Proofing Dough in a Cold Apartment?

kitchenwitch

kitchenwitch

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Baking bread is one of my favourite hobbies, but since moving into my new apartment I've been running into some issues.
The apartment is a basement suite, and we live in a part of the country where it's already starting to get chilly.
It usually starts snowing around November and keeps up for months.
All this means our apartment is anywhere from cold to freezing on a regular basis, and I've been having a ridiculously hard time getting my bread to rise.
Do you have any experience proofing dough in the oven? I'm always scared to try because I feel like it would get too hot.
I've had the idea to put the dough bowl on top of the dryer, but I'm not sure if the heat transferring solely from the bottom of the bowl is a good thing. My DIY solution so far has been to blow some low heat from the hairdryer and then quickly wrap the bowl in tea towels to hold the warm air inside.
It works a bit, but nothing like when I'm able to let the dough rise in a warm kitchen.
Does anyone have any good tips for how to create a warm space for my bread to rise?
 
Sourdough bread is proofed in a fridge. Usually overnight or for even longer. I have had mine in the fridge for up to 48hrs!

One option you could do is the strawbox option. Just make it more modern as I have done in the past. When I have been making pizza dough to take over to my parents, I have used a cardboard box with a lid on it. Line it with a (beach or bath) towel folded up many times so that the base is 3 or 4 thickness deep. Now get yourself a wheat bag, a nice large one and heat it up in the microwave as per instructions. now put it between the layers and insulate it from the dough because it can be too hot and you need the towel to give the protection. Now put the dough in there and wrap it up as best as you can, fill the entire box with a towel or two so it can't 'move' around and put the lid on.

I have used this to drive to my parents and the dough always rises (despite the driving and uneven road surface etc). That should deal with the issue.

But if you look up something like straw box and WWII you will find that it is an age old technique for cooking things as well.
 
This is amazing advice, thank you!
A strawbox sounds like just the thing, and I absolutely love learning about cooking/baking techniques from back in the day, especially things that I can try to recreate.
I'm definitely going to do some more research into this and look into making my own.
Thanks again, this is going to be a fun weekend project! :)
 
Here to start you off.

www.instructables.com/id/hay-box-cooker/
www.rootsimple.com/2011/12/hay-boxes-or-fireless-cookers/
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haybox

Lining the box with tin foil may also help. The best bit is that you are not cooking food here, only effectively keeping it warm so it can proof. So you won't need to worry too much about temperature and times, just go with the it has doubled in volume approach rather than a set time and you should be fine. I also have a small electric heated pad normally used for easing muscles. It has 5 temperature options which would be more stable than a wheatbag. But the wheatbag is cheaper and does release heat at a steady rate and I know it works because I have used it that way many times.

As an aside, I also us my Excalibur dehydrator for the same purpose. Provided that the dough is completely covered with cling film so moisture can not be lost, it works really well. In fact it was in use today for the rye sourdough bread I made today.
 
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I have actually tried doing it in a warm oven and it works pretty well :) I just turn the oven on for a few minutes (depending on how quickly your oven heats up!) and turn it out again, and as long as its not too hot to say put your hand in, then it should be fine for the dough. Just warm basically, and I've done this quite a bit and it turns out fine :) But the strawbox idea sounds very interesting, I would like to actually try that myself! :D
 
@kitchenwitch
I also came across this article today whilst I was looking at vegan recipes. It is for a Foccia which apparently is cold proofed which I never knew. When I spotted it, it occurred to me that it could be something you could try out. I know I have been doing this accidentally (without actually realising that it was what I was meant to be doing though I used a sourdough yeast starter rather than activated dried yeast (standard yeast).

http://www.veganbaking.net/recipes/breads/hearth-breads/three-herbed-focaccia

The secret to making great focaccia involves using an herbed olive oil to lend an array of herb flavors, allowing the dough to ferment in a refrigerated state for at least 12 hours which allows complex bread flavors to develop and baking a wet dough at a very high temperature which ensures a soft, spongy texture and a crispy crust. Fresh herbs are paramount to infusing the right intensity of flavors in this focaccia recipe. Feel free to use any combination of fresh basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, savory or marjoram. A long, refrigerated fermentation allows naturally occurring enzymes within the flour to break out more sugars from the starches for the yeast to ferment. These extra sugars allow the yeast to built more flavor, sweeten the focaccia and caramelize under heat which contributes a multitude of enhanced flavors....
Click to expand...
 
Ooh that sounds delicious, I love focaccia! I'm definitely going to have to give a few of these techniques a try...I see a lot of bread in my future :)
 
kitchenwitch said:
Baking bread is one of my favourite hobbies, but since moving into my new apartment I've been running into some issues.
The apartment is a basement suite, and we live in a part of the country where it's already starting to get chilly.
It usually starts snowing around November and keeps up for months.
All this means our apartment is anywhere from cold to freezing on a regular basis, and I've been having a ridiculously hard time getting my bread to rise.
Do you have any experience proofing dough in the oven? I'm always scared to try because I feel like it would get too hot.
I've had the idea to put the dough bowl on top of the dryer, but I'm not sure if the heat transferring solely from the bottom of the bowl is a good thing. My DIY solution so far has been to blow some low heat from the hairdryer and then quickly wrap the bowl in tea towels to hold the warm air inside.
It works a bit, but nothing like when I'm able to let the dough rise in a warm kitchen.
Does anyone have any good tips for how to create a warm space for my bread to rise?
Click to expand...

I sometimes use the microwave technique (this speeds up proofing). It could help if the room is cold. You cover the dough in a bowl with clingfilm and give it 10 seconds on high. Then rest for 15 minutes then another 10 seconds on high. Repeat this one more time. It cuts rising time in half. But I'd have to ask why you haven't got any heating, you poor thing. Never mind the bread, it can't be healthy for you living in sub-zero!
 
I always remembered a famous bakery in London we got bread from called nadels, they had large proving ovens , slightly humid and warm , first prove can be done cold we used to do it over night in the fridges
 
Berties said:
I always remembered a famous bakery in London we got bread from called nadels, they had large proving ovens , slightly humid and warm , first prove can be done cold we used to do it over night in the fridges
Click to expand...
Yes, you can prove bread at low temperatures. It just takes longer. Some say it makes for a better bread... so take heart, @kitchenwitch!
 
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