Angelina – Calgary, Alberta, Canada

I have used the proofer on 3 different dough types. The first one uses .8% yeast and normally I would need 1.5 hours (sometimes slightly longer) for the first proof and a little shorter for the second proof. With the proofer, the dough managed to finish proofing within the 45 to 60 minutes range set forth in the recipe.

The second dough uses 6% yeast and the dough normally needs 1 hour for the 1^st proof and about 45 minutes for the 2^nd proof. I chose this dough because I wanted to see if the proofing time will be even shorter. I used 2 tiers (a 6×6 square pan on the bottom and a 12-cup muffin pan on the top) for the 2^nd rise. The proofing time has shortened slightly and the rolls on the bottom tier seems to have risen a little bit quicker than the one on top, probably because it was closer to the heating plate.

The third dough uses 1.1% yeast but since it requires a 17-hour pre-ferment (70% of the whole dough)in the fridge, the final dough temperature is 65F. This dough has always caused me trouble in proofing as the first rise can take up to (or more than) 2 hours, and the second rise another 1.5 hours. With the proofer, each rise is shortened by 20-25 minutes. Again, I used 2 tiers; a 6-cup large muffin pan on the bottom and 6 terracotta cups on top. The rolls on the top tier didn’t rise as well as the bottom one because I forgot to take the heat absorbency of the terracotta cups into calculation.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the proofing results. Now that I have such a sensational proofing gadget, I have control over bread making in terms of time. I can also maximize the use of the oven when previously it was reserved for proofing. Now, I don’t have to worry about the long cold winter months in Calgary, Alberta, thanks to Brød & Taylor.