In this article I will show you how I proofed my sourdough using this heating mat.
While the mat was designed for heating seeds during the germination process, it works great for other low heat projects.
The mat can be purchased from Amazon for about $13.
The mat pulls about 18 Watts and should raise the ambient temperature about 20 degrees.
My bread making kitchen is in my basement and runs about 65 degrees. The 20 degrees should get me up near the 85 degrees I am looking for.
To test the concept, I placed a large bowl on the mat, and inserted a temperature sensor.
The sensor is connected a A PID controller so that I can monitor the temperature.
Note that the PID controller is not controlling the temperature of the mat, as it is plugged directly into an AC outlet.
I’m getting a temperature rise of about 27 degrees. This is a little more than the 85 degrees that I want, but I can work with it.
First Proof
I decide to use the bowls lid to act as an insulator to help lower the temperature slightly.
Flour is placed on the lid ...
... and the dough is added.
The bowl is placed on the lid and the proofing is started.
The dough will be proofed for 2 hours.
Time laps of the proofing.
Worked very well.
Second Proof
Unfortunately the bowl is not large enough to fit over the cast iron pan.
I will have to look for something else.
I found this old turkey roaster pan and it fit perfectly.
After 2 hours I checked the dough.
I got a little more rise than I was looking for. Probably because the cast iron is sitting directly on the heating mat. Next time I will add something to sit under the pan.
I got a good bake out of the bread, so the heating mat was a success.
Conclusion
I think I can tweak things a little to an even better second proof.
A video of the process.