Dough proofing hack?

corolla

Sun, Jun 30 2024, 10:20 pm

Someone posted a while back that they proof their challah in the oven at a low temp and then raise the temp to bake. What are the details?

EsG

Sun, Jun 30 2024, 10:23 pm

A warm environment is great for speeding up proofing. Just turning on the oven light warms up the oven and makes a great proofing environment.

corolla

Sun, Jun 30 2024, 10:24 pm

EsG wrote:

A warm environment is great for speeding up proofing. Just turning on the oven light warms up the oven and makes a great proofing environment.

Thanks, but it was specifically with the oven turned on. Also, my oven light doesn't work.

mommy1000

Sun, Jun 30 2024, 10:46 pm

EsG wrote:

A warm environment is great for speeding up proofing. Just turning on the oven light warms up the oven and makes a great proofing environment.

200 degrees for 1 hour

mfb

Sun, Jun 30 2024, 10:54 pm

I do it for 15-20 minutes on 250-275. Depends how tight in time I am.

corolla

Mon, Jul 01 2024, 8:33 am

Thank you!

Comptroller

Mon, Jul 01 2024, 10:04 am

corolla wrote:

Someone posted a while back that they proof their challah in the oven at a low temp and then raise the temp to bake. What are the details?

That might be relevant in winter when you have room temperatures under 20°C (68 F), but not in summer.

In winter, it might be a good idea to put the dough near a heater, or even in the oven.

But carefull, from a temperature of 40°C (over 100 F) you kill the ~~bacteria~~yeast, which is a living organism and then itthe dough will not proof at all.

I suppose the best temperature is around 25°C (77 F).

Edited according to zaq's remarks.

Last edited by Comptroller on Mon, Jul 01 2024, 3:55 pm; edited 1 time in total

mfb

Mon, Jul 01 2024, 1:41 pm

mfb wrote:

I do it for 15-20 minutes on 250-275. Depends how tight in time I am.

Just want to add that I do this after it’s braided and egged. And after the low temperature I just turn up the oven to regular temperature

zaq

Mon, Jul 01 2024, 3:42 pm

Comptroller wrote:

Yeast is a fungus, not a bacterium. You really don't want bacteria multiplying in your dough, as bacteria and fungi are competitors to the death. That's how penicillin was discovered, after all: fugitive penicillium molds in Alexander Fleming's petri dishes killed the bacteria he was culturing. Bacteria multiplying in your dough would most likely ruin it, possibly sicken your entire family if it were a pathogenic strain, and kill the yeast so the dough would never rise.

BTW it looks to me as if some of you are confusing "proofing" with "dough rising." Proofing is giving the yeast a little bit of food (sugar) and warm water to start multiplying, to "prove" that the yeast is still viable before mixing it with the other ingredients. It takes only a few minutes unless you use cold water or the room is very cold, and even then it doesn't take more than 10-15 minutes. There is absolutely no reason to proof yeast in a lit oven. Some people warm the oven a bit to let the dough rise before baking. That is not proofing; that is rising. "Proofing" at 200 degrees for an hour would cause the yeast to first multiply like mad and then die a quick and ignominious death.

Comptroller

Mon, Jul 01 2024, 3:53 pm

zaq wrote:

you are right, yeast is a fungus. I will correct it.

However, this fungus also dies somewhere around 40°C, so it is still not recommended to overheat it while the dough should proof...

the active agent in sourdough is lactobacillus, a bacterium, which seems to coexist beautifully with yeast! I tried it.

Quote:

BTW it looks to me as if some of you are confusing "proofing" with "dough rising." Proofing is giving the yeast a little bit of food (sugar) and warm water to start multiplying, to "prove" that the yeast is still viable before mixing it with the other ingredients. It takes only a few minutes unless you use cold water or the room is very cold, and even then it doesn't take more than 10-15 minutes. There is absolutely no reason to proof yeast in a lit oven. Some people warm the oven a bit to let the dough rise before baking. That is not proofing; that is rising. "Proofing" at 200 degrees for an hour would cause the yeast to first multiply like mad and then die a quick and ignominious death.

Wikipaedia:

Quote:

In cooking, proofing (also called proving) is a step in the preparation of yeast bread and other baked goods in which the dough is allowed to rest and rise a final time before baking. During this rest period, yeast ferments the dough and produces gases, thereby leavening the dough.

In contrast, proofing or blooming yeast (as opposed to proofing the dough) may refer to the process of first suspending yeast in warm water,[1] a necessary hydration step when baking with active dry yeast.[note 1][2][3][4] Proofing can also refer to the process of testing the viability of dry yeast by suspending it in warm water with carbohydrates (sugars).[5] If the yeast is still alive, it will feed on the sugar and produce a visible layer of foam on the surface of the water mixture.

I was referring to the dough proofing, sorry if that was not clear, I will correct that too.

miami85

Mon, Jul 01 2024, 4:57 pm

My mother used to get her dough to rise in the microwave. Something like a few seconds in the microwave and then it rises in 30 minutes.

corolla

Mon, Jul 01 2024, 5:01 pm

Comptroller wrote:

I was referring to the dough proofing, sorry if that was not clear, I will correct that too.

Same