Brod & Taylor Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker (Proofer w/Accessory Shelf), White

I’m really impressed with the Brod & Taylor Folding Proofing Box. It works exactly as advertised and makes maintaining a consistent temperature for sourdough and bread dough so much easier. The temperature control is accurate, it heats evenly, and my dough has been proofing much more consistently. I also love that it folds down when I’m not using it, so it doesn’t take up much storage space. The build quality feels solid, and it’s very easy to set up and use. If you’re serious about baking sourdough or bread, I highly recommend it. It works great and has definitely made my baking routine easier and more consistent!

Usually I give 4 stars to a new product when I don't know how long it will hold up. This product is so good that I'm giving it 5 stars right away. Experienced bakers say that temperature shouldn't be an afterthought. I found that they're right — as some of them say, temperature is an actual _ingredient_ in bread-making. I had a lot of trouble with temperature in my kitchen and often ended up with under- or over-fermented dough. As every novice baker learns, failure is just part of the learning process but it can be disheartening. Finally I decided to take the temperature "variable" out of the equation once and for all. I don't regret it. Build quality — Seems good, although the box is lightweight by design, and you have to be careful about how you handle the folding mechanism inside. Portability — The box folds up to a nice compact size, making it easy to store. Thumbs up for this design. Front panel/controls — Couldn't be simpler. You probably won't need the instructions to get started. Accuracy — I assume it's accurate. I could measure the air temperature inside. But there's no point, because as they note in the instructions, the temperature setting on the control panel reflects not the air temperature, but the intended internal temperature of the dough or whatever is inside the box. The temperature maintenance is clearly _consistent_. If I set the box to 75° F. and leave dough to rise in it overnight, I'm confident I'll get the desired results in the morning every time. Since I began using this product, I have not had a seriously under- or over-proofed loaf. (Of course getting it right also involves some judgment calls.) Instructions — Clear and well-written. Considering how lousy so many products' documentation is, thumbs up to B&T for this. The supplied water tray is a nice touch. You don't need to keep the dough covered as long as there's moisture in the air coming from the tray, at least in the first few hours of bulk fermentation. If you're doing a long bulk ferment, it's probably good to cover the bowl after a few hours—eventually the water in the tray will evaporate. Nice job, B&T.

I really like this proofing box. I use it near daily, I'm always baking. It folds up nice and flat, I bought the protective case for it and stores away nice in the pantry. I love that the control panel is built into the base rather than in the cord like a heating pad with a thermal prob that has a be positioned inside like the soft case proofing box I had been using. The only con I can really give it is due to its design there are a lot of little gaps in the folding plastic box that let out humidity. This is easy to remedy by simply draping a towel over it. I sew a lot as well and I'm going to make a quilted cover that will drop over it to hold in the humidity. It really is a great investment for someone who bakes a lot of bread. If not using it on a weekly basis it may not be worth the investment. But if broke it, I would definitely order a replacement the same day.

I got this after reading a suggestion in a darned expensive bread book. I was skeptical. But our kitchen is cold and I had a few problems with getting bread to rise evenly. This thing not only cured those problems but offers up a nice moist proofing that has clearly improved the quality of the bread we make. I can now bake on my time, not the breads. Every thing is ready like clock work. Simplified bread making and improved the end product by a substantial margin. I would not want to make bread without it! Oh BTW it is well worth it to spring for the rack and tote bag.

I had trepidations going into this one—the price combined with the efficacy or utility of it but a couple. I’m relatively new to baking. However, after setting it up for its maiden voyage (proofing a bread dough that required three rises, a fourth once in the pans), I set it at 83°F with the water tray under the top rack & an elastic bowl cover, though it says not mandatory), and I was standing in shock after only 10-15 minutes’ time, the dough had more than doubled. That made the following knead-and-rise proofs go just as fast. When I finally put the covered bread pans in for the 4th/final rise, the dough that wasn’t reaching the edges of the pans (I was nervous) wound up rising above the lip and FULLY filled out the pans. And I’m talkin about MAYBE 20 mins. Already, to me, this thing is worth every penny if consistency and TIME are valuable to you. And, leaving dough exposed to the temperature & humidity vagaries of your kitchen could leave you hanging for HOURS to get the same result. Yes, it ain’t cheap, but neither is my time and it’s a great price for the time-saving & consistency this magic box provides. I give this a warm, well-proofed 5 stars, happily! Highly satisfied!

This proofer is awesome. I used as soon as I got it to make Brioche hamburger buns. They turned out excellent. This proofer will definitely be an asset to my baking. So glad i purchased this proofer. My house is cold, yet this proofer held the temperature that I set.

Works super well! Really pleased with the ease of set up & use and it allowed both the bread & the rolls I have made to rise beautifully!

The size of this thing sucks out loud. I typically bake 6 hamburger buns and 12 dinner rolls. I have to put the buns on the smallest tray I have and on the bottom. I then have to put the rolls on top in a pan that pushes the sidewall out. Still works, but not a great look. There is no way I can bake either the buns or the rolls with a loaf of bread because with the accessory rack, there isn't enough height. On the plus side, it makes a consistent dough, but I'll argue that proofing bread at the recommended temperature doesn't work worth a hoot. I have to bump it to 100 degrees to get the results I expect. If this thing were 2" longer and 3" taller it would be, well, the best thing since sliced bread. Right now, it's just handy as a pocket on a shirt...

La précision avec laquelle cette chambre, utilisée comme chambre de pousse, maintient la température de consigne est remarquable. Un doute cependant si elle est utilisée comme mijoteuse. En effet, sa plage de température de fonctionnement s'étend de 21à 90°C or il n'y a aucune isolation. En revanche, une grosse critique sur le positionnement du panneau de commande. Cette chambre est rectangulaire; on se serait attendu à trouver la commande en façade. Or la commande a été disposée sur le coté droit de l'appareil! Non seulement cela oblige à trouver un emplacement qui ne soit pas bouché à droite mais même si la chambre peut être installée au milieu d'un comptoir, l'accès au panneau de commande oblige à choisir entre attraper un torticoli pour lire les réglages ou accéder au volume par le petit coté. Ce qui n'est pas très naturel, vous en conviendrez. Quant à la notice, mieux vaut de ne pas en parler car il est interdit de déposer le cadre vertical au montage or si on ne le dépose pas... on ne peut tout simplement pas retirer le couvercle pour le mettre en place.

I used the Brod & Taylor as Proofer and I like that it can also create humidity so that there is no need to cover when using water tray. I also like that it can be folded back up and placed back in box and then can go back on shelf when not in use.