Features:

  • Ferment and Rise Bread Dough - Make Yogurt - Melt Chocolate
  • Temperature range: 70 – 120°F (21 – 49C); Typical humidity 60-80%
  • Reinforced polypropylene body; Aluminum water tray
  • Closed (outside dim's):18 x 14.5 x 2.75"; Open (inside dim's):15 x 12.5 x 8.5
  • 120V only; 30-day money back guarantee; 1-year warranty
You should buy one!

Very honestly, I'm a local college student and I go for baking and pastry arts. We are outfitted with loads of commercial equipment, all insanely expensive. If you Google "commercial bread proofers" they're over $1,000 easily. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to spend that kind of money. Sure, you could turn your oven into a proofer, but that's not a consistent nor accurate environment. This Brod and Taylor Proofer is simply awesome, and it does everything and more I'd expect it to. Not only does it fold nearly flat, but it folds out to be a pretty nicely sized device. It has buttons that go from 70-120 (I believe) and has a cable to plug it into. The cable is a little short, and I think that's the only downside to this product. It features collapsible walls, a small water holder tray, and a "cooling rack" that suspends above the water tray. It also features a nicely sized plastic window, so you'll never need to open it mid-proof. Also, in the winters we heat our house with coal. If you know anything about heat, coal is a dry heat (it sucks the humidity from everything....) I'm not a professional baker, but if you left a ball of dough with a damp cloth with coal heat, it would probably take a lot longer to rise than normal (say in the summer) This proofer ensures the proper environment for the yeast to grow, no matter the time of year. Also, what would you like to have the most? a.) a very expensive $1,500 proofer b.) an inconsistent and inaccurate proofer (putting a steaming pot of water into an oven, only praying that it'll work good...) c.) a consistent and accurate environment that yeast will love to live in (this proofer) Overall, if you love bread, buy this right now. You won't regret it, I can almost guarantee it.

Expensive but effective

Works very well. Have used it to proof bread, make yogurt, and ferment batter. Resulted in the thickest yogurt I've made, much more foolproof than my old method of using a warm oven; no more guessing how long to preheat and whether to leave one or both oven lights on overnight! Can be compactly stored. Remove the electrical cord so the lid clicks in place properly during storage. There is even a set of instructions on where each component should go during storage! Update May 2016: still going strong. I use it at least twice a week, for bread, yogurt, and batter. When fermenting large quantities of batter, it helps to use the yogurt trick : heat up to 120F for an hour or so, then reduce to 90-95F; otherwise the batter will take much longer to ferment. About the only thing this hasn't worked for is salt rising bread.

Perfect for yogurt and sourdough!

After using this bread proofer for a few weeks I seriously wonder how I've lived so long without it. Since moving out of my log cabin, with its woodstove and warming ovens up top, it's the first time in decades that I've been able to re-create that cozy warm draft-free spot for sourdough and rising bread. Of course the high-tech modern version takes the guesswork out of just how warm and cozy that spot will be by allowing you to set the thermostat in a wide enough range (70 to 120) to handle almost anything requiring warmth. And the clear window on the top is awesome to be able to monitor progress or see if your sourdough is bubbling over. It works like a charm for sourdough (easily holds two medium sized mixing bowls), rising bread dough (two loaf pans no problem), and best of all it’s perfect for making big 2-gallon batches of yogurt. Eight 1-quart jars are an easy fit, or 9 if you put one in the middle. It did seem like the jars were somewhat warmer on the bottom than on the top, but I'm still in the process of getting it dialed in. It also seemed prudent to me to throw a light towel over the top for insulation when using it in a cool kitchen. The folding design is pure genius, it stores right on top of my pancake griddle, a previously unused space in the cupboard. If you’re cooking/baking/culturing foods that rely on time and temperature to turn out this thing will rock your world. Or at least your kitchen.

Most awesome invention!

