By Edward Damon
North Adams Transcript

Saturday March 23, 2013


WILLIAMSTOWN — When Michael Taylor’s mother-in-law visited from South Dakota several years ago, she made an unusual request of him and his wife.


“She asked me for a cardboard box and a lightbulb,” Taylor said.


His mother in law, an avid baker, was looking for a place to “proof” bread dough, a process that encourages yeast’s fermentation through warm temperatures and controlled humidity.


“I had made bread the same way for years, but we thought there must be a better way for her to do this,” Taylor said.


Using materials from a local hardware store, Taylor constructed a crude folding box for her dough to rise in.


“She brought it back home and showed it to her friends, and they all loved it,” Taylor said.


After making that first prototype, Taylor founded Berkshire Innovations LLC in August 2010. By 2011, Taylor had patented his invention, secured a manufacturing location in China and begun distributing it under the company name Brod & Taylor. Brod is the Norwegian word for “bread,” Taylor said, chosen as a nod to his late mother in law.


Taylor, whose company now employs four people in Williamstown and maintains warehouses in Southern Berkshire County and California, said the response to the product has been overwhelming.


“It’s been really embraced by people who want to be able to control ingredients of the food they consume by producing it at home, and know what goes into it and want to make it their
own way,” Taylor said.


The device is a smaller, more compact version of what professional bakers use, Taylor said. Bakers use a proofing oven to control the temperature and humidity while the yeast ferments and causes the bread to rise. While the oven is effective, it isn’t practical for many who want fresh bread at home, he said.


“Even a smaller bread proofer would be the size of a small refrigerator and a couple of thousands dollars,” Taylor said. “Home bakers have to resort to ad-hoc techniques, anything from putting lightbulbs in cardboard boxes to putting the bread in the bathroom with the shower on.”


Taylor’s product, which can be used on a countertop and folds for easy storage, heats the contents between 70 and 120 degrees and keeps humidity at 70 percent, he said.


Taylor said since it was introduced, the company has received surprising feedback on its actual use.


“Using the product to make yogurt has become almost more popular than using it to make bread,” he said.


It’s possible to make homemade yogurt within three hours after adding the starter yeast, he said, depending on the kind of milk used. The proofer provides the right temperature for yogurt to culture in whatever container fits inside.


Taylor said the bread proofer has recently been released overseas. A 240-volt version was made available this winter, he said.


He added the proofer is available on Amazon.com, and also available at kitchen specialty stores.

January 2012

Inventor rises to the challenge with unique kitchen appliance concept

By John Townes

In many respects, Michael Taylor’s road to entrepreneurship follows the familiar pattern in today’s economy of people who launch their own business after losing a job.

However, his story is also somewhat unusual, because for his new venture he decided to tackle the ambitious challenge of developing and manufacturing an entirely new type of home kitchen appliance, the Brød & Taylor Folding Proofer.

Brød & Taylor Expands Operations Internationally

Williamstown, MA (February 20, 2013) – Berkshire Innovations, LLC., manufacturer of the Brod & Taylor Folding Proofer & Yogurt Maker, announced that it has released a 240v version of the product for international distribution.

The countertop proofer simplifies the task of creating professional-quality, from-scratch breads, pastries and homemade yogurt by providing an accurate temperature and humidity controlled environment for optimal fermentation, rise and culturing. Since the company began distribution of the product in the winter of 2011, thousands of home cooks have discovered how easy it is to create delicious artisan breads, creamy yogurt with probiotic benefits and even ferment foods at home.

“We are thrilled with the initial success of the product,” said founder Michael Taylor. “And from day one, we have been receiving emails and phone calls from people around the world asking when the product would be available overseas, and now we can deliver on those requests.”

The demand in European countries makes sense, as bread is a common part of the
everyday diet, however many of the requests are coming from Asian countries, which was surprising to Taylor. “I really hadn’t anticipated such great demand in Asia,” he said, “but apparently good artisan bread is hard to find there and they couldn’t wait to get their hands on the product. They are also doing some creative things with it.” One customer in China uses the product to make soy sauce, which requires fermentation for a month. Clearly the product goes beyond bread and has multiple applications for home cooks in any country.

The company is counting on this versatility, as well as the growing whole food movement, for its continued success. As consumers pay more and more attention to the ingredients that make up the foods they eat, they are moving away from highly processed item and making more food from scratch in order to control what they consume. The folding proofer is an essential tool that will simplify the transition to a more wholesome diet.

