Playing with Proofing
Proofing for me has boiled down to only one purpose: to inflate the dough. The most important variable for me right now is desired proof time. At the end of my proofing time, I would like for the dough to have inflated fully to however much my dough strength can handle, or however much inflation I would like. Some of the variables you can play with are the level of activity of your starter, the percentage of the dough your starter is, your hydration level, your flour gluten levels, and temperature.
I have normally proofed my loafs at room temperature (about 65F), and over the course of several hours. But then I realized that professional bakers had proofing boxes for a reason. I have tried to proof my loafs outside on hot days, but the skin has always dried out. So what I am now trying is to spray a cloth with water, and drape it over my proofing loaves. I am briefly turning my oven on to get it close to (80F). I imagine if you can control temperatures exactly, you can speed up proofing dramatically.
Anyone have any experience with this?
Thanks,
Danny - Sour Flour
http://www.sourflour.org [1]