The Couronne Banneton

A French banneton à couronne — the crown-shaped proofing basket a baker used for the last rising of a ring loaf. A cone rises from the centre of the willow and the dough proofs around it, so the bread leaves the oven as a crown rather than a round.

The shape belongs to the couronne bordelaise, the ring loaf of southwest France. The cone is the whole point of it: without a riser in the middle the centre closes as the dough grows. Plain round bannetons turn up often. Crown ones do not.

This one still has its original linen liner, sewn to shape and around the rim, in a plain weave with a narrow blue stripe. The liner has taken on the deep, even flour-and-time colour that only comes from real use, with a few darker marks and soft creases where the dough sat. That patina is the piece.

Maker: unmarked, as bannetons were
Origin: France
Era: c. 1930–1960
Material: willow (osier) with a linen liner

Condition: very good for a basket that worked for a living — willow sound with no broken rods, centre cone firm, liner whole with the marks and staining described above.

Measurements: D 32 × H 8 cm / D 12.6 × H 3.1 in

Two are available and each is sold on its own.

Shipping to the United States: the price you see includes all import duties and tariffs. Your piece travels DDP — Delivered Duty Paid — so there is nothing further to pay when it arrives, and no customs paperwork for you to deal with. Shipping is calculated separately at checkout. More on shipping & customs →