About Brød & Taylor
Brød & Taylor manufactures and distributes high-end kitchenware designed to simplify the often challenging and time-consuming process of making wholesome food from scratch. For additional information, please visit www.brodandtaylor.com.

For the review, I will detail my bread-making method, list the tests performed, and then write about various aspects of the proofer that caught my attention throughout the testing process.

Bread-making method: I use a combination of oat, hard red wheat, and hard white wheat – all freshly ground from whole grains in my home grain mill. I also include honey, olive oil, warm water, salt, and 1 tablespoon of instant yeast for 2 loaves. I weigh out my honey, oil, and flour. I do not weigh the yeast, the salt, or the water. The water, however, is the only significantly variable ingredient as I add more or less water depending on the humidity on any given day. After mixing the ingredients together, I let the mixture sit for approximately 20 minutes before kneading. I do all or nearly all of the kneading in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. I will occasionally do less than a minute of kneading by hand at the end if the mixer seems to be getting too hot or is simply not doing a good enough job. I then allow the dough to rise twice before shaping. After shaping I let the dough sit until it rises 1-2 inches above the edge of the pan and then bake at 350 degrees for 57 minutes with one rotation of the pan.

Tests:
09/17/2011: 70 degrees in kitchen, proofing at 85 degrees, 2 loaves.
09/20/2011: 75 degrees in kitchen, proofing at 85 degrees, 2 loaves.
09/26/2011: 75 degrees in kitchen, proofing at 85 degrees, 1 loaf.
09/28/2011: 72 degrees in kitchen, proofing at 85 degrees, 2 loaves.
09/30/2011: 72 degrees in kitchen, proofing at 85 degrees, 2 loaves.
10/05/2011: 72 degrees in kitchen, proofing at 85 degrees, 2 loaves.
10/08/2011: Melted coconut oil in large container at 95 degrees up to 100 degrees at the end.
10/11/2011: 74 degrees in kitchen, proofing at 85 degrees, 1 loaf in proofer and 1 loaf on counter.
10/14/2011 (A.M.): 69 degrees in kitchen, proofing at 85 degrees, 1 loaf in proofer and 1 loaf on counter.
10/14/2011 (P.M.): 74 degrees in kitchen, melting mixture of coconut oil and butter at 120 degrees.

Bread-proofing experiences: Before having this proofing box, I let my dough rise in two separate bowls (dough approximately 31-ounces each). My stand mixer does not perform well under the rigors of kneading a double batch of bread dough and thus, I separate the dough into two nearly equal loaves before kneading. Historically, I have left the dough in two sections throughout the remainder of the process. When I received the proofing box, however, I realized that my two-bowl system would not work in the dimensions of the box – bowls large enough to hold a 31-ounce loaf of bread are going to be too wide to sit side by side. I have therefore taken to separating the dough for kneading and then rejoining it for rising, only to separate it again for the final shaping. I do appreciate not having to use plastic wrap to cover my dough.

