I decided to give serious study to my good bread books, and Laurel's floated to the top.

My favored place for proofing is in my gas oven, which I turn on until it just barely registers a temperature rise; then I turn on the oven light, and it maintains a temperature of 80-90 degrees.  Of course, I don't do this when I want a slow rise, but my kitchen is typically 60-65 degrees, so this is great for the final rise or when I'm in a hurry.

On page 408 (1984 edition; I think it's the same in the revised edition), she addresses this issue:  "Halfway through the final rise, the time comes when you have to preheat the oven.  The bread's inside:  what to do?"   She then lists four options, the first of which is, "Set the nearly risen loaves in a draft-free place, turn on the oven, and don't worry about it."  That's what I do.  The second option is to float the loaf pans in a dishpan of warm water (covered, of course); the fourth utilizes a heating pad or a hot-water bottle.

But the third option caught my attention.  People have talked quite a bit about baking in an un-preheated oven.  I baked a bread once that specified cold oven - I think it was called Cuban Bread.  Laurel (and her friends) say that you can leave the loaves in place and turn on the oven when the loaves are about three-quarters risen (depending on how long your oven takes to heat up - sooner if your oven heats slowly).  She calls this "a daredevil technique" that won't work for breads that require a higher initial temperature for oven rise.  She adds that it works better for recipes that include milk or a lot of sweetener.  (And she cautions you to remove plastic and other materials that don't do well in a hot oven.  I've long since learned to look in the oven before turning it on.)

How does this jive with all you breadbakers' experience?

Rosalie