Wild Yeast

Notes from my kitchen, in which I bake bread and raise a few other matters

Brød And Taylor Folding Proofer Review and Giveaway

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I’ll be honest: the Brød and Taylor Folding Proofer was not something I thought I particularly had to have. When I needed to keep my dough or starter snug and warm, I had been content with makeshift “proofing boxes”: the oven with the light on, the top of my stove under the range hood lights, or a big plastic bag with a frequently-changed bowl of warm water.

But now that I have one, I’m over makeshift. The Brød and Taylor Folding Proofer is a tool that does one thing, does it well and without a fuss, and makes my baking life easier. It’s hard to ask for more than that from your equipment, isn’t it?

Plug it in, set the temperature, nestle your fermenting dough or proofing loaf inside its cozy incubator, and rest easy. Your dough will be well-cared-for at a consistent temperature, even if the temperature in your kitchen is not very bread-friendly. And constant temperatures make for more predictable proofing times. That’s good news if you’re a control freak, or if you just like your bread to turn out well.

The proofer has a roomy, collapsible design. It has an 18 x 14.5-inch footprint and folds down to less than 3 inches thick for compact storage. The interior dimensions are 15 x 12.5 x 8.5 inches, which can accommodate a quarter-sheet pan, most 12-cup muffin pans, two or three loaf pans or oval brotforms, or two round brotforms of up to 8 inches in diameter. I can create a second layer for additional loaves by stacking two 12-inch square baking pans with Sklips. I do wish the proofer were just a skosh larger, to take a half-sheet pan (13 x 18 inches).

The operation of the box couldn’t be simpler: plug it in and set the temperature you want (70F – 120F). To keep the dough from drying out, you’ll probably want to add some humidity with the included water tray.

Brød And Taylor’s website offers some ideas for other uses of the proofer besides proofing dough: making yogurt, warming dinner plates, softening butter, melting and tempering chocolate.  I’ll add starting and maintaining a wild yeast starter (and especially the sweet starter for your holiday panettone). What else could you do?

Now here’s even more great news: The generous people at Brød And Taylor have a proofer waiting for a lucky one of you. The details:

  • To enter, leave a comment on this post about why you love baking (or why you want to learn).
  • The winner will be randomly drawn by me at approximately 9 A. M. PDT on Saturday, March 31, 2012.
  • One comment per person please.
  • The proofer can ship to a continental U.S. address only.
  • Full disclosure: Brød And Taylor gave me a proofer to review and keep. I received no other compensation.

 

CommentsLeave a comment

  2. I love baking because I like seeing people’s faces light up when they try my food. Other than that, I’m simply inexplicably drawn to baking, I just adore it. Eating the food isn’t even my favorite part, it’s the preparation that I love. 🙂

  3. I enjoy baking bread because of the science and artistry behind it! Plus, I love warm bread… Yum!

  4. I love baking since each morning when I wake up to go to work (to bake!), I wake with a smile on my face knowing my job is one of the best because I will be making people happy with my days work!
    🙂

  5. Nothing’s better than the feel of water and flour turning into bread dough and the smell of it coming out of the oven hours later. It’s an epiphany.

  8. I started baking bread three years ago. After a long period of improvising tools and unpredictable results, my breads improved drastically when I begin to use professional tools (bannetons, dough cutters, myWeigh scale, etc). One important thing I can’t control yet is the ambient temperature. I want a B&T proofer from the moment I first saw it on TFL. I hope this is my chance to get it.
    I’m not from US, but I have a good friend who can send it to me in Europe, if I’m the lucky winner.
    codruta

  9. I lone o bake bread because it feels healthy to me. It makes m feel productive even when all else is chaotic–at least I made bread. And I enjoy making it for my family and including my children in the process.

  11. I love the way that bread dough can be a little fussy, but responds to nurturing: it feels amazing when you get all the factors right, and the dough will show it when you do!

