Instruction manual
Page 16
General Guidelines for Rising and
Fermenting Bread Dough in the Proofer
Prepare the Proofer. For bread dough, the Proofer should always have
the water tray lled one-third to one-half full with clean water, and the
tray should be placed in the center of the warming plate. The wire rack
goes on top of the water tray. With the sides in place and the lid on top,
set the thermostat and allow the Proofer 5-10 minutes to come up to
temperature.
Selecting a Temperature. There is a range of temperatures that work
well for bread dough, and if the recipe or book you are using species a
temperature, consider using that.
Sourdough often benets from fermenting at a temperature of
80-85F/27-30C in order to give the wild yeast a boost.
Commercial yeast is more vigorous, so doughs made with it
benet from a lower temperature that promotes avor development,
75-78F/24-26C.
Rye our has weaker gluten and higher enzyme activity, so higher
Proofer temperatures are appropriate (80-85F/27-30C) to shorten
fermentation time and keep the enzymes from degrading the dough
too quickly.
Cold dough that has been retarded in the refrigerator often needs an
extra hour (or more) per pound/500g of dough added to its rising time
to allow the dough to come up to temperature. Ideally, frozen dough
should be thawed in the refrigerator before proong.
In a hurry? Mix the dough with lukewarm (90-100F/32-38C) water
and ferment at up to 85F/30C. However, we do not recommend going
over that temperature as the yeast can produce off avors.
Covering the Dough. Most doughs and shaped loaves will not need to
be covered while in the Proofer, as the water tray will provide the ideal
humidity to keep the dough from forming a crust. However, if using the
Proofer for an extended fermentation, such as an overnight (12 hours)
biga or pre-ferment, it is safest to cover the bowl or container.