On 5/14/2023 at 10:19 AM, Ann_T said:But I do know that you are not suppose to wash them. Just shake out the flour. I use to keep the one that I didn't use in a bag in the freezer.
I used it so infrequently that I was afraid the flour would go rancid.
That's what happened with mine although I was using it regularly (at least once weekly). I'd shake it out and allow it to dry between uses, or so i thought, but it never fully dried. I stored it in a sealed bag, and then it went rancid. I finally washed it, in a fit of desperation, and as noted above it lost its sizing -- that is, its ability to hold its shape. In truth, it wasn't good at that shaping bit from the outset although it was supposedlly a high-quality couche. I had to prop up the ridges in the cloth to hold the loaves as they proofed, and I never got the hang of how big the ridges had to be in order to keep the baguettes from puffing into each other as they rose.
If I were to try again to get serious about baking baguettes (it's been a while) I think I'd try without the couche first.
Edited to add: I do not mean to discredit or diminish @keychris' statement. Our different experiences may reflect different climates, experience, or quality of the material.
