http://members.cox.net/hebertcooking/proofing_box.htm

the truth is you really dont need a proof box unless you are producing
professional yeilds of products. If you can keep your enviorment from 70-90
degrees your dough should proof perfect seeing yeast ferments best at this temp
(optimal is 80) for smaller batches you could simply find a spot near your
oven, and after you have scaled, mixed, let it ferment in mixing bowl once.
pounched the dough down, portion it, round it, let it bench then shape into the
style of bread or roll you like, turn your oven on and prop the door open. the
heat will come out of the oven and make the spots closer to it the perfect
proofing temp. this way your oven is already heated to the temp you want to
bake at because the faster it can go from proofing to baking the better. to
obtain the moisture you usually get out of the proof box and to keep your dough
from drying out you can use a very light weith cloth that is barely damp( dont
want soggy bread) and drape it over the rolls. this may take longer when your
proofing tough lean doughs with alot of gluten in them but will save you from
haveing to fork up the extra cash to buy a professionally made proof box. ps. i
like your solution to the problem also, very creative

its not that it will be the right temperture it will be closer to the temp.
once you shut the oven door it will come up to temp very shortly, i just used
that as a suggestion because alot of people proof in there oven with the heat
off and use the heat from the pilot light in the stove(if its a gas stove) for
the heat sorce

I use my microwave oven, which I "preheat" by boiling a cup of water
for a minute or so in a microwave-safe bowl. I leave the bowl of
water in the microwave, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and leave
the dough in the warm and moist oven. Works very well!

(Mk3217) wrote in message >...
> the truth is you really dont need a proof box unless you are producing
> professional yeilds of products. If you can keep your enviorment from 70-90
> degrees your dough should proof perfect seeing yeast ferments best at this temp
> (optimal is 80) for smaller batches you could simply find a spot near your
> oven, and after you have scaled, mixed, let it ferment in mixing bowl once.
> pounched the dough down, portion it, round it, let it bench then shape into the
> style of bread or roll you like, turn your oven on and prop the door open. the
> heat will come out of the oven and make the spots closer to it the perfect
> proofing temp. this way your oven is already heated to the temp you want to
> bake at because the faster it can go from proofing to baking the better. to
> obtain the moisture you usually get out of the proof box and to keep your dough
> from drying out you can use a very light weith cloth that is barely damp( dont
> want soggy bread) and drape it over the rolls. this may take longer when your
> proofing tough lean doughs with alot of gluten in them but will save you from
> haveing to fork up the extra cash to buy a professionally made proof box. ps. i
> like your solution to the problem also, very creative