Cleaning floured tea/kitchen towels

[piracer]

So i made a loaf of bread the other day and one part of the recipe had me basically cover the loaf in a tea towel for it to rise. Naturally i floured the heck out of it so the bread won't stick and what not. Now the last time i tried washing the tea towel after beating the flour of it, the remaining flour just soaked up all that water and it was a pain to wash off. I made the BAD BAD mistake of putting it into the dryer where the flour bits then dried off but since i put it in with other clothes i found shards (they were sharp!) of flour bits all over my clothes. So how do you guys clean your towels?

[maggiethecat]

Wash them in cold water for both wash and rinse on your machine's longest cycle. Hang to dry. Repeat if necessary.

[Isabelle Prescott]

I barely add any flour to the towel. I use linen towels but have also used 100 percent cotton and they never stick to the bread.

[Anna N]

Don't wash it! Store it in a plastic baggie and keep for future use when baking bread - that is what I do.

[andiesenji]

Don't wash it! Store it in a plastic baggie and keep for future use when baking bread - that is what I do.

Me too! Mine are all in a plastic bag in the freezer - along with the cloth couche, some kneading gloves the linen banneton liners, etc., to prevent "invasion" by flour-loving critters.

[Lisa Shock]

Don't wash it! Store it in a plastic baggie and keep for future use when baking bread - that is what I do.

Me too! Mine are all in a plastic bag in the freezer - along with the cloth couche, some kneading gloves the linen banneton liners, etc., to prevent "invasion" by flour-loving critters.

A lot of bakeries do this, the couches never get washed unless something horrible happens.

[djyee100]

Next time, I suggest dispensing with floured towels and using an alternative. The point of covering the dough is to prevent air from moving on the dough and forming a skin. You don't want drafts on the dough as it's rising. You can sprinkle the dough with flour or mist it with spray oil, and then cover it loosely with plastic wrap. You could also put a large box over the dough. I favor flour and plastic wrap, myself.

Peter Reinhart has other ideas in his Bread Baker's Apprentice. On Googlebooks, pp 87-88, especially suggestions for the home baker on p 88.

http://books.google.com/books?id=htveL1MPqYMC&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=reinhart+proof+box+improvisation&source=bl&ots=nanf0uVJJM&sig=HXaaRJTRl4ISt6UVQ31j7KBhsxY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5QUdT6PPB7LoiAKuqpn6Bw&sqi=2&ved=0CDUQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Edited January 23, 2012 by djyee100 (log)

[piracer]

ohhh thats a good idea, having a dedicated towel for bread. If there are bits of dough stuck here and there, it should be ok right?? Kinda like having a mini starter...

[Wholemeal Crank]

ohhh thats a good idea, having a dedicated towel for bread. If there are bits of dough stuck here and there, it should be ok right?? Kinda like having a mini starter...

If there are bits of dough stuck to the towel, they'll dry rock hard and be quite unpleasant if they stick to the next loaf. Not starter-like at all. But if the towel is well floured, there shouldn't be any dough stuck to it.

I rinse off my floured towels as well as I can in the sink before putting them in the laundry, and haven't had trouble getting them clean with cold water washing.

[HungryC]

It helps to have a towel with a completely smooth surface...sort of like the smooth percale used on US bedsheets. In fact, old 100% cotton pillowcases make excellent dough cloths. I haven't had any problems with flour washing out of my very smooth towels, but the even slightly "bumpier" weave of others is problematic.