From the very beginning, the dough simply rose quickly and seemed more pliable than without the box. I attribute the pliability to the added humidity inside the box when using the small tray with warm water. The dough rose consistently in 1 hour for the first rise, ½ hour for the second rise, and about a ½ hour for the final proofing. I was able to vary my punch-down time by approximately 10 minutes on either side of an hour. Aside from using only a single bowl, I felt like the testing was going extremely well. However, on October 11, I decided I should try comparison loaves – one inside the proofer box and one outside of the box on the counter top in the kitchen (the old method). It was not terribly cool in the kitchen at 74 degrees Fahrenheit and I was surprised to note that there was no noticeable difference in the making of the two loaves. They took the same amount of time to rise and baked up fairly evenly – I couldn’t tell them apart after the baking was done. This test confirmed for me what I previously supposed in my situation: there is not a lot of benefit to be gained by using the proofer box during the summer. In Southeast Michigan we have several months of humid and reasonably warm weather – these two factors allow the kitchen to be in reasonable conditions for bread-rising much of the year. In remembering my bread-making over this past winter, it seems there were only about three months that gave me difficulty with bread-rising in the kitchen. This brings me to my second comparison test from October 14. That morning by opening some windows and turning on fans, I was able to bring the temperature in the kitchen down to 69 degrees Fahrenheit. I again set the proofer box at 85 degrees Fahrenheit. One loaf was sat on the counter top by the open window and one loaf was risen inside the proofer box. I had no problems with the dough in the proofer box and the times for the rises were what I had come to expect from rising my dough in the box. The entire process from the time I was done kneading to the time I put the shaped loaf in the oven was two hours and four minutes. The dough on the counter was noticeably different during this test. The first rise took an hour and 21 minutes while the entire process took two hours and 40 minutes. However, as I was putting my second loaf in the oven, I realized that I was rushing my second loaf, but I was hopeful that it would still rise properly in the oven. I wanted to put it in the oven when I turned my first loaf around, but in truth, although I allowed it to have a final rise for 36 minutes, I should have waited longer still. In retrospect, the loaf probably would have been better in the end if I had put it in the oven when I pulled the first one out. As a result, I ended up with one normal loaf of bread and one loaf that was quite a bit smaller than usual. The bread on the counter did not rise well at all. In the winter, I would obviously not find the coldest spot in the kitchen to place my dough, but I felt this served as a good experiment to show that the Brød & Taylor folding proofer will be very helpful for bread-making in the middle of a cold, dry winter. I did have one concern during the process that ended up not negatively affecting my loaf: when I took the dough out of the proofer for the first punch-down, the top of my dough felt cool to the touch, which hadn’t happened when my kitchen was warmer. I wondered about how well the temperature holds at the set temperature throughout the box when there are colder conditions outside of the box. I was unable to successfully test that at the time and as the bread did not seem to be noticeably affected and the kitchen warmed up considerably with the oven on, I did not attempt to test this again later.

Melting oil experiences: On both occasions that I attempted to melt oil in the proofer box, I felt like it took longer than I was willing to wait under normal circumstances. If I’m not in a hurry in the future, the box is already set up and in use, and I have a small amount of oil to melt, I will likely use the box for that purpose in those conditions. However, I expect that the vast majority of the time I will continue to melt butter and coconut oil in the microwave or on the stove top.

Other considerations: I find the set-up and tear-down of the box to be quick and easy, especially for the benefit that will be gained during wintertime use. I have only experienced two complications. The first is that the plug fits very snugly in the proofer. That problem does not really bother me as I consider the tight fit to be a good thing overall – it just slows down the tear-down process. In fact, at one point I timed myself setting it up and tearing it down. The assembly took about 27 seconds including plugging it in, but not including filling the tray with warm water. Putting the box away, which included unplugging, took me 34 seconds. When I timed myself with emptying and wiping down the tray, it took about twice as long.

The second problem is changing the temperature up and down. Until the very end of my testing, I was sure that you had to use individual clicks for each degree change as I had held down the button with nothing happening. As I didn’t notice it mentioned in the user manual, I assumed that it was not possible to continue to hold the button down to change temperature more easily. It wasn’t until my husband played with it and held it down for three seconds that the temperature started changing on its own. We both agreed that it felt like a much longer amount of time than we are used to for such an action, but it would have helped even to have it noted in the manual that you can hold it down for three seconds for the automatic increase/decrease.

I was pleased to see that the instructions included the proper location for the cord during storage. I failed to pay attention to where it was when I first put the box together and had a hard time figuring out where to put it initially when I first folded it up. I then looked in the manual and noted that I was supposed to put it in the back, and after I did so successfully, it made sense since that part is raised a bit – but if it hadn’t been in the manual, it might have taken me a bit longer to realize that

I will definitely be using this proofer with great enthusiasm during the winter months. There will also be times, I’m sure, when I don’t want to have a couple of bowls sitting out on my counter and decide to utilize the proofer even in warmer weather to save a little bit of space I sure am glad I don’t have to survive wintertime bread-making without this proofer box in my arsenal! Thanks again for this fun experience!

I enjoyed the opportunity to test this neat little gadget and want to thank you for that opportunity. I hope you find my comments helpful as I’ve tried to include the details that I thought I might like to have if the situation were reversed. Thanks again for this fun experience!

Thank you again for making an excellent product! I will be telling all my friends that bake that they MUST get one!

I hope to get pictures of me using it soon. I’m going to write an article about it for my mother-in-laws food blog. I want to tell as many people as I can because it is such a great product!

