"Kenneth" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 09 Jan 2006 14:43:47 GMT, "Vox Humana"
> > wrote:
>
> >
> >"hutchndi" > wrote in message
> roups.com...
> >> Hello, I have a question for anyone that might have an electric
> >> Jennair oven with the bread proofing option. I just checked mine with
> >> an instant read thermometer, I had it on the standard proof setting
> >> (which is the lower of the two) and I got a reading of 110 degrees.
> >> With the sourdough breads I make, I like to do a bulk proof of around
> >> 75 to 80, so this is really high. Would anyone know of a way to get
> >> this oven to have a lower proofing temp ?
> >>
> >> thanks, hutchndi
> >>
> >
> >I would just put a container of boiling water in the oven with the dough
and
> >not turn on the oven. The only reason to elevate the temperature for
> >fermentation is to speed the process. With sourdough, I would think that
> >the object would be to retard the fermentation as much as possible with
> >temperatures below 70F. This would allow the bacterial fermentation to
have
> >preference over the yeast fermentation.
> >
>
> Howdy,
>
> The maximum growth rate of the lactobacilli is at about 90F
> and for the yeasts is at about 82F, so you may have
> something off in your last sentence above.
>
> All the best,

That is probably true but the growth rate may be not be directly
proportional to the rate of temperature change. Therefore, at a reduced
temperature, the bacteria may metabolize faster than yeast at lower
temperatures. That is the conventional wisdom.