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Equipment Review
The Brød & Taylor Folding Proofer promises to make it easier to proof bread dough, even in a cold kitchen. Is it worth adding to your baking toolkit?
Published Feb. 2, 2024.
What You Need to Know
If you’ve ever tried to make bread in winter, you know that the colder temperatures can make dough rise at a snail’s pace. To proof bread dough during cold weather, we often create a makeshift proofer by placing a pan of boiling water in a turned-off oven. This method works well for short proofs, but it requires repeatedly heating the water to keep the oven temperature warm for recipes that proof for more than two or three hours.
A folding proofer (also known as a proofing box) makes it easier to proof dough in a colder environment. It uses an electric hot plate to warm the contents inside, and you can control the heat output to proof dough at specific temperatures. This ensures consistency in your results from day to day, regardless of changes in the ambient temperature of your kitchen. Many recipe developers specify ideal proofing temperatures or desired dough temperature (DDT) to help you more closely align with the timelines in their instructions.
The Brød & Taylor Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker has long been a go-to tool of serious home bakers and cooks who dabble in other fermented foods, such as yogurt. It’s even advertised as a slow cooker, reaching temperatures of 195 degrees Fahrenheit. We wanted to see whether it makes a significant difference in the ease and quality of proofing dough, and we were curious about its additional functions. So we put it to the test.
What We Liked
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Sarah is an assistant editor for ATK Reviews who is deeply passionate about anchovies and sourdough bread.
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