What to Use Instead of Plastic Wrap for Dough?

Wrapping the dough is a critical step in the baking process. If the dough is not covered, it will dry out, rupture, and may not rise enough. Plastic wrap is often used, but other kitchen options may perform even better. So, what may be used in place of plastic wrap for the dough?

Kitchen towels, zipper bags, silicone zipper bags, paper bags, tight lid containers, silicone stretch lids, a plate and a bowl, a shower hat, keeping the dough warm, parchment paper, aluminum foil, wax paper, silicone baking mat, flour sack towel are all excellent alternatives to plastic foil.

Plastic wrap is a really useful dough cover and a common kitchen item, so chances are you’ll have some on hand when you need it. However, if you run out of plastic wrap and need to get something done fast, I’ll offer you some suggestions for alternatives.

Tight Lid Containers 

If all else fails and you don’t have any other options, you’ll almost certainly have some plastic containers laying about your kitchen. Place the dough inside, but make sure it’s big enough to hold it as it rises.

If your dough isn’t compact enough to lift and fit in the container, leave it alone and lay it over it like a dome. Spray cooking oil on the interior walls and bottom of the plastic containers to prevent the dough from sticking.

Zipper Bags

Zipper bags are a great alternative to plastic dough wrap. They will not adhere to the dough, and you can put the whole dough inside so that each side is thoroughly covered. The disadvantage is that you don’t know whether the dough will have enough area to rise entirely if it hasn’t yet risen.

So, always use large-size zipper bags; even if you think they could accommodate your dough, don’t take the chance. You may also use them in another method, such as cutting the bag in half and using it to cover the dough instead of laying it inside. As a result, your zipper bag will have the same effect as a plastic cover.

Shower Hat

A shower cap dough cover may seem to be a crazy and outlandish notion, but it works. If you want to let the dough rest on the counter, cover it with a shower cap or extend the shower cap over the dough bowl.

If you cover the dough with a used shower cap, be sure to carefully wash and dry it so that no hair falls on it. If that happens, it won’t be the end of the world, but it’s preferable to prevent it.

Placing the Dough in a Warm Place

No wrap is sometimes a viable option for plastic dough wrap. If you want to let your dough breathe or if you don’t trust any other wrap but plastic, just set it in a warm spot. A word of caution, dough: a warm area does not always refer to the oven or any other equipment used for baking or reheating.

It entails leaving it in a warm room, near the radiators or another source of heat in your house.

Paper Bags

Assume your dough is soft but dry and does not cling together. Paper bags are a bad option for soft and sticky dough, so select another one of these solutions instead.

You may either put the dough inside the bag or cut the bag and use it to cover it. Paper bags work well because they are extremely absorbent and will absorb any moisture in the air or extra moisture from the dough.

Kitchen Towel

A kitchen towel is a wonderful substitute for plastic dough wrap, although it does not always work. A kitchen towel wrap is not a good idea if your dough is soft and sticky since it will adhere to it. Even if you can set it on the rims of the dough bowl without touching the dough, it may adhere to the towel as it rises.

You may spritz water on the kitchen towel to keep it from sticking, but this is still not a good idea since the dough may absorb some moisture.

When the dough is compact, elastic, and dry, such as for white bread, a kitchen towel is a suitable dough wrap.

Parchment Paper

Another great way to cover your dough is using parchment paper. It is really smooth and does not cling. For both sticky and non-sticky dough, parchment paper may be used. Wrap the whole dough in parchment paper or cover the top of a bowl with it.

When the dough has risen, instead of searching for an edge to unwrap it from, just cut the parchment paper.

Aluminum Foil

One of the greatest dough wrappers is aluminum foil. It is really simple to use, and if your aluminum foil piece is too little, you can easily add more since the other parts will remain in place because aluminum foil is not one of those wrappers that only works in one piece.

However, aluminum foil has a disadvantage in that it is not flexible and readily ruptures. As a result, if your dough rises faster than intended, the foil may tear. As a result, always use bigger foil pieces and allow the dough to rise entirely.

The good thing is that aluminum foil does not cling, so you can swiftly unwrap the dough. You can also build a fairly tight aluminum foil cover if your dog is in a bowl.

Silicone Zipper Bags

Silicon zipper bags work well in place of plastic dough coverings. They will not cling together as the dough rises. Furthermore, silicon zipper bags are strong and keep your dough protected.

Silicone bags come in a variety of forms and sizes, so you’ll have no problem selecting the ideal one. There are also silicon bags designed particularly for dough. You may knead your dough straight within the bag, keeping your kitchen clean.

A Plate and a Bowl

Why not design your own container if you don’t have any other options? You just need a bowl and a plate. Spray each with cooking oil and place the dough inside. Cover the basin with a plate and you’ll have a fantastic dough container in seconds.

If your dough is too soft and sticky to lift and put in a bowl, repeat the procedure, placing it on the plate and covering it with the bowl.

Silicone Stretch Lids

If you have a tendency of kneading dough in a bowl, this is the ideal answer for you. It may be possible if your dough is compact and solid enough to be placed in a bowl after kneading on the counter.

Simply fit the silicon stretch lid over the bowl’s rims to cover the whole opening. Silicone stretch lids come in a variety of sizes and are incredibly elastic, so they will cover the whole bowl opening, regardless of size. They are also quite tight, so you can be certain that no air will enter the dough.

Wax Paper

Many people confuse parchment paper with wax paper, and although their distinctions do not matter in this situation, they are not the same thing. To withstand heat, parchment paper is coated in silicon, while wax paper is treated in paraffin to repel moisture.

If your dough is moister and greasier, cover it with wax paper, which will not absorb any of the moisture or oil.

Silicone Baking Mat

The silicone baking mat, like the silicone zipper bag, is an excellent dough cover. Because it is soft, soothing, and simple to manage, you may position it whichever works best for you. Because it is nonstick, no matter how your dough appears, it will not cling to it.

You may use it to cover your dough plate as well as the dough itself. Just in case, put some cooking oil on the silicon baking surface.

Flour Sack Towel

It sounds like something unique, but it isn’t. A flour sack towel is a flour sack that has been cut and put over the dough. It is a wonderful option since flour adheres to it, forming an additional layer that prevents your flour bag from sticking.

Still, I don’t advocate using the flour sack towel with sticky dough since it will be difficult to remove. I also don’t advocate wrapping the dough in the flour sack cloth, but rather covering it lightly.

Oilcloth 

Although you most likely use an oilcloth to cover your table or knead your dough on, it also works well as a dough cover. It’s nonstick and simple to clean. You may use it to cover the dough bowl or even wrap it around the dough.

However, you should spritz it with oil to guarantee that your dough slides straight out. You don’t need to apply oil on the dough bowl if you cover it with oilcloth.