Beeswax Bowl Wraps

 
Reusable Fabric Wraps - An Alternative To Plastic Wrap

I  made these a few weeks ago, and I have been loving them!  The method I used is simply beeswax pellets.  But I read of another version using jojoba oil, pine resin, and beeswax, and I love these enough to try the second recipe for a comparison.  [Recipe for the second version is near the bottom of this post - I haven't tried that one yet!]

The wax will soften just enough, from the heat of your hands, to mold to the container.  Or around the end of a loaf of bread.  I've recently been working through all of my sourdough recipes, trying to compile my favorites, and remove those that don't work for me.  These wraps were an idea I came across for wrapping the cut end of the bread, so it does not dry out and go stale.  

But, I didn't currently have a "typical" sourdough loaf made - so here's a photo of it wrapping the end of a sourdough loaf.  A smaller, square, wrap would have worked for this - but I was thinking of round loaves when I made it.   I do think this is going to work well for me.  And it's going to be another good reason to buy pretty fabric....  

Quick Tips:

• Light cotton fabric works best - the fat quarters you can find in the fabric section at JoAnns or even Wal-Mart are often perfect.  
• You can grate a block of Beeswax, or buy Beeswax Pellets
• I set my oven to 200 degrees, and it took about 8-10 minutes for the wax to melt
• If you use too much wax, like I did, you can place another piece of fabric on top and stick it back in the oven - the second piece will absorb some of the excess wax from the first.
• Wash in cold water only.
• Do not use these to wrap meats.  Because you can only wash these in cold water, and that wouldn't be enough to remove all the "meat bacteria" between uses.

I made my first batch in circles, specifically to fit my pyrex bowls.  But I have found that in general, I prefer rectangles and squares. Common sizes are:

7x8 - Small items

10x11 - Perfect for cheese, fruits and veggies, the top of a mason jar

13x14 - covering bowls, wrapping loaves of bread

That is WAY too much beeswax.  Use about half that much. 

I used the beeswax pellets I had on hand from making lotions last year - but if I were to buy it for this, I'd be very tempted to buy WHITE pellets, instead of yellow.  

https://amzn.to/3ZWdGzG

An upside down plate makes a good template for cutting a circle.   Pinking sheers keep the fabric from fraying, no need to sew these.

Cover a baking sheet in foil, top with your fabric, and a light layer of beeswax.  It takes less than you would think .

Place in the oven, and allow to melt.  Check on it every few minutes - but for me, it was about 8-10 minutes.  This could vary greatly by the type/thickness of the beeswax, and the exact temperature of your oven - so check these every few minutes the first time you do this.

A new, clean, disposable, paint brush can be used to spread the wax around as needed.  A silicone spatula might work too?  I used too much wax, so for me, neither was necessary.  But I'm really, really glad my pans had a bit of a "lip" to catch the wax, otherwise my oven would have been a mess...

The wax will dry quickly when removed from the oven.  I hung mine up,  to make certain they dried well - but just holding them, they dried very quickly!

You can see on that bottom edge, I really used too much wax - I should have used a brush to move some of that around.  I can throw this back in the oven to remove that, or I can wash it and see if the excess just flakes off..  this was my first attempt at making these, so there's still a lot of trial and error.

But note - these are empty Pyrex bowls. And I can stack them, on top of these wraps - the wrap is sealed tightly enough to hold the bowl on top of it.

I stacked them up and rolled them together, for storage.  

This is a more complex recipe, which I plan to try soon for a comparison.  I've read a bit about these, and reviews are mixed.  Some insist the extra ingredients make a big difference, others see no need at all for anything other than beeswax.  I've been using my regular just beeswax version for a few weeks now, and I love them enough to try a comparison  -  I'm just waiting on the extra ingredients to arrive.  

2 T jojoba oil

6 T food grade pine resin [approx ¾ oz]

1 C beeswax pellets [approx 2¾ oz]

1 ½ yards 100% cotton fabric 

For this method, it's recommend that all of the ingredients [except the fabric] be melted together in a water bath on the stove.  So - place the ingredients in a mason jar, then place the mason jar in a pan of water and heat slowly until completely melted.  

Then paint the mixture onto your fabric, place in  warm oven (250 degrees) for a few [3-4] minutes.  Remove from oven, flip over, paint any areas that were missed.  Once completely covered, hang to dry.