense and hard-wearing baker's linen is particularly strong and durable. And although it is very strong, it can be easily laid into the desired shape. We offer it in two formats, a smaller and a longer, as it is often used in bakeries an.