Okay, so the other day I was trying to make some bread, and the recipe called for proofing the dough. I’d heard of proofing, but honestly, I wasn’t 100% sure what my oven’s proof setting did, or even if I had one! So, I did what anyone would do – I dug into it.
Figuring Out My Oven
First things first, I checked my oven’s control panel. I have a pretty standard electric oven, nothing fancy. I looked for a button that straight-up said “Proof,” but no luck. Then I grabbed the manual (yeah, I actually keep those things) and started flipping through it.
Turns out, my oven does have a proof setting, it’s just not super obvious. It was combined with the “Warm” function. The manual explained that the “Warm” setting could be used for proofing if set to a low temperature, which for mine can be used for Proof.
The Proofing Process
So, here’s what I did:
- Prepped the dough: I followed my bread recipe as usual, mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough until it was nice and smooth.
- Got the oven ready:I cleared out any pots or pans I had stored in there (we all do that, right?).
- Set the temperature: I pressed the “Bake” button, then used to set it lower than the Warm function. The manual suggested around 80-90°F (27-32°C) for proofing, so I aimed for that.
- Placed the dough inside: I put my dough in a lightly oiled bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and popped it in the oven.
- Set the timer:I learned from my manual, the proof setting has its own timer. So I set the oven proof timer for 40 minutes, and waited.
- Checked on it: After about an hour, I peeked in. The dough had definitely risen! It was almost double in size, which is what the recipe said to look for.
The Results!
I took the dough out, punched it down (that’s a fun part!), shaped it, and let it rise a bit more before baking. And guess what? The bread turned out great! It was light and airy, just like it should be. I’m definitely using the proof setting from now on – it makes a big difference!
So, if you’re like me and weren’t sure how to use the proof setting on your oven, hopefully, this helps. Just check your manual – it’s probably in there somewhere! Happy baking!