Because of the dry air, rising bread always has to be covered or it will form a crust, but sometimes the dough sticks to the cover and drops when the cover is removed and the top of the dough pulls away. I hoped the proofer would solve these problems for me. It did! At an altitude of 5700 feet, we had our first frost in September. The inside temperature of our RV was about 68F and our relative humidity was about 30%. I made a loaf of bread and a pan of cinnamon rolls. The bread went into the proofer to rise, and the rolls went into the refrigerator for the next day. The pan of water in the proofer meant there was no need to cover the bread, and it worked great. The bread rose perfectly in fewer than two hours. By comparison, a loaf of bread had been taking closer to four hours to rise.

The next morning, I removed the pan of cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator, and placed it in the proofer. Being able to adjust the temperature allowed me to set it warm enough that within two hours the rolls were ready for the oven – refrigerator to oven in two hours! And, with no cover to remove, there was no dough-pulling.

I love this proofer! The proofer folds down to take up only slightly more space than a cookie sheet. It is exceedingly easy to assemble and operate, and it created the perfect space for proofing bread and cinnamon rolls. I look forward to using it to ferment vegetables.

I am grateful for the opportunity to evaluate the proofer for you, and am thrilled with the effect the proofer has on my ability to get a consistent rise from bread products.

I had started my search for a proofer when our home was surrounded with snow and our lake frozen fifteen inches thick. Yes, in North Eastern Pennsylvania. I wanted homemade bread now! Searching the internet I, a pre-novice bread maker wannabe, found I had to proof my dough. What? You can “proof” a geometry theorem, but dough? Anyway, I figured out what proofing was but with our home being a little cool inside and with the home in a rural area only the oven was going to work as a proofer. There had to be a better answer. The only answer was the internet. So I searched, I found, and tried to order. What? I can’t order right now? Nope, the Brød and Taylor Folding Proofer was at the end of its design stage and pressing forward to manufacturing but it was going to be awhile. Bummer.

But wait, I did finally get one and found that I just might not be a wannabe novice for very long. The first loaf went into the proofer and then into the oven and the Basic Homemade Bread Recipe Loaf came out of the oven Great. Well, I might have messed up getting it onto the cooking surface just right but that did not stop the bread from being eaten. It was actually eaten beginning in Montrose, Pennsylvania, and ended in Montauk, Long Island, New York. The great thing about it was that after cleaning, I folded the Brød and Taylor Folding Proofer as they asked and slipped it into a compact storage spot. Poof or proof – Out Of Sight.

My wife and I work in a unique industry and have to travel by vehicle well over a thousand miles from work area to work area over the years. We try to carry all of our day to day living items in our vehicle without a trailer.

Need I say the Brød and Taylor Folding Proofer will be traveling with us? It is compact and it works as designed and marketed. Wonder what other products they might have for us?

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.

I have anxiously waited a long time for this product to be available and am so very proud to have been chosen a tester.

Traditional Yeast Breads/Biscuits: Buttermilk, Potato, Whole Wheat Berry, Oatmeal, Cinnamon Raisin, to name but a few … The Brød&Taylor Proofer has proved to be a most valuable asset to my kitchen experience in bread-making, my loaves rise effortlessly without the intrusion of external elements in the environment. I have baked several types of biscuits and bread loafs of various types, flavors, to include a cheddar loaf that has always given me difficulties with rising and falling, “It was PERFECT” … beautiful texture, flavor, aroma, and I have to attribute this to the effortless and uninterrupted manner in which it was given the chance to rise. I have not as yet had one loaf of any kind and/or type of bread that has not turned out exquisitely …

Sourdough Starters: It has always been difficult to establish a steady temperature to create, feed and grow a sourdough starter, it’s either too warm and fades or too cold with no activity at all. I have many, one of which I have had for over 30yrs, that have been dried and the ones I have resurrected have done beautifully, the Brød&Taylor Proofer enables me to stabilize the perfect temp uninterrupted while feeding and proofing my starters to include the final stage of rising the completed loaf all done with the Brød&Taylor Proofer, while I have used a technique of cold storage rising (in the refrigerator) to help enhance the sour of the loaf it can also take up to 24 hours, while it does eliminate the climate control factor it has never proved to be the most resourceful method, my most recent prize using the Brød&Taylor Proofer was my ‘Garlic’ sourdough, completed in no time at all, two loafs at a time with absolutely no problems, … Totally YUMMMMMM.

