I have the B&T proofing box and Instant Pot. My Samsung oven has a proofing feature, and I recently purchased an Anova Precision Oven.
Of the four, my favorite for proofing ( and making yogurt and rye sours) is the Anova, which is also a steam oven for baking bread and Sous Vide cooking.
I use a plain tub yogurt maker with an ink bird temp controller. Put the probe in a simple sandwich bag or wrap it in plastic wrap and insert it into the dough. 26-28 C?
Lots of bakers use a variation of this system at thefreshloaf!
Inkbird (temp controller) is about $35. I should have bought the model specifically for food so that is why I wrap the probe (of my model) so that it is not in direct contact with food.
I had the yogurt tub maker from 25 years ago. I can put in about 750gr (425gr whole what at 80% hydration) -900gr
of dough and let it rise to double (put plastic wrap at the tub rim to catch any overflow if your dough fills over halfway when starting). The maker has a dome top so there is room for dough expansion.
Note, often, you may not want to let a dough double.
I use a slight variation of the Inkbird method. I place a 40 W incandescent bulb in a small toaster oven and control the temperature with the Inkbird in close proximity to the dough container. I can't get much above 30 °C, but I probably could in a small cooler with a higher wattage bulb.
One nice thing about the B&T proofer is that it can be folded up and stowed away. It's not worth it for someone who occasionally bakes but my house is very cool (60-65F) from late fall to late spring and I bake weekly, so the rather high cost worked for me.
I've used the B&T for proofing chocolate, bread, making yogurt and, fermenting veggies etc...
The main issue I have is that is heats from the bottom and is not insulated - at all, so you get a bit more heat on the bottom which results in yogurt that is more done on the bottom of a jar than on the top. Same issue with the instant pot, so for Yogurt I use either the dehydrator feature of my Samsung oven which can be set to 105 degrees or the Aveno. That said, I used it for yogurt happily for several years before switching.
but not the instant pot. However, the Instant Pot's yogurt feature is perfect for making my sourdough starters.
Yippee
Works very well. It is supposed to double as a slow cooker but I've not used it for that.
https://brodandtaylor.com/collections/all/products/folding-proofer-slow-cooker
What I like about it for proofing is that it's big enough for most dough loads and pretty accurate temperature-wise.
Hi
Thanks much for the reply and information. This jives with the reviews I have read.
Owen
I have the B&T proofing box and Instant Pot. My Samsung oven has a proofing feature, and I recently purchased an Anova Precision Oven.
Of the four, my favorite for proofing ( and making yogurt and rye sours) is the Anova, which is also a steam oven for baking bread and Sous Vide cooking.
Hi
I use a plain tub yogurt maker with an ink bird temp controller. Put the probe in a simple sandwich bag or wrap it in plastic wrap and insert it into the dough. 26-28 C?
Hi Joe.
That's an innovative system you have come up with. And not expensive. Thanks for the idea.
Owen
Lots of bakers use a variation of this system at thefreshloaf!
Inkbird (temp controller) is about $35. I should have bought the model specifically for food so that is why I wrap the probe (of my model) so that it is not in direct contact with food.
I had the yogurt tub maker from 25 years ago. I can put in about 750gr (425gr whole what at 80% hydration) -900gr
of dough and let it rise to double (put plastic wrap at the tub rim to catch any overflow if your dough fills over halfway when starting). The maker has a dome top so there is room for dough expansion.
Note, often, you may not want to let a dough double.
I use a slight variation of the Inkbird method. I place a 40 W incandescent bulb in a small toaster oven and control the temperature with the Inkbird in close proximity to the dough container. I can't get much above 30 °C, but I probably could in a small cooler with a higher wattage bulb.
One nice thing about the B&T proofer is that it can be folded up and stowed away. It's not worth it for someone who occasionally bakes but my house is very cool (60-65F) from late fall to late spring and I bake weekly, so the rather high cost worked for me.
I've used the B&T for proofing chocolate, bread, making yogurt and, fermenting veggies etc...
The main issue I have is that is heats from the bottom and is not insulated - at all, so you get a bit more heat on the bottom which results in yogurt that is more done on the bottom of a jar than on the top. Same issue with the instant pot, so for Yogurt I use either the dehydrator feature of my Samsung oven which can be set to 105 degrees or the Aveno. That said, I used it for yogurt happily for several years before switching.
I want to thank everyone who responded to my ask for help with the bread proofer. Much appreciated.
I'll let you know what I decide.
Owen