  12. Since getting my lap bad placed I’m no longer able to eat the delicious rustic loafs of bread I would bake weekly. My poor husband only gets a few loaves a year now since it’s so time consumming I don’t bake as often. And really how much fun is it to spend all day babysitting a loaf or two, making sure they proof right my super drafty old house, pulling the beautiful hot goodness from the oven, and not be able to take a single bite? Maybe it wouldn’t be so painful if I didn’t have to watch over it proofing? LOL

  13. I love the art of baking because it is the experience of creating harmony between your environment and food. Such a harmonious enviroment leaves endless possibily for creativity!

  14. So many variables can make such a difference in your finished product, and every loaf is different. There’s magic in turning a sticky ball of dough into a crusty warm bread, and I love it!

  15. Baking is one area of my cooking that has been profoundly lacking. I hope to change that soon.

  16. Baking bread is one of the most important parts of my life.
    The process itself is a miracle, so is the joy it has caused to one´s soul and senses for ages!!!!!!!!!!

  17. Quite simply, I love the way baking makes my house smell. And it naturally leads to sharing.

  18. Like most Americans, I’m a mixed bag of ancestries–Welsh, English, Swiss, but it’s the Italian blood that pulses through me full of identity. Italian blood carries with it certain antibodies, including those that love bread. It’s hard to say why I love baking, but I do. There’s something about getting my hands into dough that feels so right and so elemental. The fact that I can make such good bread is one of the things I’m most proud of.

  19. Baking is both a skill and an art. It’s one of the few artistic things I’m good at – I feel so creative when I bake, and I love that feeling.

  21. Growing up, my grandmothers were my role models. Both were strong women who baked often – not necessarily out of need, but tradition. It’s a tradition I picked up at an early age. My grandmothers are gone now but when I’m in the kitchen baking, I feel them with me.

  22. I love making things that disappear, so I can make more! (The problem with knitting is that it accumulates…) I appreciated the year that I had an oven with a pilot light for bread-proofing and butter-softening purposes, and since then have been struggling to find similarly simple makeshift proofing methods.

  23. Oooo! I need this. Proofing is where thing frequently go wrong with my baking – I keep my house cold and am impatient.

    I feel virtuous baking bread because it’s both cheaper and more compostable than commercial. And ripping into the fresh hot loaf (like you’re not supposed to) is so viscerally indulgent.

  25. I love baking because you can play with so many variables and obtain very different results, in making something so “ordinary” as a loaf of bread.

    I’m not from the U.S. but if I win, I could pay the cost of the mailing or find a friend who could send it to Europe.

  26. I love baking because it makes me happy and homemade it’s healthier than anything you could buy in store.

  27. Love your site.
    Been Baking bread for decades. Grew up a Russian in San Francisco. How can I not Love bread? Russian Black, Jewish Rye, San Francisco Sourdough. I keep learning and improving.

  28. My wife loves baking since I bought her the Bread Baker’s Apprentice about 2 years ago. I love her baking because she makes great food and it gives her such enjoyment!

  29. There are many reasons why I bake my own bread. I like knowing exactly what’s in it; no preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup, etc. I love the smell of bread baking. I love the feeling of accomplishment, taking a pile of flour, a cup of water, a little yeast and salt and transforming it into a warm, crusty loaf of bread…it’s very rewarding.

  31. Love handling something alive!
    Beside bread making, I am also making our own yogurt. Lately started sprouting. I am also thinking about making own miso. Anyhow, I have been using slow fermenting method because we keep our house cool. This equipment will make me happy! 🙂

  32. I LOVE the smell of freshly baked bread. Unfortunately the proofing step has been a huge challenge for me in our house. I have a lot of trouble finding a space with a good temp for this step, so many of my bread attempts end up not proofing enough. This would be an amazing addition to our kitchen!

  33. From mixing to eating the final product, I love everything about baking. My family loves the variety of breads I make.

  34. I love baking because, as a former chemist, it’s hands-on applied science! It’s just so cool to see how minor adjustments to a recipe can yield larger differences!