And I couldn't find any competitors..... anyway, if you like to cook or bake, you may have use for this proofer. I like to make a sourdough bread that has only 3 ingredients: flour, salt, and starter. The starter is responsible for making the bread rise. Very difficult until I found this proofer! Now I have perfect sourdough bread every time. It comes with a recipe book, which has numerous fantastic recipes. I use their yogurt recipe, also and the result is the creamiest, best textured yogurt ever, regardless of the original starter. My bread proofs for 2-3 hours in each of 2 stages in the proofer. Never could I achieve that without the proofer! I also put the starter itself into the proofer before I start to let it fully come up to temp. I imagine other companies will try to emulate this proofer. Don't know if they can! As far as quality of materials and construction, it is truly fine. I find myself handling it like fine glassware because my hands like to savor the feel of it--you can tell when it's made well. Sorry if that sounds silly, but it's true, even though it is made of plastic (mostly)! The bottom tray however is metal along with the rack. The plastic is different is all I can say. It is thick, white, well engineered and all working parts and connections work smoothly and firmly. It is large enough to fit two full size loaves of bread in bread pans. I put in 14 6 oz. jars for yogurt, and there is room to make a second tier if you want. The book tells it all! Anyway, if you think you might like the nurturing effect that a proofer provides for your cooking and baking, you can count on this Brod and Taylor proofer. I almost never write product reviews, but I can't rave enough about this, my kitchen's best friend. Oh, I forgot to mention that their customer service is personal and efficient. A month or so ago the electronic temp controls went on the blitz. I called them at the number provided and got a friendly young woman (on the second ring) who asked me to unplug/plug to see if it would reset. It did not. She sent me a replacement proofer which arrived a day and a half later! All I had to do was put mine in the box that the new one came in, put the pre-pared label on the outside and UPS picked it up. Could not ask for better service!

A wonderful discovery with multi-talents!

This is a great product! Yes, it is mostly plastic, but this is 2017, not 1957, and plastic has come a long way since then. It is sturdy, fits together well, and does several tasks wonderfully. As a slow cooker/simmer-er (not sure about that last word) it is fantastic! Get the sauces, chili, beans up to a boil, and pop them in this and your worries are over. No sticking, no stirring, just perfectly cooked dishes! Much better than I could do on the stove stirring every couple of minutes. As a bread proofer, it is a piece of cake. Place some water in the pan, (Which by the way, does not have razor sharp edges. I suppose if you pushed hard enough and went really quick you could manage to cut yourself, but you could do that with a piece of paper too.), drop the rack on, set your bowl or pan of dough on it, close the lid, and watch it go. You get a nice even rise with the drafts kept out by the fairly thick sides and top, and the temperature nice and steady (checked that with the infrared gun). You don't need to cover the dough either, the water in the pan it moist. Although it was unplanned, the yogurt making function has been the most common usage hereabouts. The booklet that accompanies it has a very good recipe/instructions for using "store" bought yogurt for the starter, and it works very well. However, using the starter from Cultures for Health, I found that you get a better result if you follow their (CFH) directions (different times and temperatures). One lovely thing is that CFH recommends keeping the milk at 160~180F for 30 minutes for thicker yogurt. Easy-peasy with this device. Get the milk to 180F, and put it in the proofer on slow cook mode. Here is one discrepancy if found: with the slow cooker temperature set to 195F, the highest the milk would maintain was 171F. (Monitored this with a ThermoWorks ChefAlarm). It was still within the range, so no problemo. Another thing of which I am unaware of the cause, is that the temperature of the yogurt culture when put into jars and the placed in the proofer, rises, even though the temperature of the interior of the proofer remains fairly constant. (I chicken out and drop the setting on the machine to compensate. One day I'll get brave and let it go, it works for the store bought yogurt, so maybe it's okay.) This is a great versatile product that uses less power than the maximum listed (checked that with an ammeter/watt meter). I am really, really pleased with it!

