If you’re a bread maker who watches GBBO..

[BertrandRussell]

..do you ever wonder how they get their dough to prove so quickly?

I like a slow prove anyway- overnight if possible - but I do wonder how they do it.

more yeast (and fast action yeast) and warmer proof.

I prefer live yeast and a slower proof as well. preferably with a starter/sponge that takes 8 hours.

I sometimes hear the times they get and think wtf that can never work.

I heard an interview with Sandi Toksvig and she said that they test all the recipes in identical conditions, so it is possible. (Oh, and the -g in her name should be silent) But my bread never rises that quickly- even when I’m not leaving it overnight.

They have those proving drawers set at ideal temps. How many of those do you see in a conventional kitchen?

I make pizza dough and leave it to prove all day . (We do a Traditional pizza on Boxing Day , I set up the dough in the mixer first thing)

But , years ago, I used to put the dough in a Pyrex bowl (covered with oiled film) in the dishwasher just after a cycle .
So it was warm, humidity , clean and safe from the cat .
Proved really quickly .

On junior bake off they make the dough the night before- but they shorter time than the adults.

If you use warm water (at about 30 c, so warm not hot or it kills the yeast) rather than cold tap water it makes a big difference - that way your dough starts out warm rather than cold. I've done it that way in their sorts of timings when I'm making bread in a rush, as long as your kitchen isn't freezing the warm water is enough, you don't need a proving drawer.

I don't have a proving drawer but my oven has a defrost setting which gets it to about the right temperature so that would be another option. Like previous posters I normally use less yeast and more time though.

Dough usually takes ages to prove in my house but last weekend we made focaccia and the dough rose really quickly. Couldn’t believe it. I’d just washed the bowl up so it was still warm and started a new packet of yeast. Maybe that helped...

I’d love a proving drawer in my next kitchen.

I had a recipe for 45 minute burger buns. It used loads of yeast! Yes, it worked in 45 minutes but wasn't really pleasant.

I much prefer my sourdough from a starter but it takes forever and a day. I suppose needs must when it comes to such a popular show.

😮
How do you pronounce Toksvig without the g?
Toksvi? Sandi Toksvee?

@Kitkatfordinner I was just thinking the same thing! Trying different ways out in my head. Still don't know.

I prefer a slow proven bread, much more flavour. I've even done some overnight in the fridge (take it out the next day to prove in the warm).

I thought I had finally got the bread making knack, but my loaves keep spreading out instead of puffing up on their final prebake prove. I like a wet dough so its softer, but a quick google says I am prob not shaping mine into a tight enough ball. I've got another loaf on, so shall see later.

She said it sort of Toksvei - with a very soft Scanadnavian sounding lilt on the ei.

@longtompot - have you tried using a proving basket? I like a very soft dough and I’ve found using a basket helps a lot with the shaping.

I would love to prove bread overnight but I worry of over proving. I don't know if this is a real thing or something I've misunderstood from ancient bake off episodes.

You can overprove, so put it in the fridge. I prove pizza dough in the fridge during the day because I’m an early riser. Make it first thing-chuck it in the fridge til the evening.

gaggia you could also make a sponge.
1cup of flour (about 100g) and 1cup water. add a quarter of a teaspoon dried life yeast (or a teeny amount fresh yeast) and leave for a few hours.
I do that in the morning and the mix is ready to add to the other ingredients in the evening to bake

@BertrandRussell I haven't but its been requested for Christmas, so fingers crossed.

My new Hotpoint oven has a prove setting which I tried for the first time yesterday. Really good actually but then the whole oven is baffling to me. You put the bread in a cold oven, select the bread setting and it cooks without any input from me at all, turning itself off when it deems the loaf baked.
I have no idea how this works at all (works for cakes too) but it fascinates me.

in my old oven I put the dough in cold to bake. made for a thinner crust. worked very well

Great advice here thank you!

I've just put a loaf in the oven so took pictures. (Sad)
This is how its prooved in the hotpoint oven on proove setting. 1 hour, knock out the dough and back in for an hour produces this. Now it's in the oven dealing with itself. The auto timer tells me its going to be 55 minutes. I have no clue how it knows. Presume witchcraft

I will add I'm extremely new to this, in fact pictured is yesterdays loaf which is the first I have ever made. Just had some toast with Lime marmalade and have to say it tasted amazing.

That’s a fantastic loaf- Paul Hollywood himself couldn’t fault it!

This is my latest....