Melting Chocolate: I have just started experimenting with various types of Chocolate both White, Dark, and everything in-between so my input might not be as complete however, by utilizing the steady temps it is wonderful not to have to worry about it burning or turning, … We have just started working with chocolate in dipping pretzels, cake balls, donut holes, cookies and I am working on Halloween and Christmas treat ideas for my clients, chocolate recipes have been smooth, no separation, simply delicious … While fresh strawberries are no longer in season we do have them frozen (not as good) and Yogurt will definitely be my next triumph, …

Everything In-Between: I have used the Brød&Taylor Prooferfor a wide number of purposes, everything from keeping caramel warm to enable bare hand manipulation to maintaining temps in a wide variety of goods by simply keeping them warm to serve, and the water tray has proven to be invaluable in helping to maintain moisture levels while keeping the item warm, this appliance is showing it’s functionality in so many countless ways, I am truly enjoying the total functionality of this product …

As my experimentation has continued to progress I must say that the simplicity of having such a unique and wonderful appliance has greatly contributed to bringing back the joy of effortless baking. Where I presently live has always posed considerable difficulties in the outcome of the final product and (in all good conscience) I must attribute it in great part to the one crucial element in yeast type breads, to include sourdough, that is so necessary for the successful outcome of the final product (texture, crust, and flavor) with that being the restful stage of uninterrupted rising, (much like taking a power nap) … The overall compact design of the Brød&Taylor Proofer is beautifully functional, and makes it readily available in my kitchen, thank you so much for my new found joy, or as my grandchildren would call them, “Grandma’s Gadgets.” Again, thank you so very much.

The arrival of my proofer coincided with the annual warm-up in the normally chilly and foggy Bay Area so I haven’t been able to let a loaf of bread rise in it yet, but now that the cooler weather has returned, I’m looking forward to trying it! I also expect that it will be perfect for bringing butter up to “room temperature” when the thin, uninsulated walls of this rental place mean that the indoor temperature is 60 degrees.

The engineering on this proofer so that it folds into a compact space is absolutely amazing! Thank you again for the opportunity to be a tester!

I’m attaching a photo of the loaf, and of two slices. It was delicious. If one were making rolls or croissants, it would be beneficial if two racks could be stacked in some fashion, to create shelves for multiple small rolls, etc. Thanks again for this amazing product. Can’t wait to use it to melt chocolate. I would think, that with the gentle heat that the proofer produces, one could slowly melt chocolate and keep it in temper.

I got a chance to put the proofer through its paces this week. I finished building my wood oven in the backyard so it was a perfect time to make pizza. I made two batches, one with a Caputo 00 pizza flour and one with standard bread flour. Both rose beautifully in the proofer. For fun I even froze two pieces and proofed them from frozen. They also came out well. Overall, I’m really enjoying it. For my next adventure with it, I’m going to make kvas, a Russian drink made from fermented bread and malt. It has to be fermented in a warm place and the proofer will be perfect. I’ll let you know how it goes and try to snap some photos.

My first impression of this proofer was a positive one. The simple design is amazing—the way it unfolds into a box that will hold two large loaves of bread and when you’re finished it folds flat and is so easy to store in an out-of-the-way place.

What really amazed me was how well it did in proofing the dough. The uniformity of the loaves was perfect, not like when they are set on a counter with a towel covering them and having a warm side and a cold side, having to keep turning them to try to keep them even.

I know that I am going to enjoy using it. I make bread two or three times a month. I haven’t bought a loaf of bread in ten years or more.

I am 12 years old and my passion is cooking. I love to make Italian food and pizza is one of my specialties. The only problem is finding a consistently warm place to rise the dough for a few hours. The Brød & Taylor Bread Proofer makes this easy. Instead of having to stick a pan of boiling water into the oven every 20 minutes, I just put the dough in the bread proofer, press a couple buttons, wait a couple hours, and when I come back, my dough has risen to perfection. This is taking my pizza-making to a whole new level!

