Brod & Taylor FP-201, Instruction Manual

Page: 61 / 96

Page 61
Guidelines for Rising & Fermenting
Bread Dough in the Folding Proofer
Prepare the Proofer. For bread dough, the Proofer should always have the
water tray filled 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 10-15 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 specifies a temperature,
consider using that.
• Sourdough often benefits from fermenting at a temperature of 80-86F / 27-
30C in order to give the wild yeast a boost.
• Commercial yeast is more vigorous, so dough made with it benefits from a
lower temperature that promotes flavor development, 75-79F / 24-26C.
• Sweet doughs and croissants often contain butter and do best when
temps are kept below the melting point of butter. We recommend 80F / 27C
for these doughs.
• Rye flour has weaker gluten and higher enzyme activity, so higher Proofer
temperatures are appropriate 80-86F / 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 proofing.
• In a hurry?
Mix the dough with lukewarm 90-100F / 32-38C water and
ferment at up to 86F / 30C. However, we do not recommend going over that
temperature as the yeast can produce off flavors.
Covering the Dough. Most dough 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.
Recipes