I tried using the plate over bowl method, but my dough developed a crust.
I am looking into the bees' wax wraps. but have not read anybody who has used it as a wrap to dough. Like wrapping pizza dough or pie crust when resting / proofing in the fridge.
Has anybody had any experience with it? Or any other alternatives?
Congratulations on your good judgement and (presumed) concern for the environment!
To cover bowls, including mixer bowls while autolysing, I use silicon bowl covers. They are wonderful. They seal air-tight. They are also perfect for covering bowls of food for re-heating or thawing in a microwave oven. We use the small sizes to cover Ball jars in which we freeze sauces, beans, soups, etc. Google "silicon bowl covers" to discover your options.
I also use bees wax wraps for wrapping bread to keep it fresh. It works as well as plasti-crap, IMO. It does smell like honey, especially when new.
I confess to still using plasti-crap to wrap breads for freezing, but that's about my limit.
David
ah yes. I freeze my breads all the time actually.
No way around that?
Like for divided dough for pizza and pie crust.
That is what I do.
The warmth in your hands will soften the bee's wax sheets to conform to the top of a bowl, but not airtight. For portioned pizza dough, you can do what the professionals do, either the white lidded trays, or if tat won't fit in your fridge, the aluminu, stackable containers.
So it then might still cause the crust to dry out since it is not air tight?
Covermate Stretch-to-fit Food Covers. They come in variety packs that fit over different sizes. I use the red colored ones over my bowls and bannentons, and used the extra large version (yellow) over a large container for pizza.
I believe they are dishwasher safe as well, but I simply rinse and hang dry.
For covering bowls I use disposable shower caps. Yes, they are plastic but also re-usable and washable. As I bake bread for sale I do use plastic wrap when I have to be sure that it's clean (for anything that will touch the dough), and I don't re-use this.
I use shower caps and just rinse them out ready for the next time. Very economical. I keep one on the mixer bowl when not in use keeps the dust out.
Very handy, very reusable. This is an underutilized idea.
usually the ones that grocery stores provide for produce; I just occasionally take an extra one or two as needed.
I wet the bowl rim so the plastic "sticks". Depending on the bowl size, the amount of dough I'm putting in and how much I expect the volume to increase, I either simply lay the bag across the top or cut one side which allows for the bag to dome.
Well, I normally mix or at least proof (I have a KitchenAid mixer and am plagued with periodic attacks of indolence) my dough in a large, clear glass bowl and, until inspiration struck, used cling wrap to seal it off. But recently my indolence led to a literal shortage (the roll was about 2" too short) of cling wrap. Desperate not to walk out to the car and drive to the store I lay down and racked my brain and realized this bowl was part of a set. Voila. I transferred the dough to the next smaller bowl (entirely adequate to accommodate my longed for rise) and inverted the larger bowl on top. Effective protection for the dough that eliminates drying and a clear view of the rise's progress. In addition if I'm attentive and remove the dough for shaping before it contacts the upper bowl I have only one bowl to wash. Wow! I'm exhausted with all this typing.
it really is! I will do this instead. I don't want to spend money TBH. If I can make do with what I have, all the better :-)
Thank you!
Regarding plastic wrap, the amount of petroleum and energy that go into its manufacturing are minimal as related to total use by an individual. More energy is consumed in the manufacturing of aluminum foil than plastic wrap. I maybe go through a couple rolls of plastic wrap in a year.
Our community has a strong recycling program. Plastic wrap can also go straight into the recycling bin as well.
and a lightly oiled container with lid, and dough turned to coat, during proofing, work very well.