Buzz
Baking your own bread is incredibly rewarding, but the lengthy process can be off-putting for some. It can take hours to prepare a loaf, largely due to the time-consuming proofing stage. While bakeries and certain home kitchens are equipped with proofing drawers to control temperature and speed up the process, most homes aren't. Thankfully, there's a simple workaround: instead of waiting overnight for your dough to rise, use a mug warmer to proof your dough.
Years ago, I began using an inexpensive mug warmer when I became obsessed with pour-over coffee. (In my highly caffeinated opinion, it's far superior to drip coffee.) The downside to making large batches of pour-over is that my glass carafe loses heat quickly. Enter the mug warmer. Its highest setting keeps the carafe at the perfect temperature, and it even has two lower settings for those who prefer lukewarm coffee. It worked wonders for me, and I never considered using it for anything else.
One day, while browsing Instagram, I came across a 'dough riser' that looked strangely similar to my mug warmer. Turns out, it essentially is the same thing. After years of painstakingly proofing bread in cold weather, the solution was right in front of me the whole time. This $20 device, which maintains a low temperature for hours, is perfect for proofing bread.
If you're not using your coffee warmer, you can repurpose it for proofing dough instead.
Seanxon coffee mug warmer
Four-temperature coffee mug warmer
Cafzed six-temperature coffee warmer
Setting up your own "proofing machine" is easier than you think.
Many of these compact brand mug warmers offer two or three temperature settings. Yeast grows best in the range of 80°F to 90°F, so it's ideal to stay close to that. Coffee warmers, even at their lowest heat setting, tend to be much hotter than that since 85°F coffee will feel cool compared to your 98°F mouth. I measured the lowest setting on my mug warmer with a surface thermometer, and it was 169°F. Bob’s Red Mill mentions that yeast begins to die around 120°F, and can’t survive at 140°F. So, even the low setting on my warmer is still too hot.
That said, I was able to work around it. I simply needed to soften the direct heat. While I could have used a towel or an oven mitt, I wanted something simpler and more consistent. I grabbed a small plate, which fit perfectly on the mug warmer and slightly raised it, providing some space. I let the plate heat up for about five minutes before checking its surface temperature, which read 88°F—just right.
If you don’t have an infrared thermometer to gauge the surface, you can always use your hand. After letting the plate heat up for a few minutes, press your finger to the center. It should feel pleasantly warm, like the sensation of freshly folded laundry. Yeast likes comfort just like we do. If it’s too hot for your finger, you may need a thicker plate, or perhaps a folded tea towel or pot holder to cushion the heat.
How it worked
To test if it would truly work, I decided to try it with two portions of dough. I made a basic white bread dough and divided it in half. Dough A went onto my 88°F plate-slightly dampened mug warmer, while Dough B was left on the countertop. The temperature of the countertop was 68°F.
After an hour, there wasn’t much change between the two, but after two hours (which is the usual proofing time in most recipes), the difference in yeast activity was significant. The lighting in the photo makes it a bit tricky to see, but if you look closely, you’ll notice that dough A had doubled in size, with bigger, more numerous bubbles underneath compared to dough B. I proceeded to shape dough A in preparation for baking, while dough B was left to keep proofing.
Bread recipes typically involve two rounds of proofing: the first one before shaping, and the second before baking. Although the mug warmer trick primarily assists with the initial proof, I believe it’s crucial to get this step right, as it’s the longest and most time-consuming phase where the yeast gains its strength. A successful first proof ensures that the yeast is active and thriving, making the second proof likely to be brief and smooth, typically around 45 minutes. However, I won't leave you without advice for your second proof. Since this phase usually coincides with oven preheating, your oven becomes a perfect proofing space. Just cover your dough with a clean tea towel and place it on top of your warm stove.
