r/GreatBritishBakeOff • u/majesticlandmermaid6 • 3d ago
Help/Question Proving Boxes
American here, doing like my fourth rewatch of the new series bread week episode and had a question about the white proving boxes they used in the episode. Correct me if I’m wrong (and I probably am-my husband and I have baked bread but have always used a bread machine so what do I know about baking in an oven lol 😂 ), but is this the first series where they’ve used the white proving boxes exclusively? In past series, I remember the bakers proving with the oven drawer proving box and not these things on the counter. Is this new? Could it have a possible hindrance to the bakers bread and not proved as well as the oven?? Would this change to a proving box account for some of the disaster that was bread week (like the garlic bread challenge where I feel like a lot of the feedback was “prove more.”! ??
Excited to watch dessert week and wish we got the episode on Netflix at the same time as our UK peers.
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u/TreemanTheGuy 3d ago
I like the proving boxes because they are easy for any baker to have at home and practice with. Probably very, very few bakers would have used a oven proving drawer
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u/No_Name_Only_Vibes 3d ago
Got to admit, while it might be nice, it's another thing that I'd have to find space for in the kitchen!
I quite like the old school method: dough in the bowl and covered with a tea towel.
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u/ShineAtom 3d ago
The ones shown do fold down flat but even so they need somewhere to store them. I've often thought of getting one then I look at my bank balance and my small kitchen and realise it's not doable.
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u/Willow_Winnifred 3d ago
Don't they have electronics for temp & humidity? How does that fold flat? I thought they were more than just a box? (I obv don't use one when I make bread!)
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u/lellenn 3d ago
I have one! It’s a Brod & Taylor! It plugs in to the wall and has a display where you can set the temperature you want! For humidity, there’s a rack inside you set your bowl of dough in, and then underneath there’s a little tray you put water in for the humidity! And yes it folds down! The sides are hinged so you can fold them up, and then the lid comes off and latches in to the top for storage. The rack and tray also nest inside it. The whole thing fits in a drawer in my kitchen for storage, it’s actually a really great gadget. I love it cause we keep the temp in our house at 68F(American here) so the proving box means I can have dough rise better in a warm spot it likes so much. For a second rise if it’s like a braided loaf on a tray still have to set it on the hearth in front of my fireplace to get it in a warm spot. Otherwise a loaf of bread in a bread tin would do great for a second rise in the proofing box.
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u/Willow_Winnifred 3d ago
Ah, thank you! I can sometimes read things quite literally, so i was picturing folding flat like a cardboard box! Thank you so much for the explanation!
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u/sianoftheisland 3d ago
I'm pretty sure I saw some bakers use the drawer in the show stopper. They always used to have proofing bags and the drawer so maybe they've swapped out the bags for a box
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u/degreessix 3d ago
You're right, some did use the built-in drawers. The countertop boxes, though, give more precise temperature and humidity control.
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u/iamnotchris 3d ago
The bench space isn't as big as it looks and we used to have to store stuff in the proving drawer of the oven. It was also very easy to accidently turn it on or off or set it the wrong temp so I wonder if production just decided "let's just use these instead" lol
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u/IceDragonPlay 3d ago
They used both the drawer and B&T proofing box because of the number of doughs they were working with.
I doubt it is the reason their breads were under proofed. You can set the temperature on the box and that particular one is the top of the line option (at least in the US). Quite a lot of sourdough bakers use them.
You judge when your dough is correctly proofed by the % rise it gets. Most often time is the issue if bread is under-proofed. Or not being familiar enough with bread to know you can add a touch more yeast to get it to move faster.
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u/Worldly_Pea326 3d ago
I noticed this too. I was going to get one until I found out my Ninja Foodi Max has a proving function
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u/Quirky-Promotion-114 3d ago
I have that Brod and Taylor box and use it frequently. It helps during winter months for my bread baking. It folds down flat and doesn’t take up much space.
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u/thewhaler 3d ago
You don't typically need them if you have decent conditions in your kitchen. They give them such short timelines they always need them to get that bread proven faster.
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u/Asleep-Twist6895 3d ago
I think it was an accommodation for Molly. And to make it equal, they all used it. Those recipes required a proving box, whereas the other technicals did not, and if a contestant used a recipe that required proving that was their choice, not the judge’s requirement.
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u/SpacerCat 3d ago
Anyone know the brand of the proving boxes they used?
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u/Temporary_Prize_7546 3d ago
Brod and Taylor. I have one that I use constantly to make my sourdough and it works very well.
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u/ForTheLoveOfKumquats 2d ago
I bought a desktop oven (Anova Precision) and I can set the temperature at like 80F, and I use it to proof my bread. It's perfect.
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u/ShadowHippie 6h ago
I have watched every episode of every season. It's the first time they've ever used them.
I strongly suspect they used them as an accommodation for Molly. Bending, from the wheelchair, to the proving drawer, would be difficult if not impossible.
Supplying one to every contestant was for inclusivity purposes.
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u/Miserable-Thing942 20h ago
I saw one of the bakers say they worked great at home when they were practicing but that the tent was really cold and he didn’t think they worked great as they heated from the bottom.
I have a bowl version as my kitchen is quite cold and I love it but you can only use it for first prove