Your oven in "proofer" mode


Your oven in "proofer" mode
In the bakery, proofing is a crucial stage in the process of making light, plump breads and pastries.
During proofing, the yeast ferments the sugars present in the dough, releasing carbon dioxide which forms bubbles.
This process allows the dough to swell and aerate, guaranteeing a soft, light texture when baked.

To facilitate this stage, many kitchen electric ovens are now equipped with a function called "étuve" or "pousse", which offers a temperature of around 40°C (104°F).
On paper, this function looks ideal, but in reality it can cause problems.
9,482 5/5 (3 reviews)
Grade this page:
Keywords for this post:BreadViennoiseriesBakeryDoughOvenTemperatureYeast
Last modified on: September 27th 2024
For this post: Comment Follow Ask me a question Send to a friend
Your oven in "proofer" mode

Why is 40°C (104°F) often too hot for good growth?


While the idea of the proofer is appealing - to accelerate dough growth by maintaining a constant temperature - it is ill-suited to the needs of yeast-raised doughs.

pate levée

In bakery, the ideal temperature for proofing is between 25°C and 30°C. At this temperature, the yeast works efficiently, and the dough rises smoothly, without the risk of compromising its structure.

Unfortunately, the 40°C temperature commonly offered by oven proofer functions is too high.
It would appear that manufacturers have difficulty in maintaining very low temperatures (30°C) in their ovens.

At 40°C, the yeast can start to run out of steam, or even degrade, as it works much better in a milder temperature range, and this can affect the final texture of the dough, which will be less aerated.



pate a brioche poussée

But the problem doesn't stop there: for doughs containing butter, such as brioches, croissants or other viennoiseries, a temperature of 40°C can be downright embarrassing, as butter starts to melt at around 35°C. This means that at 40°C, the butter in the dough risks liquefying, compromising the flaky structure of your viennoiseries.

Instead of a homogeneous push, you could end up with a greasy dough that's difficult to handle, and a product that's ultimately less moist.



What to do?


verification température

First and foremost, check your oven's proofing temperature: Put a thermometer in your cold, switched-off oven, start it up in proofing mode, and read the temperature after 15 minutes.
You may be surprised by the reading. For example, I have a good 45°C in my oven, compared with the 35°C displayed by the oven!

If the measured temperature doesn't exceed 35°C, all's well, but if it's close to 30°C, it's just fine.
In these 2 cases, you can use your oven in proofer mode.

And if not, try one of the alternatives below.



What are the alternatives?


Here are a few simple solutions for creating an environment conducive to growth, without exceeding ideal temperatures:
  • Alternate operation: Once your oven's proofer is at the right temperature, place your dough pieces in the oven, then turn off the oven. Check the temperature regularly (every half-hour or so) and restart the oven for a few minutes to bring it back up.
  • Oven off with a bowl of water: Place a bowl of boiling water at the bottom of the oven when it's off. The steam slightly increases the temperature and humidity in the oven, creating the perfect environment for the dough to rise, usually around 30°C.
  • Warmest room in the house: If you don't feel like using your oven, find a lightly heated or sunny room (like near a window or in a kitchen with appliances running).
  • Turn your stopped oven into a mini-chamber by plugging in a small light bulb near your dough. See how to do this on this page.
  • Slow growth: For a slower rise, let your dough rise in the refrigerator at 5°C for several hours (typically overnight). This longer process develops more complex flavors and improves the texture of your bread and brioche doughs.

In summary: Although the proofer function of some electric ovens is a practical option for accelerating dough growth, it is not always suitable, particularly as the temperature is too high, around 40°C.
To avoid compromising the texture of your breads and pastries, it's best to opt for gentler methods, allowing for more controlled and successful rising.

Lasts posts
Oven height
Oven height
When we put a dish or cake in the oven, we naturally tend to put it on the middle shelf, and that's what we usually do. But in some cases, this position and height can be a little tricky, so let's find out why.
October 8th 20255205
The importance of sieving
The importance of sieving
In recipes that use a fine powder (flour, powdered sugar, etc.), you'll often see the advice to sift before using it. To sift is to pass the powder in question through a sieve (a very fine strainer) before incorporating it into your recipe. It's often advice, but is it really useful?
September 3rd 20256,5633
The grease spray
The grease spray
As soon as you have something in a recipe that sticks to the mold, the question always arises as to how difficult it is to remove from the mold. There's nothing more frustrating than breaking your cake when unmolding it, because part of it has stuck in the mold. The classic way to avoid this is...
August 26th 20255,9655
Cake moulds
Cake moulds
When we make a cake, or a cake of the same rectangular shape, we usually take out our usual mould and tell ourselves that the recipe is anyway "for a cake", but is it really that simple?
August 25th 20256,1635
Thinning out herbs
Thinning out herbs
If you need to add a long-stemmed herb (tarragon, mint, verbena, thyme, etc.) to a recipe, you'll probably only need the leaves and not the stem, so you'll need to remove the leaves. Leaf removal means keeping only the beautiful leaves, and eliminating the ugly stems and leaves, but how do you do...
August 8th 20254,3355

Other pages you may also like
The importance of sieving
The importance of sieving
In recipes that use a fine powder (flour, powdered sugar, etc.), you'll often see the advice to sift before using it. To sift is to pass the powder in question through a sieve (a very fine strainer) before incorporating it into your recipe. It's often advice, but is it really useful?
September 3rd 20256,5633
A few tips for effective kneading at home
A few tips for effective kneading at home
When you have to knead dough for bread or some other recipe, you may well use a food processor or the type of machine known as a stand mixer. The best-known brands are Kenwood and KitchenAid. They are useful tools, but here are a few tips to help you get the best out of them.
June 23th 2021282 K 23.7
Steam for baking bread
Steam for baking bread
What does steam have to do with bread-making? This is not only a bakers' secret, it is something you might not think of at all: if you make bread and bake it like a cake, you will end up with bread, but pale and with a thick, hard crust – a long way from the golden-brown crusty loaf you had in...
June 16th 2021145 K4.5
Wipe meats and fish before cooking
Wipe meats and fish before cooking
When you want to cook meat or fish, there's a very simple yet very important step to take before you even start: It's to dry, or wipe, each side of the meat or fish, sometimes called "dabbing" or "sponging". But why? And how? Let me explain.
April 14th 20248,4294.5
The (small) miracle of béchamel sauce
The (small) miracle of béchamel sauce
Making a béchamel sauce is going to confront you with a little miracle that happens every time: You pour milk over a roux, it's very liquid, you stir over a low heat, and then all of a sudden, miracle, the sauce sets, it thickens, you've got your béchamel. Let's see what happened.
August 27th 20248,2424
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing

Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page