After using the Folding Proofer for a few weeks, I am liking it more than I thought I would. I like how it works. It’s a simple device that is very cleverly engineered. Yes, you could say it’s just a warm box of air, but the more I use it, the more I appreciate it for what it does, all by itself. Last night while I was enjoying our “World Champion Green Bay Packers” playing (thrashing) the Denver Broncos, I was baking chicken wings in the oven. At the same time my garlic bread stick dough was proofing in the proofer. The kitchen was busy with several projects all at once. It was nice to know I wouldn’t have to schedule my hurry up soft bread rolls to get them done.  I get it that cooks and bakers need to be clever to get things done in the kitchen. Multi tasking is a necessity. But, I am really appreciating not having to juggle anything else to get consistent results in my bread products. People coming and going out the door, wind blowing through the house when it’s nice enough to have a window open but it’s really only 50F outside. I like not having to guard my dough from the elements. It’s a personal indulgence.

I like that my KA mixer bowl fits inside the proof box. It is tall enough I can place the mixed dough directly into the Folding Proofer for bulk fermenting at an established desired dough temperature. I REALLY like it that my large DLX mixer bowl fits under the lid. I have to remove the screen below and slide the water tray over but it so so nice to be able to ferment 9 pounds of dough, right in the mixer. Set it and forget it, as has been said. The heavy stainless steel bowl can cool off in the kitchen and once it does cool, there isn’t an easy way to get it back warm. I ferment until it reaches the top then divide and shape. Easy.

I like that I can place a 9×13 baking pan in the proofing box and watch my cinnamon buns rise through the clear window in the top, without opening the lid. Being able to see the dough easily, without opening an oven door when I think of it is a big help for my attention deficit forgetfulness. The family enjoys keeping an eye on the progress too by glancing in the top window.

I like that the amount of moisture seems to be just right for not allowing the dough to skin over while fermenting or proofing. A small amount of water in the tray below the rack delivers the perfect environment. I find I don’t need to cover the dough even during long bulk ferments. This is something professional bakers take for granted, with a dedicated automatic proofing oven which costs thousands of dollars.

I like that I don’t have to cover my dough with plastic wrap so it won’t skin over. No more carefully lifting the film off the top of an over proofed dough, hoping it won’t tear and collapse. This is not a small thing to consider.

Wrapping up my analysis of this new kitchen tool, I think some of you will appreciate the versatility and functionality that the Folding Proofer brings to the home baker. Using it gives me a certain control of things that are otherwise sketchy. If I have learned anything about baking over the years, it is that everything matters. The exact amounts of water and at what temperature? The exact amount of yeast and controlling the Desired Dough Temperature (DDT) by whatever means possible will assure predictable results. Sourdough starters are especially sensitive to minor fluctuations in temperature. Using this proofer overnight on your preferment will deliver a predictably fully active levain or Poolish or Biga in the morning, regardless of how cool it is in the kitchen. Once you know you can maintain a proper fermenting temperature, your Pain au Levain will rise much more reliably. We all know about waiting for the dough to kick off and increase in volume because it was a little chilly. Anyone who has tried to make starter builds using the “Detmold 3 stage method” will immediately appreciate the ability to control the process.

Many of the issues that arise with new sourdough bakers are related to not understanding how sensitive natural yeasts and bacteria are to temperature and how to provide the proper climate for success. Depending on where you live and your personal home situation, this can be frustrating for SD new bakers. This tool will smooth the road to successful results.

Some will say “It’s a lot of money for a warm box of air.” Some will say “I can get the same effect with a cup of boiling water in the oven.” Both are valid opinions and I also have used the hot water in the oven. I have also had the oven turned on while I was proofing/fermenting bread in it. Hot water in the oven is an imperfect solution that works to some degree for some people. First, you have to have no other need for the oven, and, you will have to abandon the dough during pre heating that takes upward of an hour if you are using a stone, 20 or more minutes without a stone. During this time your proofing dough begins to cool and shrink. Second, depending on your electric oven, the pilot light will either make it too warm of an environment or not warm enough. Sure, you can cycle the heat on and off while guessing at how warm the interior is. If you have no distractions and nothing else to do, that is a work around. But, it’s a work around for home bakers who don’t have access to a dedicated proofing oven. Believe me; you don’t know what you’re missing.

