They tasted the same. They did not look the same.
Three years of use, both baskets as good as new
Equipment review
Oval bannetons
ifsecond · two oval cane baskets · covers included
By Steven · Updated September 2026
A loaf that has held its shape through the prove bakes taller and opens up better when you score it.
Cheap, lasts for years, and it is the difference between a loaf that holds its shape and one that spreads. Buy the two-basket set rather than a single, and use the covers.
BakeClass Snapshot
- Cost
- Budget
- Longevity
- Long lasting
- Learning curve
- Easy
- Best for
- Anyone baking their first few loaves
Cheap, lasts for years, and it is the difference between a loaf that holds its shape and one that spreads.
Do I actually need one?
Probably.You can prove a loaf in a bowl lined with a tea towel, and plenty of people start that way. It works better in theory than in practice. Unless the bowl and the towel are well matched the towel bunches up, the dough works its way into the folds, and getting it out again without deflating it is a job. What you bake is fine. What it looks like is creased. A banneton is cheap enough that this is a problem worth just buying your way out of.
What it does, and why this one
Supports the dough while it proves, so it rises upward rather than spreading outward, and holds the shape you gave it when you shaped it. The cane leaves the spiral ridge pattern on the crust that most people picture when they picture a sourdough loaf. That is not only decorative. A loaf that has held its shape through the prove bakes taller and opens up better when you score it.
Two baskets rather than one, which matters more than it sounds. Sourdough runs on a schedule and the moment you want to bake two loaves, or start the next batch before the first is out of the oven, one basket becomes the thing you are waiting on. The cotton covers are included rather than sold separately, and the oval shape suits a batard, which is the easier shape to get right early on than a round boule.
Pros and cons
What works
- Cane holds its shape and does not soften with use
- The cotton covers make cleaning a non-issue
- Two baskets, so you are never waiting on one between bakes
- Oval is a forgiving shape to work with early on
What does not
- Dough stuck to bare cane is genuinely awkward to get out of the weave
- Damp dough left in cane will go mouldy, so clean it promptly
What I got wrong
The bowl and tea towel, twice
My bowls were too small and the tea towels too big, so the towel bunched up in the bottom, the dough got caught in the folds, and getting it back out was a struggle. The loaves came out with the creases printed into the crust.
My experience
I bought this set in August 2023 and both baskets are as good as new three years on. Before I bought them I tried the bowl and tea towel approach twice. My bowls were too small and the tea towels too big, so the towel bunched up in the bottom, the dough got caught in the folds, and getting it back out was a struggle. The loaves came out with the creases and overlaps printed into the crust. They tasted the same. They did not look the same.
Steven, BakeClass
Alternatives
A round banneton if you prefer boules to batards. There is no meaningful upgrade to make here.
Will you outgrow it?
Not something you outgrow. Cane bannetons last for years with no real maintenance, and mine show no sign of needing replacing. If you end up baking several loaves a week you will want more of them, not better ones.