DIY Proofer--Sort Of

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

mneeley490

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Jun 23, 2011
3,763
2,226
Everett, WA
Wasn't sure if this should go here, or under the "Equipment" column. Anyhoo...
Ok, this is actually a sausage fermenting chamber that I MacGyver'd a few years ago. It's been sitting idle, since I haven't made any sausage or salami for a while. (Hmmm. Should probably get around to making that summer sausage one of these days.)
I've put this on here before; it is a non-working wine cooler that I inserted a small electric, reptile warming pad, wired to an analog Johnson Controls unit. Sort of a low-tech PID. It brings the temp up to about the mid 70's inside. I was making a poolish for some (hopefully) rustic bread tomorrow, and thinking about where best to place it. Then the 15w. lightbulb went on over my head, and I decided to give the fermenter a try. We'll see how it turns out. The green bowl at the top is full of rice, to control the humidity, and the reptile pad is on the bottom, covered by foil. That was so any sweating salami wouldn't get moisture on it.
20210724_225224.jpg


Bowl of poolish.
20210724_225230.jpg


The big number is the humidity; the smaller one below is the temperature of the chamber. Since it's in my basement, it was 63° when I first put it in. So I think this should work, in theory.
20210724_225331.jpg
 
Last edited:
The proof this morning. Guess it worked, it tripled in size.
20210725_093954.jpg
 
Could be just the way the pic was taken but does your poolish have a skin on it?

You really dont need the humidity, just use a solid cover on your poolish as it 100% hydration. Temp looks good if thats the lowest you can get.
 
No, there was no skin on it. It's just the pic. That little drab on top was what I scraped off the towel. It had risen high enough to touch it.
I had a banneton delivered via Amazon early Sunday morning. Then found out it needed seasoning (like a smoker), so I didn't get a chance to use it. Next time!
 
Last edited:
Came out pretty good. I used a slightly larger cast iron dutch oven, so it was a little flatter than ones I've made in the past. The young poolish gives it more of a yeasty flavor, I think, as opposed to a sourdough.
20210725_174043.jpg
20210725_181039.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: BGKYSmoker
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
Clicky