I heard some folks talkin’ ’bout this thing, what’s it called? Basket for bread proofing. Sounds fancy, right? Well, it ain’t rocket science, let me tell ya.
This here basket, it’s for that bread dough, you know? Before you bake it in the oven. You gotta let it sit and rise, they say. Get all fluffy and big. That’s what they call “proofing”. And this basket, well, it helps with that.
My old bread, it was just fine, ain’t need no fancy basket. But these young’uns today, they like all these newfangled things. They say it makes the bread better. Maybe it does, maybe it don’t. I ain’t no expert on such things. I just bake what I know.
You know what I used to use? Just a regular old bowl. A mixing bowl. Yep, that’s right. And a dish towel. Worked just fine. I just sprinkle some flour, put the dough in there, cover it up.
Flour is the key, you see? Keeps the dough from stickin’. Don’t matter if it’s a fancy basket or a regular bowl. Flour is what you need. Lots of it. Don’t be stingy with the flour.
Now, these proofing baskets, they come in all shapes and sizes, I see. Round ones, long ones. Some are made of wood. Some are made of that plastic stuff. Lord knows what else they make ’em out of these days.
- Round ones for round loaves.
- Long ones for them long loaves, like them French baguettes.
- Big ones for big loaves.
- Small ones for them little baby loaves.
Me, I like the round ones, if I had to choose. But like I said, a bowl works just as good. If you ain’t got one of them proofing baskets, don’t you worry. Just use what you got.
Some folks, they say the basket, it makes the bread have them pretty lines on it. You know, them swirl things. I guess that’s nice. Makes it look fancy. But does it make it taste any better? I doubt it.
If you are gonna get one of them bread proofing baskets, make sure you get the right size. Don’t get one too big, or the dough will spread out too much. Don’t get one too small, or the dough will be all cramped up.
Now, I saw some of them baskets, they got a cloth in ’em. A liner, they call it. That’s supposed to help keep the dough from stickin’ too. But like I said, flour is your friend. Just use plenty of flour, and you’ll be fine.
They say you gotta clean them baskets too. Brush ’em out. Keep ’em dry. Don’t want no mold growin’ in there. That’s no good. Moldy bread ain’t tasty, I can tell ya that much.
These baskets for bread proofing, they seem like a lot of fuss to me. But if you want to try it out you can buy those things everywhere, even online. It will arrive before midnight if you order it quick. Or you just use a plain old bowl, that’s up to you. Either way, the bread will rise. That’s the important part. It is all about the bread you bake. The basket just helps the dough to rise.
So, there you have it. All you need to know about them proofing baskets for bread. It ain’t complicated. Don’t let them fancy words fool ya. It’s just a basket. For bread. That’s all.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I got some bread to bake. And I’ll be usin’ my trusty old bowl. It ain’t never let me down yet.
If you don’t have one of them fancy baskets. Don’t worry. I will tell you how to make a DIY proofing basket. It is really easy. Get a bowl, put some cloth in it. That’s it! You can use it now for your bread.
And remember don’t order too late, or it won’t be there before midnight.
