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Proofing Dough and Dough Boxes Guide

What is a dough box? Essential for your Italian pizzeria or busy commercial bakery, dough boxes are useful and effective for keeping fresh dough at its finest. These multi-purpose boxes perform numerous functions for your business, including proofing dough so that your most popular breads and pizza crusts rise higher with an excellent texture, and keeping dough moist and fresh for days at a time.

What is Proofing and Why is it Important?

chef proofing yeast on a cutting board

Proofing is a natural process that occurs after the dough has been shaped. It is often referenced in recipes as the time to "allow the dough to rise." During this time, the volume of dough will increase.

How does a dough proofing box help this process? Dough boxes offer a sanitary and convenient place for your dough to cool, rest, and rise before baking. It helps control temperature and humidity and creates an ideal environment for the yeast to leaven the dough.

loaf of sliced bread

Proofing Boxes Support the Optimal Conditions of Dough Creation

  • Rising: During proofing, the yeast activates and gives off carbon dioxide gas, which is what creates small holes in the dough and eventually causes the dough to rise.
  • Complex flavors: As the yeast in the dough is allowed time to ferment, it will yield an end product with more complex flavors. Flavor is undoubtedly one factor that will make or break your chewy, crusty breads and pizza crusts.
  • Chewy texture: In order to create the chewy texture that's sought out in popular breads, yeast consumes the starches in the dough during the proofing process and leaves behind protein.

Dough Box Material

Now that you know more about proofing dough, you'll want to choose the right bakery proofing boxes for your business. Our pizza dough boxes are offered in a variety of materials, each with their own benefits. This comparison highlights the advantages of polypropylene, polycarbonate, and Teflon® co-polymer dough boxes.

Restaurant Equipment
  • 100% BPA free food contact surface
  • Great for temperatures between -10 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Chemical resistant
  • Dishwasher safe
Restaurant Equipment
  • Durable, shatter-proof construction that holds its shape
  • Great for temperatures between -40 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Resists acids and oils
  • Dishwasher safe
Restaurant Equipment
  • Lightweight and impact-resistant
  • Great for temperatures between -4 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Dishwasher safe
Restaurant Equipment
  • Heavy-duty construction that can stand up to long-term heavy use
  • No pre-soaking required before washing
  • Non-stick and dishwasher safe
Restaurant Equipment
  • Self-stacking design
  • Refrigerates quickly
  • Heavy duty
Restaurant Equipment
  • Stain- and moisture-resistant 
  • Durable and easy to clean
  • Dishwasher safe

Accessories

Once you've selected the best dough or bakery proofing boxes for your business, it's time to think about accessories you'll need to maximize efficiency. For example, if you have a high-volume pizza shop, you may need to transport multiple dough boxes at once with a dolly. Our selection of lids, dollies, and dough proofing cloths will help your dough prepping process run as smoothly as possible.

Restaurant Equipment

It is recommended to purchase lids for each proofing box. Lids provide a tight seal and help to keep the dough fresh longer by guaranteeing proper proofing and dough moisture levels in the box. Save time preparing dough for a few days at a time and storing the excess in your lidded box. Additionally, stacking dough boxes on top of each other with lids minimizes storage space in your kitchen.

Restaurant Equipment

A bustling pizzeria or bakery will need to have multiple types of dough ready at any given time for hungry customers. With high demands like these, it may be in your best interest to purchase multiple dough boxes. Designed to help preserve space and save transportation time, these dollies are able to withstand large amounts of weight up to 300lbs.

Restaurant Equipment

These cloths are a great way to protect your dough during the proofing process. Proofing cloths trap moisture closer to the food to make crusts get softer and chewier than if they were left uncovered, and absorb any additional moisture to prevent your breads and rolls from becoming soggy.

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