Building a Homemade Proofing Box

[devlin]

I don't think I am concerned as much as surprised. I figured the dough might get to 83-86 deg F. I'm going to have to try a few other kinds of dough to really get the feel for the right setting on the heating pad.

The other thing I thought about doing is placing a cooling rack between the sheet pan and the bowl. That would elevate the bowl about 3/4 of an inch about the heated surface.

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So much of this depends on how slow or fast you want your breads to rise, and how warm you want your breads as they proof, but the results you're getting with the heating pad is why I use a clamp gooseneck lamp instead. I think you have better control over the temperature all around (short of building an actual proofing box noted in an earlier message). For me, I'd prefer not to have the heat source come into such close proximity to the bread or the culture.

[andiesenji]

The only difference is that I bought a heating pad made for dogs (puppies actually) that is 100% waterproof.  (Actually I bought two, because at that time my basenji was in whelp and I needed one for the puppies too.)  I still have the one I use in the kitchen - it is also handy for gently heating cream and keeping it warm over a long period of time for making clotted cream.  There are a few other less common uses.

waterproof heating pad

the medium size

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Interesting product, andiesenji. The website says it keeps a consistent temp of 98-101. A bit off-topic here, but that sounds like the ideal temperature for slow-melting chocolate and keeping it in temper. Any experience with this?

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I have used it for keeping pulled sugar flexible - I also have used it to keep pizelle and rice wafers from setting up too rapidly so I have time to shape them.

I lined it with one of the large Silpat sheets, drizzled melted sugar onto it and then rolled the "lace" into a cylinder.

I also used it once for making a large batch of yogurt I needed for a variety of frozen yogurt desserts. I used an extra large SS roasting pan simply covered with plastic wrap (I use the large rolls of commercial stuff that is heavier than the regular Saran wrap).

It is made so that it will not get any hotter - dogs and puppies have a higher body temp than humans. What feels fairly warm to us is normal for them.

Edited September 7, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[andiesenji]

By the way, with the waterproof pad, you can put a folded, damp towel on the pad and set your pan or bowl on top of that and will get much higher humidity under the "hood" and this will help to keep the surface of the dough flexible and allow it to stretch - particularly with the heavier doughs, such as rye, whole wheat, and the Struan dough noted in Peter Reinhart's books.

Peter Reinhart's blog.

Edited September 7, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[tino27]

Time to post some follow-up results, just for some comparisons.

I used two thermometers: my instant read and my probe thermometer (the one I pictured in my earlier post).

Ambient room temperature before starting: 78 deg F as registered on both thermometers.

All ingredients were mise en placed this morning and had been sitting at room temperature the entire day, so I think we can safely assume that the ingredients were the same temperature as the room.

Mixed the dough for about 90 seconds on my KitchenAid at speed setting 2. When the dough came together, I proceeded to knead for 5 minutes (at setting 2), added the salt, and kneaded for another minute.

Temperature off of the mixer: 88 deg F. I covered with plastic wrap and set aside. Within 10 minutes, my instant read therm still read 88 deg F and my probe read 92 deg F. It stayed at precisely the exact same temperature for the 1st rise of 90 minutes.

I degassed the dough and folded it over onto itself. At this point both the probes read a lower value, 82 deg F for instant read and 88 deg F for probe therm. This, too, stayed constant during the 45 minute 2nd rise. I suppose the instant read therm could've been touching a cold spot in the dough that was originally on the outside before I folded it into the center of the ball.

I have now shaped the dough into boules and am proofing in my normal method, on my work surface on a towel, covered with another towel. On Tuesday, the dough only took 30 minutes to proof. I'll see how long it takes with the room temperature method.

I'll post the rest of the results after the dough has baked and I can snap a shot of the boules and the interior.

[sugarseattle]

i have a cambro insulated sheet pan transporter that's black and I want to try making the homeade proofing box, only, I'm concerned that I won't be able to see inside while my dough is proofing, and that when i open the cabinet, i will make the temperature fluxuate too much...anybody else with a non-see-through proofing box...how do you use it?

also, what's a good target temperature for croissants?