The inventor of this product cleverly decided to make it folding so that you can remove it from sight when not in use. This is a much bigger deal than I had realized. It needs to be the large size it is to work with other kitchen tools (pans, bowls, bannetons). My wife really appreciates that it will be gone and out of sight when I’m done using it. She hasn’t mentioned that the foam cooler I have used in the past (that lives in the garage) looks bulky and trashy sitting on the counter but I know she’s thinking it. I’m happy that there are entrepreneurs willing to take a chance on a product that helps me bake better breads at home. I like it, a lot!

thefreshloaf.com

I am always being asked by students where the best spot is to allow your dough to ferment and proof. It is during our long and cold New England winters that this challenge of finding a warm spot comes into play. So, I read a little bit on the product and saw that it had a temperature range that went as low as 70 degrees and as high as 120, which to me is too high for fermentation, but the site said you could do other things in the higher temperature range, like melt chocolate or make yogurt. Okay, so it has potential to be multi-purpose, that’s a good thing. The real kicker for me was that when I went to their contact page I found out they are based out of the exact same town as me! That was my cincher I had to at least try and meet with the product developer, I mean we are practically neighbors. Well, long story short we met at the local coffee shop and had a nice chat about the product and bread in general, and he offered to let me try one of the proofers when the demo ones came in.

Since we are basically neighbors he asked if I might be interested in helping him with some product demo videos. I thought it would be fun to be filmed in a kind of professional setting with some serious equipment and editing, instead of just my camera set up on a tripod in my sunroom. This was my first time getting to actually see the product and try it out, now mind you it was one of the hottest weeks during the summer, butter was literally melting on my counter. Luckily, his house was air conditioned, so we could get a feel for how the proofer would perform on cooler days. I really liked the fact that they took into account not only warmth, but humidity as well when designing the proofer. Dough really does like a slightly warm and moist environment to ferment in.

This past weekend it was chilly and raining outside, absolutely perfect day for hanging inside with my son and baking bread. Michael, the proofer inventor, wanted me to develop a recipe or two for the product manual that would clearly explain how to use the proofer when making bread. I decided to start with something a little simple and went with country wheat sandwich bread. It isn’t a high ratio of whole wheat flour so it is still pretty easy to knead and I figured it was bread that you would want to rise at a slightly warmer temperature. The first thing I did was plug in the proofer, set it to 85 degrees, and poured a small amount of water into the tray. I then made my wheat dough. I have these great dough rising containers that have red marks on them at the 1 and 2 quart level, so I placed my dough in a lightly oiled dough rising container. That way I could see exactly when it had doubled in volume. I wanted to be able to give an accurate time in the recipe and since I can tell people what temperature to set their proofer on, there shouldn’t be too much difference in the rise time between batches. Of course there will be slight difference depending on how active your yeast is and your elevation, but as a whole it should be in a much tighter range than without that temperature control. I set a timer for one hour, but it wasn’t doubled by then. I gave it 30 more minutes and it was perfect. Usually in the dead of winter I am lucky to have dough rise in two hours, so I was happy with the result, and I guess if you want it done a bit faster you can up the temperature a bit. I really don’t like to rush my dough’s rise, because I think it hurts the flavor of the finished product, but it is nice when it rises in a timely fashion. I shaped the dough into a loaf and placed into a greased pan, then put it right back into the proofer for its final rise. It was nice not to have to worry about covering the dough with plastic wrap. I could just stick it into the proofer and let it rise.

I am going to continue to use the proofer in the coming weeks and see how it changes my bread baking. I am really interested in using it to warm dough that I have placed in the refrigerator for an overnight fermentation. It can take a long time for a batch of refrigerator temp dough to come up to room temperature, so I think it is going to be a really handy tool, since I refrigerate a lot of dough. I think that Brød and Taylor have come up with a really useful and innovative tool for the home bread baker, which helps to solve a problem that many of us are faced with when baking bread.

Star of our YouTube and website videos, Melissa is both a superb baker and professional teacher of the craft. She’s even included a recipe for Cinnamon Swirl bread that integrates the Folding Proofer. Visit her site for that recipe and more at thebakersguide.com.

Well, everything went great with the proofer. I used Cyril’s recipe, which makes 3 baguettes or rustic loaves, and I started yesterday with the poolish. As you can see from the images I made three cardboard templates for the three loaves which fit perfectly in the proofer. Do use hot water in the pan as it will cut the pre-heat time by a third, and don’t leave the lid off for too long as the heat loss will add extra time to the wait. This works quite well and I will be using it often. My kitchen was a little on the cool side this morning but didn’t seem to affect the proofer system. Quite nice.

Couldn’t find anything amiss and this is exactly what I was looking for when I began my search for this type of product—sleek and elegant as well as utilitarian for the kitchen. GREAT WORK! THANKS!!!

