The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Cold house

sadears's picture
sadears

Cold house

I'm renting a house in Colorado that was built in the late 1800s. It's been updated. But the heaters are actually air conditioners that heat by drawing air from outside. They work for the most part, but more often than not the kitchen is less than 70 degrees. 

I had a lot of trouble with my SD starter. Even with the stove light on, it didn't do well. Then, I read a post from @Janknitz who recommended heating water, then putting both water and SD in the microwave. I put them in a small cooler with the lid shut. It worked great. Now, I want to bake, I find I have the same issue with rising. Dough rises, but not as much or as fast as I think it should. I read in a post (not sure by whom) about putting it in the oven with the light on. The light in my rental oven is burned out.  It's snowing. And I don't feel like trudging out in it. But I want to start my baking process today.

Any ideas how to keep my dough warm while rising? I suppose I could do the same as I did with the starter, but with a larger cooler.  Guess it's a good thing I'm planning to make smaller loaves this time. Thoughts?

clazar123's picture
clazar123

I often use my microwave with the door not-quite-closed so the light stays on. It is a nice,toasty home for a bowl,preferment or a few panned loaves. You may have to rotate the pans as the side with the bulb can get warmer and rise more than the side further from the bulb. Add a cup of hot water for a little moisture if it is very dry.

Another location that is usually a bit warmer is the top of the refrigerator. The coils-usually in the back- generate heat that rises. Since many refrig are tucked under a cabinet, the heat is pushed forward over the top of the refrigerator.

The third place is on top of the hot water heater,if it is accessible.

Sometimes under the kitchen sink is cooler, sometimes it is warmer than the rest of the room.

A closet with a regular incandescent lamp , a heating pad on the counter, a desk lamp in a box, all kinds of ideas.

If you want to throw some money at the problem, THIS Brod & Taylor proofer is really a nice appliance to have. It folds flat for storage and when I iived in Wisconsin, it was indispensible.

Good luck and stay warm!

headupinclouds's picture
headupinclouds

Many of us use an inexpensive DIY proofer as an alternative to the excellent B&T proofer.  This can be made for about $35 and requires 3 things:

  1. an insulated container
  2. cheap digital temperature controller (the Inkbird ITC-308 shown here seems to be very common)
  3. a light bulb or heating pad (with bulb mounted to avoid melting the container!)

Gadjowheaty's picture
Gadjowheaty

+1, ditto!  Mine is the Inkbird in a 70-something quart cooler, with a seedling warming mat.  I also put a large cup of water** on the mat and a cooling rack.  (The temp is coming down to a room temp target from an overnight at higher temp).

 

**For some sort of humidification though I doubt it does much of anything.  This is the one thing I would really like to control.  When I was making cheese I had several different ways to do this as RH was critical to the success of my French, hard, long-aged alpine cheeses - maintained 92-94% RH, 52-54F, not easy to do both.  A digitally controlled RH and temp DIY proofer is something I'm still musing on.

albacore's picture
albacore

If I am final proofing in my proofing box I find a mug of boiling water humidifies the air very effectively to stop skinning over.

My PB is fan circulated though, so that probably helps to maintain the humidity.

Lance

alcophile's picture
alcophile

How have you solved the melting issue? I like this option, but I haven't solved the melting risk to my satisfaction.

Gadjowheaty's picture
Gadjowheaty

The cooler's plastic doesn't get affected by the mat, and if it did, I could always just put it on a rack.  I can't use it for "mash" stages, though honestly I've never really tried - don't think the mat can get it anywhere near that hot (there are higher wattage mats.....devil's laugh.....).  So topping out at 90F or so, especially with as well insulated in the kitchen as it is, it's rarely heating up as well.  I can understand the concern with foam, though.  I'd be wary too.

headupinclouds's picture
headupinclouds

That's a very good point and a good public service announcement. The final proof shouldn't lead to house fires.  I used an improvised cup and oven mitt to insulate the bulb from the styrofoam, although hanging the bulb from the lid might be a better option.  (I don't mind punching a hole in the styrofoam box, although I would think twice about doing this with a nice cooler.)  I'm actually using an LED bulb now, which generates enough heat to meet my maximum temperatures without any risk of melting (or burning).

