Brød & Taylor Proofer Accessory Shelf with Folding Legs

When you have the bread making tools to control temperature, it is easier to predict and control fermentation and proofing. Sourdough and regular bread are created with a complex culture of bacteria and yeasts. Temperature affects how these organisms consume sugars, creating the rise and flavour of the dough. If your dough is exposed to fluctuating temperatures (a drafty kitchen or varying temperatures in the summer and winter), your results won’t be consistent. Too cold, and the dough will lack both the CO2 required to create a rise and fermentation to create flavour. Too warm, and the yeast may eat all of the available sugars with nothing left for the second rise or to create a crispy crust.

In short, skilfully manipulating the temperature during the proofing stages allows you to control the process, making your bread more, or less, sour. This also gives you the ability to produce a predictable flavour, crumb, and crust every time.

What About Straight Bread?

Straight breads use a method in which there is no long, bulk fermentation. Instead, all ingredients are mixed to full development right away. The shorter rise means there is not as much time for the yeast and bacteria to grow and develop a full, complex flavour. This makes a proper rise extremely important — and depends on the ability to maintain a precise temperature.

For more information on the importance of temperature for bread making, we recommend these articles from The Perfect Loaf and True Sourdough.