  35. There are lots of reasons why I like to bake. I like the feeling of accomplishment that comes from making things myself, especially more challenging recipes. I like making things for other people, especially my family. And I like knowing exactly what goes into the food I eat.

  36. Opening the oven door and seeing my doughy lump has turned into a golden luscious mound of wonderful smelling bread makes me smile from ear to ear.

  39. I especially love making bread with a starter that I’ve created from just flour and water; it seems like magic (other people treat it like it is!), and it is a partnership between the baker and nature. Really, my life changed when I discovered I could do this.

    This looks like a beautiful piece of equipment, and I appreciate the potential for versatility–yogurt, plate warming, etc.

  40. This would be sooooo fantastic to have!! I love to bake bread and this would really bring my bread skills up a notch!

  41. Every review I’ve come across of the proofer starts with “I didn’t think I’d need one” and ends with “I’m completely won over by how awesome it is.” I agree, it would be a treat to be able to have my starter or dough ferment exactly the way you’d expect it to, and not be at the mercy of the kitchen temperature/humidity!

  42. Wow, this is a fantastic tool, even for an amateur baker like me. 🙂 I love baking and cooking, and everything about it. It is still a long way for me to go on this way to success but I am eager to learn. 😀

  43. Baking is therapy for me…whether it is kneading dough or beating eggs into a foam. THe therapy extends to the marvellous feeling when you share home baked goods…if I kept them all I would eat them all LoL. Another reason I love to bake…love of eating. 🙂

  45. I love immersing myself in the process of baking and working with my hands. The art and science of baking bread from a few simple ingredients is very satisfying (and delicious, most of the time)!

  47. I really just love eating bread (and cookies…and biscuits…and scones) …and homemade bread is worlds better than store-bought.

  48. There’s nothing better than the smell of baking bread – except eating it freshly baked!

  49. I love how good I feel when I pull something out of the oven and see that it has come out beautifully – huzzah!

  54. Oh, so many reasons…I love baking because I love to share delicious breads with people I care about. There is just something unique and special (in this day and age) about truly “breaking (homemade) bread” with loved ones.

  55. I love baking because nothing beats something fresh and hot from the oven! Plus you get total control over what you’re consuming. 🙂

  56. Being of Italian ancestry and having grown up on a farm, I have been baking bread since I was a child. So, baking bread is in my blood. As children we went to school with homemade bread, homemade cheese, home-cured meats and farm fresh fruits and vegetables. Our eggs and milk came from our farm. So whenever I bake a loaf of bread it brings me back to my childhood.

  57. I love baking because the process from beginning to end soothes and nourishes and delights me. I believe all the living yeast spores actually change the way the house feels.

  58. My mom loved baking and I loved the smells emanating from her kitchen. I learned how to bake from her and create the same loving memories for my family. Baking for me is a creative process, an art, and even therapy for me and I love the joy it gives to others when I share my baked goods.

  59. I love baking bread and giving it as a gift. I too have always made do with a proofing location, but your review is very intersting.

  60. I love baking because I love the process of raw ingredients to a delicious treat. so rewarding. Also it teaches you patience.

  61. Awesome giveaway – this would be so handy! I love baking because I can customize breads to my own taste, plus save some money over store-bought! Plus, there’s something so satisfying about bread warm out of the oven (even though I know you’re supposed to let things cool before cutting into them….sometimes I cheat!)

  63. I love fermentation of all sorts, this would be great for my yeast starters for brewing as well as my sourdough.

  64. I love making things. I love experimenting. I love learning. I love playing. I love working with my hands. I love eating. I love it when people say ‘Wow!’

  66. the thing i love about baking is sharing it and watching people’s reactions when they taste something you handmade for them.

  67. One of the reasons I bake is because I live in a tiny little town. The only decent bread I can get is the kind I make. There isn’t even a bagel shop!

  69. I have baked bread for several years and have been content with okay results. I am sure an upgrade in equipment would allow me to produce a much better loaf. Man, would this be an upgrade!

