Get deep enough into bread baking and you'll eventually run into one of the biggest home baking X-factors: temperature control. Pro bakers have special proofing cupboards to keep the environmental temperature steady while doughs and starters do their thing. We home bakers make do with warm ovens, radiators, and all other manner of improvised set-ups. This new small-sized, folding proofer from Brød & Taylor helps bridge the gap.
I admit that I was skeptical about this proofer. I am an avid baker and take great pride in turning out authentic artisan breads. That said, a warm oven has always worked just fine for me when it comes to proofing my loaves. Sure, I might sigh wistfully when I see the proofing cabinets at professional bread bakeries, but I never really felt like I needed one.
Well, chalk this up to a tool that I didn't know I wanted until I had it. We keep our house fairly cool during the fall and winter, and I've found myself whipping out this proofer at least twice a week. It's much easier and more reliable than warming the oven, plus my oven is then free for me to do other cooking (a boon in these busy pre-holiday weeks).
In its folded storage stage, the proofer is about the size of a slim briefcase. I keep it tucked between my prep table and the counter. To use it, the lid snaps up and off, then the sides unfold and tuck into molded grooves. Set the wire tray in the bottom, put the lid back on, and the machine is ready to start pre-heating. It is large enough to hold several loaf pans, my biggest mixing bowl, or two proofing baskets.
The entire bottom of the proofer is a metal heating surface. The wire tray lifts the bowl or pans away from direct contact with the heat source and allows for even air flow on all sides. The bottom is insulated so it is safe to leave it on a counter or table for extended periods; I checked several times and neither the bottom of the proofer nor the surface of the table were be anything more than warm.
The proofer works by cycling the heat on and off. The temperature does fluctuate a bit since it's not a perfectly sealed environment, though I never found it to be off by more than a degree or two. The actual energy usage depends on the temperature off your kitchen and the desired temperature of the proofer (the greater the difference, the greater the energy usage), but in general, the proofer uses about one cent of electricity an hour. The proofer's temperature range is 70°F-120°F.
Here's the kicker that made me really fall in love with this tool. You can use it for more than just bread proofing. I've used it to incubate the yeast for my homebrews and to make yogurt overnight. When I told a pastry chef friend about the proofer, she got extremely excited about being able to temper chocolate and quickly soften big bricks of butter.
There's one catch. While the proofer is extremely effective at warming and holding that temperature, it doesn't cool. That means the proofer is great during the winter if my house is at 68° and I want to proof the bread at 80°. But conversely, if my house is 90° during the summer and I want to proof the bread at 72°, it can't create a cooler environment. A rep from the company explained that outfitting a tool like this with cooling ability is much trickier and more expensive than giving it a heating element. However, the company is hoping to address the possibility in future models.
While I wouldn't consider this proofer a "necessary" baking tool by any means, it certainly is a fun one to have. It's one step closer to being able to make professional-quality breads at home.
• Find It! Folding Proofer, $148 from Brød & Taylor
Related: Product Review: SousVide Supreme
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.
(Images: Emma Christensen)
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How cool! I was just discussing with my MIL the tricky business of finding the perfect spot to proof. Might need to add this to my wish list...
This is a nice idea, but sure not worth 150 bucks. Even pro-bread bakers I know are just fine with leaving their dough to proof on the counter and giving it a little extra time if the room is chilly.
Most newer (just the last few years it seems) ovens have built in "proof" settings. Mine does and I adore it!
Cheaper temperature controlled wine cabinets are easily found.
I just put the bread dough in the oven and turn the light on.
I guess this replaces the "stick it in the hot car outside, with the windows closed" method...? :-)
I may not need it for the bread proofing, as other readers have said I find a warm oven to be just fine.
But holding steady for tempering chocolate? That might be worth it!
I live in an area that is constantly in the 60°F range so proofing bread dough has always been a difficult to manage. If I baked more bread, this might be tempting to pick up...
My question is does it have any humidity control? Since half of a good proofing is the humidity.
I think bread proofed at cooler temps tastes better, so I wouldn't be tempted by something like this. And $150? I've seen so many cheap homemade proofers online that I couldn't see paying that much even if I wanted it.
I find my microwave works great! I usually boil a cup of water in it and throw the covered dough bowl in to let it rise- works lovely! (and since I really only use the microwave for boiling water or heating leftovers, it's usually available unlike my oven that has the proofer but also usually has other food cooking in it!)
Not tempting here either. The item is way to expensive compared to the numerous methods that are free and easy to get the same result.
Put your dough in a cold oven and turn the light on. Works wonderfully!
Yogurt and bread? Sold!
Obviously everyone above has never tasted properly made Salt Risin' Bread or the like. These are the breads that were perfected by people on the early American wagon trains and by those long before that. These are breads where you make your own yeast which makes the bread far better tasting than anything made with common store bought yeast. These are breads that required exacting sterility, temperature, and humidity which is why one or two out of every three batches failed but were still well worth the lost time. Proper sterility (not one bad bacteria allowed) takes a few hours and requires no special equipment, however, for the next 12 to 24 hours after sterility, exacting yeast culture and dough temperatures and humidity MUST BE MAINTAINED else the batch WILL FAIL. This Br0d & Taylor proofer, like all other quality proofers, eliminates the biggest variable contributing to batch failure. Where B&T really shines is that it's not only a fraction of the cost of the other proofers but it also folds to a fraction of the volume. I've been closely watching the development of this product for over a year before it hit the market and I bought one immediately. It works as advertised and in my 54 years of experience perfecting the most difficult texture and taste perfect Salt Risin' Bread, I'm convinced that there is no practical and/or affordable substitute for the B&T proofer for the home scratch yeast bread baker.. mmmmmm! Hats off to the inventor!
Oh.. one last thing.. for those interested in the best textured best tasting toasting bread you can possibly imagine, Google "Salt Risin' Bread" with the quotes and give it a try. The many similar recipes only use a pinch of salt when creating the unique yeast (the taste) so, the name is misleading. This is a very heavy bread that tastes like nothing available in any store. This is why your first bite of a toasted, buttered, lightly jammed slice of your first successful loaf will hook you for life.