been struggling to keep this bad boy warm each week so i’ve pulled out the hot water bottle
(it’s now inside my oodie with the water bottle)
process to prevent removal
500g bread flour
350g warm water
180g starter (amount purely for speed)
12g salt
stretch and folds x 2 every 30 mins and then coil folds x2 every 30 after the s/f
hoping it bulk ferments at a decent rate and shaped before bed and hoping to bake tomorrow at 350 covered for 35 mins followed by another 20ish uncovered or until as brown as i prefer
by mumble__
21 Comments
lol i put oven on 100 degrees for 2 minutes and turn it off… take it out then repeat process
I increase my starter amount like you do, and then put it outside on the sunny side of the house lol! Still takes so much longer to proof than during summer… I still find it better than how easily it overproofs in 35 degrees 😅
The oven never gets over 40 degrees (usually at 30) – it’s on for only 2 minutes and then off. So it generally goes from 32 degrees downwards.
Get a seedling heat mat!
*Laughs in Norwegian*
We gotta get creative sometimes.
I put mine in either oven (large loaf) / microwave (small-ish loaf) with a jug of hot water.
Lol, it me in UK winter. I saw a thing which said if your oven has a setting to just put the light on, that actually works well as it gives enough heat to help proof things. Haven’t tried it yet though!
I’ve been looking for a container like that in the UK for ages…..
Pretty cold in South Aus too. I had mine on a seed propagation mat today. 🤗
I sit mine in the microwave with the door ajar so the light stays on. I put a thermometer in there, and it usually sits at around 28 degrees (the microwave, not the dough)
I’ve been putting mine above the boiler in the closet! 😂
Mine’s overnighting in the oven at 26 C
I have an old esky that I put an aquarium heater in, so it maintains a constant temperature. Works a treat for everything that I can fit in it, so not big bowls etc.
I have the opposite problem here. Tap water is 30c in my kitchen. And that’s the cold tap.
Oven with the light on is my goto fermenting station since I like to keep the house cool year round. Usually bulk fermentation is complete within 8-10 hours
In Canadian winter, I just do overnight bulk fermentation followed by 4-8h counter. For reference, my house’s heating is set to 18c overnight and 21 during the day. Luckily, spring and fall are warm enough overnight that the house still doesn’t drop below like 20 most of the time
I use a seedling mat in a large, insulated bag! Just make sure you get an external thermostat so it can set and regulate the temperature. I bought the bag, the external temp gauge, and the seedling mat (all separately) for $70 off Amazon.
It’s been an absolute godsend
https://preview.redd.it/fhwg48j0lucf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ad5885e14b27ef49e3decf55bd1b8a69eefc45b
okay, if anyone comes back to this, here’s an update: only do this if you keep an eye on it, i left it for a couple hours (gaming) came back to shape it maybe an hour earlier than normal and it’s WAY overproofed and i could barely handle it. so it’s in its banneton and going to attempt to bake tomorrow but i don’t have much hope
if i do this again i will check on it more often or take the hot water bottle out after a while, was pleased to see the rise tho… before going to shape
If you can afford it, a brod and taylor proofing box has been a game changer for me.
https://preview.redd.it/cj1uqgi4zucf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68417c03fdbd752c11c0d6179e92d284b3e46d6d
I live in Canada and made my own proofing box out of a plastic bin and a seedling mat. I added insulation from a food delivery box and a wire rack so that it doesn’t sit directly on the mat.
I’m just the opposite – I live in the desert and I am trying to keep it from Buld Fermenting to fast!