  70. I love the alchemy of it. Mix a few ingredients, wait and get something wonderful. Just like planting seeds.

  71. Initially I want to eat and feed healthy bread to my family, and I couldn’t always buy it where I live. Now, I enjoy the challenge and the surprise when I pull a good looking and smelling loaf out of the oven.

  73. I love baking bread because of the science and history behind it. I also enjoy doing it because I like to be creative and eat what I make!

  74. I love to bake because the variety and quality of what you can make at home beats out store-bought any day.

  75. I love baking for the simple, satisfying response I get whenever anyone eats something I’ve baked! And there really is nothing like the smell and taste of fresh, homemade bread!

  76. When I first started kneading bread, i was hooked. The rhythmic motion and the change in the feel of the dough is wonderful; I have a sense that the rest of the world disappears while I’m kneading. That was the first thing that peaked my interest; the second was the smell of bread baking; the third of course was the texture and taste.

  78. I love baking bread because it’s cool to see what you can make from just a little flour and yeast. It’s also a great way to destress

  79. I love baking because it keeps me grounded. I have to be at the top of my game every single time to produce the quality that I am looking for. Learning never stops with baking!

  80. Susan, don’t enter me in the give away, because I already have one, just wanted to jump in the praise for the box, I love it, love it, love it!

    I know it won’t get much use during the Summer, but in the past 6 months, it made my breads soooo much better!

    I will be curious to see who the lucky winner will be!

  82. Wow, it’s so great there are so many of us! I’ve just found out there’s a meetup group in my town dedicated to artisanal bread-baking, and I can’t wait to join my kindred souls. It makes me very happy that there are so many others feeling the connection to the earth and the magic of baking. Thanks for your website, and for this offering.

  83. I love baking, especially baking bread because it makes me feel very happy, especially when stress in life occupy my mind. The other benefit I like about baking my own bread is, I know what and how much ingredient that goes into it.

  86. I find baking to be a really calming activity…something I love to do in my “me time”!

  89. My daughter taught me to bake bread this last Christmas season. Who knew I could bake bread! And that it was fun! Best part – the stress relief of kneading (and whacking it on the table!). Hardest part – timing the rise. Looks like this could solve the hardest part!

  91. I started baking with my mother at the age of 12 [now 66] making my favorite cookie [Sour Cream cookies w/a powdered sugar frosting]. I continue to make these cookies along with other baked items. I’ve just started to learning how to make both yeast & quick breads & buns. Cheers…

  92. I love making bread because it brings me back to the time
    where my Grandmother taught me to make it and all the times I helped her when I was a child. She instilled in me a love of creating delicious food for the people I love.

  94. Baking just makes me happy. It is a very relaxing process, and one of my favorite things to do is knead dough, I like how over time you just learn to know exactly what the texture should be when the kneading is done.

  95. That’s an easy answer . . . baking seems to be embedded in my DNA, just like digging in the ground and growing things in the Spring. I don’t seem able to live happily without it. I’ve always dreamt of owning a Brod & Taylor proofer, as I constantly shift my dough from place to place to place in my house, trying to achieve consistency of temperature. Thanks for the opportunity to have one, Susan!

  96. My neighbor’s 1 year old can’t say bread yet, but he knows where I keep my fresh baked loaves. He says “Please” in sign language and points and is always rewarded with a slice!

  97. I am a dedicated bread baker. I would love something like this because my husband gets annoyed when I always have dough rising in the microwave.

  98. I love the look on everyone’s face when I pull out a warm just baked loaf to go with dinner. Baking is fun!

  99. baking is so satisfying isn’t it? I’ve been eyeing those proofers – great to read your review – I have no place for makeshift LOL
    I love to bake because I love to eat and to share!

  100. The process of hands on breadmaking is soothing and satisfying. Kneading the dough puts you in touch with the textures of the combination of yeast, flour, water and salt. The actual baking is a magical transformation from a roughly shaped form into an edible artform. By placing it into a dark place and applying heat you change it from potential to an exquisite finished product that can be shared.

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