I was wondering if people prefer a moist or dry heat for their proofer.
I made a simple proofer. I got the idea from various forum posts. The main reason I went this route was because I could build this out of parts that I own. I spent 10 dollars on a 100 watt adjustable aquarium heater.
It's a cooler with water in the bottom of it and an aquarium heater. It has a rack about 4 inches above the water that I can put my proofables on. I noticed that it's a pretty humid environment. I'd guess > 80% RH. Is this high humidity ideal for proofing?
Generally yes, higher humidity is preferred to keep the skin of the dough from drying out until you're actually baking.
My makeshift proofer is my microwave with a mug of hot water inside it. It works well so far.
That's exactly what I use too, and it works extremely well. Only downside is that there is not much temperature & humidity control this way, like you might have with a Brod&Taylor or commercial device.