I am very happy with this purchase

I have made bread several ways over the years, but not on a regular basis. I recently discovered "artisanbreadwithsteve" on YouTube. He demonstrates the "no-knead" method of making bread that proofs (rises) for 12-18 hours and a faster method he calls"Turbo." The dough is mixed briefly with the handle of a plastic mixing spoon, covered with plastic wrap, and sits on the counter to proof. The length of time it takes for the dough to double depends on how warm the mixture is to start with and how warm the room is. My house is around 63F during the cooler months and takes the dough a lot longer to proof than 12 hours. This where the Brod and Taylor Folding Proofing Box has helped me shorten proofing times and have more consistent results. Being able to adjust the temperature and hold a temperature can help speed up the process when I want. It has a water pan that makes a humid environment that is lacking in the Denver area. I also use this proofing box for sourdough starter when I take it out of the refrigerator and feed it. It takes about 4 hours at 75F to get it ready to use in a bread recipe. I am very happy with this purchase.

Love this

I can't really tell you how much I love this. I live in a rural location where it is cold in the winter and heat my home with a pellet stove. I could not find any place where I could get adequate warmth for yeast bread to rise adequately. I tried all the tricks. At last, with this proofer, I could rise yeast bread. No need to cover the bowl with the rising dough due to the water tray that provides humidity. You can make yogurt, temper chocolate and even use it as a slow cooker of sorts. Check out their website for recipes and information. [...] BTW, the temperature setting is for the dough or whatever is inside, NOT for the ambient temperature inside the proofer.

Folding Bread Proofer just took all the guesswork out of bread proofing!

For any serious bread maker (or yogurt or cheese maker), this is THE way to go. Yes, a bit pricey but worth every cent and more. Easy to set up and knock down. Thermostatic control on front is easily adjusted at any time. Comes with a pan that fits below rack if needed for humidity. No longer necessary to cover the dough during proofing. User can always see inside through "window" on top. Perfectly designed. Having used mine once for a perfectly controlled bread dough rising, I ordered a second so I could double up on my sourdough bread recipe. No longer the battle for the correct rising temp or trying to create correct humidity. HIGHLY recommended!

Great if you live in a cold climate!

I live in the pacific northwest and generally keep my house on the cool side as well. I have had many challenges with getting my doughs to rise due to the temperature in my house. We really do not have any spots warm enough and other old-fashion methods of proofing did not work well or reliably. It took me quite a long time to work up the courage to drop $148 on this proofer but I am so glad I finally made the jump! Since getting this proofer I have started enjoying making bread again. My results are always reliable, consistent and make my weekly baking so much easier. Over the holidays I lent the proofer to my mother so she could use it for her holiday baking. She too lives in a cold climate and keeps her house fairly cool. During the winter she was having a horrible time getting her doughs to rise properly. She made around 20 loaves of bread for Christmas gifts for her neighbors and said the task was much more enjoyable because of the proofer. She liked it so much I am going to get her one for mother's day.

Excellent Proofer

Over the years I have become sensitive to preservatives, so I have had to start baking my own breads, rolls, etc. I live in Florida with hot, humid weather and I was having a difficult time getting consistent results from the rise in my breads. I saw this proofer advertised in my Capper's magazine and thought I would see if Amazon offered it. I was pleased to see they did, but I was a little leary of the price and wondered if I should invest so much money in something that may not be useful. I have used it everyday since it arrived. I am extremely pleased with this proofer. I have made the most wonderful loaves of bread regardless of the weather outside or the temperature and humidity of my kitchen inside. I don't ever imagine making another loaf without this wonderful machine. I have had this proofer for a few months and I do not regret my purchase. It was well worth the money. I do, however, have a suggestion for the manufacturer and a note for anyone thinking of buying this proofer - it would help for the second rise if the proofer was longer to accomodate baguette pans, french bread pans, etc. I still have to proof these in my oven once the loaves are shaped.

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