Gadjowheaty's picture
Gadjowheaty

Our cooler has little notches in them to match the lid which works pretty well to allow the power chord for the mat and the controller thermocouple in.  It closes fully, no hole needed.  Pretty happy with it but as I say, wouldn't buy one just for this, too expensive.

alcophile's picture
alcophile

One method I have used is to preheat my gas oven for about 30–60 seconds. I check the temperature before I put the dough in. It will slowly cool off, but the process can be repeated. Take the dough out before repeating, just in case! I can't speak to how an electric oven would behave.

I also can recommend the Inkbird + light bulb method. I have place the light bulb in a toaster oven so I don't have to worry about melting a foam cooler. I haven't solved the melting risk yet to my satisfaction.

Gadjowheaty's picture
Gadjowheaty

I've never tried the oven method, though I know a lot of people do that and it works great.  I wouldn't have bought the cooler for this purpose, but we don't use it often so it's nice to have the capacity.  I can get at least two 1KG boules in their baskets in their, plus any starter I've got going in a quart plastic container.  Lightbulb in the toaster oven sounds solid.

I'd like to build a DIY standing proofer, with proper humidity and temperature controls.  Some sort of enclosed cabinet.

phaz's picture
phaz

Works in electric oven - but can't really maintain temp very well or for too long. Enjoy!

sadears's picture
sadears

Awesome ideas. I broke the light bulb in the oven when I went to remove it.  Hopefully, I can get the remainder out and put the new one in.  That would solve the problem.  Otherwise, the microwave and water heater may work. The fridge has a cabinet on top. It doesn't feel very warm up there. This is a temp residence. So, I don't want to spend much money. Hopefully,  I'll find my house to buy soon. And it will have lots of windows. I have lots of windows here, but the surrounding houses are so close, they block most of the sun.

Thanks, again!

phaz's picture
phaz

For about $15, you can get a cheap drop light (even a small lamp minus the shade) and a 50-70 watt bulb (you'll need that kind of wattage to generate enough heat). And remember - cover the light (aluminum foil is great). You don't want direct light. Enjoy! 

BreadBilly's picture
BreadBilly

A cheap heating pad can be used... control the heat with layers of things between bowl and pad underneath. with distance, etc. Just experiment. I've use za pan between the two. Amazon has a couple for $20. Bonus is you get to use it as a heating pad. : )

beginnersmind's picture
beginnersmind

I'm in similar situation as OP, my house is old and though fully insulated is in a cold part of the country; kitchen heat set at 70F yeilds ~63F ambient. A lot of unhappy, underproofed loaves were the result. Tried for months with the oven (too fiddly, inconsistent, and loses temp too fast even with bulb on). Tried heating water in microwave. Nothing worked - much less worked *reliably*.

Proofing boxes were not in my price range. I looked at videos online for DIY proofers: estimated cost for one of those was $90. Then I realized: I have a $3 styrofoam cooler I've used when hauling groceries in summer. A little research made clear I'd need a thermostat, so I got a $15 reptile heat mat and a $15 thermostat. Total = 33USD. That seemed a reasonable price-range for an experiment I wasn't sure would even work.

(My thinking with the heat mat was: a company would have pretty unhappy cutomers, if a heating mat for pets didn't, um, work. The thermostat is essential, btw - you can't control temp with just the mats.)

I haven't bothered making a hole for the wires and tiny sensor that came with the mat, I just fit on the lid as best I can and don't worry about it. I was a bit concerned about the mat 'melting' the styrofoam but there is no chance: they don't get anywhere near hot enough, those things are limited to about 90F max (if that). They feel barely lukewarm to the touch. (For all that, in a small space they *are* effective!)

Still to be safe I put the mat on the surface of the styrofoam (and a bit up the side, since it's a little too long for the container) and then a cooling rack above it, so the dough or starter sits on the rack rather than directly on the mat. Seemed it might allow better air circulation anyhow.

This works for me both for starters and dough; I have combined both overnight by putting a plate on top of pyrex bowl with dough in it, and starter on top of the plate. Just about fits. Hope that helps! :)