Skip The Parchment — This Tool Is Way Better For Bread Making

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If you're in your sourdough era — and a lot of us are, including Taylor Swift — then you're probably looking for the best bread-making techniques. While making bread isn't something new, some newer ways of doing it are worth knowing about, and one of them requires ditching the parchment paper.

While parchment paper serves its purpose and will work in a pinch, it can be a pain to deal with. If you're working with a high-hydration dough, it gets crumpled, wet, weak, and soggy, and can rip under the weight of a large bread loaf. Here is your sign if you haven't moved to a silicone bread sling yet, and avoid one of the biggest bread-making mistakes.

In addition to being more durable, a silicone bread sling is a better choice because it reduces waste as it can be used over and over again. It will also help distribute heat more evenly while baking and is a safer way to move baked loaves of bread from a Dutch oven to a countertop. Since a silicone bread sling won't rip under pressure, it can help prevent getting burned on hot ovens and pans or from precious loaves of bread hitting the floor.

A silicone bread sling, much like parchment paper, can be used by either turning over a banneton basket and letting the dough roll out onto it or by carefully lifting the dough by hand and placing it directly in the middle of the circle in the center. Then, lift the sling by the handles and carefully lower it into the pre-heated Dutch oven, baking stone, or baking dish, and leave it under the loaf while it bakes.

When the bread is done baking, lift the silicone bread sling again by the handles to remove it from the Dutch oven and place it on a baking rack. It can be left in place until the loaf is cooled.

After the bread has cooled and the silicone bread sling can be safely removed, gently wash it with soap and water and let it dry before storing it for the next loaf of bread you bake, perhaps using this sourdough bread recipe. These are very versatile and can be used indefinitely. Signs that the sling needs to be replaced are when it becomes brittle or sticky to the touch or if you notice a rip in the material. If used properly, it should last through dozens of loaves and last for years.