The Proof is in the Proofer!

At long last, what all us avid home bakers have been waiting for has arrived: a bread proofer ideal for home use. This beautifully designed piece of equipment provides a moist, warm, draft-free environment for raising bread dough. It also can provide a warm and dry environment necessary for melting or tempering chocolate. And its ability to maintain very low temperatures makes it useful for warming eggs for a génoise batter, and making yogurt. The read out is easily switched between Fahrenheit and centigrade and has a temperature range of 70˚ to 120˚F/21˚-49˚C.

The proofer folds flat to under 3 inches for convenient storage and pops up quickly to accommodate a large dough rising container, large free form hearth loaf, or two bread pans as long as 14 inches.

realbakingwithrose.com

Flat-folding device a must-have for every health-conscious kitchen

Williamstown, MA – October 2012 – Brød & Taylor’s Folding Proofer is making it easy for consumers to bake delicious, artisan breads with healthy ingredients in the comfort of their own home. Rather than purchasing off-the-shelf bread with superfluous and sometimes unrecognizable ingredients, at-home bakers can control exactly what goes into the finished product and onto the table. More than just for bread though, the multi-tasking proofer also enables the creation of creamy, homemade yogurt and perfectly melted chocolate!

The countertop proofer makes the task of from-scratch breads and pastries easier than ever before by affording individuals the same tools and techniques that professional bakers enjoy, most importantly, accurately controlled fermentation and rise temperatures with optimal humidity. As a result, consumers can produce the best flavors from their own sourdough, gluten free, whole grain or even artisan bread recipes and enjoy them warm, fresh from the oven without relying on high-end bakeries. What’s more, the proofer folds flat for storage so even the tiniest kitchens can take advantage of its bread-making benefits.

Healthy homemade bread isn’t the only chore the Brød & Taylor folding proofer accomplishes. It can also multi-task by providing a safe, controlled environment for making yogurt at home. It excels as a large capacity, versatile yogurt maker. With adjustable temperature control, the Brød & Taylor proofer is capable of making up to two-gallons of fresh yogurt in only four hours, opposed to the 10-12 it can take when using conventional yogurt makers with smaller capacities. Consumers can also use their own glass containers, avoiding contact with plastic. Those that prefer longer culture times can lower the temperature for 24 hours or more. That’s good news for the 75 percent of consumers who, according to a 2011 Mintel report, eat spoonable yogurt. Armed with a Brød & Taylor proofer in their kitchen, consumers can make healthier yogurt a fraction of the cost of store-bought.

The Brød & Taylor proofer also takes the guesswork out of melting and tempering chocolate. Unlike a microwave, which tends to overheat, or a double boiler, which is notorious for water seizing, the proofer melts chocolate gently at the ideal low temperature for both tempering and holding.

The accurate, low temperature control of the folding proofer enables an entire realm of additional kitchen tasks that involve fermenting or culturing including making tempeh, probiotic vegetables – even home-made soy sauce.

All of these capabilities will cause even professional bakers to wonder how they ever lived without the Brød & Taylor proofer in their home kitchens. “Genius design, I love that the proof box instantly folds flat and fits neatly in my tightly-packed kitchen cupboards. I have used it to proof bread and make batches of the most exquisite yogurt. It gives professional results at home.”
Zoe Francois of zoebakes.com hails the product for its “genius design.” She raves, “I love that the proof box instantly folds flat and fits neatly in my tightly-packed kitchen cupboards. I have used it to proof bread and make batches of the most exquisite yogurt. It gives professional results at home.”

Health-conscious bread, yogurt, fermented food and chocolate lovers who would like to control the ingredients that go into their favorite foods while enjoying professional results can learn more about the Brød & Taylor proofer (MSRP $159) online at www.brodandtaylor.com.

About Brød & Taylor

Brød & Taylor’s primary mission is to assist people in efficiently and affordably creating wholesome recipes in their own kitchens by providing them with the tools they need to incorporate pure or organic ingredients. For additional information on the company, please visit www.brodandtaylor.com.

About Berkshire Innovations
Berkshire Innovations creates and distributes products for specialized markets, drawing inspiration from overlooked needs in everyday living. From concept to prototype to manufacturing, Berkshire Innovations employs a strategic blend of in-house expertise and targeted outsourcing to bring new, inventive solutions to market. For more information, visit www.berkshireinnovations.com.