There was a time when I’d bake every week but since moving out of my parents’ home a few years ago I can count on one hand how many times I’ve prepared a cake or other baked treat – but recently I’ve managed to up my game thanks to a pair of very useful kitchen gadgets.
Probably the main reason why I fell out of the baking habit was because I lacked not only the various accouterments I’d previously relied on, but also lacked the storage space to keep them in my new home.
When your apartment barely has enough countertop real estate for a microwave, kettle, toaster, and a chopping board it’s hard to justify a permanent spot for a stand mixer, and cupboard space is at a premium too so I can’t easily stow large appliances away either.
My eureka moment came when I discovered two appliances that have become my new baking heroes: the Brod & Taylor Folding Bread Proofer and Sourdough Home. They’ve helped reignite my love of baking, and introduced me to the world of bread making – and while I wouldn’t yet call myself a master, I’m confident enough in my abilities that I’m not planning on buying bread from a store any time soon.
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The proofer is the star of the show. It’s basically a heated box that you store prepared dough in for a while to prove before you bake it.
It’s not just a proofer, though. You can also use it as a slow cooker, to melt ingredients like chocolate or cheese, or to culture a homemade yoghurt, among other things, making it an impressively versatile gadget.
And – crucially for me – it can fold down almost completely flat when not in use, and assembling and disassembling it takes a minute at most.
This makes it much better than a typical boxy home bread maker, because when I’m not using it I can easily squeeze it into a cupboard, and at the weekend I don’t mind giving up some of my limited countertop space for the short time the proofer is doing its magic.
While it can pack down quite small, the assembled box isn’t too small to be useful. Its internal dimensions are 14.75 x 12.5 x 8 inches / 37.5 x 32 x 20cm, which is enough for two good-sized loaves.
At $249.99 / £189.99 it’s admittedly not the cheapest appliance, but if, as is the case me, you love to bake but kitchen space is at a premium, I can’t stress how useful I’ve found it – especially when you consider its multitasking abilities.
The other gadget is admittedly more indulgent: the Sourdough Home.
This mini mini fridge has two small shelves for smaller starters, or plenty of room with just a single shelf for Brod & Taylor’s Sourdough Starter Jar.
Calling it a fridge, however, is a little unfair as it while it can cool to 5॰C (41॰F) it can heat itself all the way up to 50॰C (122॰F). This means it can serve as a storage fridge during the week when I want my sourdough starter to lie dormant, and then it can be turned up to a toasty room temperature when I’m ready to activate my culture and bake with it.
I don’t have to worry about summer or winter temperature variations affecting my sourdough, and I don’t have to give up space in my actual fridge for my sourdough – which was a tad frustrating.
Though at $149 / £129.99 this appliance isn’t one I’d recommend if you’re just starting out – we’ve all been guilty of over investing in a new hobby out the gate. It is useful, and is small enough that I could squeeze it in next to my kettle just fine, but it isn’t the most essential baking tool in my belt.
Instead a regular sourdough starter storage jar and a dough whisk are much more sensible, albeit manual, tools I’d suggest you buy first for your bread making. Then grab the proofer and sourdough home when baking starts to take over your life like it has with me.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
