Reddit mentions of DoughMate Artisan Dough Tray Kit

DOPNYC's Guide to Proofing Containers

For The Beginner

As a beginning pizzamaker, being able to see the underside of the dough is invaluable.

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=21449.msg216567#msg216567

Posting photos of the underside of the dough hasn't become much of a trend here on Reddit, but I'm hoping that it will become more common, because it's a great way for beginners to troubleshoot balling and proofing issues.

Before we jump into my recommendations, let me share some traits of a good proofing container

1. Wide- the wider the better, because the wider your container, the less contact the dough will have the sides, which will give you a prettier rim/less pitting. Those quart soup containers that you get from the restaurants? No.
   
2. Shallow-ish. As you get into pizza, you're going to want to entertain, that means multiple dough balls, and, if you're going to fit them in the fridge, you want to be able to stack them. 2.5 inches is typically tall enough, although if your container is especially wide, you might be able to go smaller than that.
   
3. Round. Square containers make square doughs, and, when you go and stretch them, they fight to form square pizzas. The only exception to this would be a square or rectangular container that's wide enough so that the dough never touches- it would have to be very wide, though.
   
4. Clear. Obviously.
   
5. Smooth- any kind of ridge on the bottom or the side of the container will have a tendency to grip the dough and make the container harder to wash. A little bump is not the end of the world.
   
6. Almost air tight. Dough releases a miniscule quantity of gas as it ferments. If your container is air tight, eventually the pressure will build, the lid will pop, and your dough will dry out. Dried out dough is very bad and will split when you go and stretch it.
   
7. Plastic. Plastic is a little better than glass, since, assuming it's lightweight, it will allow the dough to be more responsive to temperature changes- changes going into the fridge and coming out.
   With this in mind, here are some clear, and some clear-ish options.
   
   A wide glass bowl with plastic wrap
   
   As long as the bowl is clear, and has the right proportions, this may be the least expensive option of all, because you might already have a glass bowl lying around. The plastic wrap is not ideal, though, because, as I mentioned before, your container can't be airtight, so you don't want the wrap to pop from the pressure. The normal procedure for plastic containers is to take a pin and prick an extremely small hole in the top. This isn't as easy to do with plastic wrap, as the hole in the wrap tends to want to open further as the wrap is stretched.
   
   https://www.walmart.com/ip/Glad-Food-Storage-Containers-Big-Bowl-48-oz-2-ct/24689293
   
   The bottom on these is textured, but you should still be able to see what's going on with your dough. The big downside to these is the size. If you're making about a 12" pizza or less, great, if not, I'd go with something else.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-6017397-Simply-Store-Storage/dp/B000LOWN3C
   
   Still a little small- maybe good for up to 15" pies, but no bigger. Glass is not ideal, but, if worse comes to worse, you can just leave your dough out longer to warm up.
   
   https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rubbermaid-TakeAlongs-15-7-Cups-Serving-Bowls-2-count/17331745
   
   Way too tall, but readily available an not that expensive. The bottoms have a similar cloudiness to the Glad containers above. Not ideal, but should still allow you to see what's going on.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Plastic-Storage-Container-1777163/dp/B016QQ2JUK/
   
   Remember what I said about rectangular containers being okay as long as they are wide enough? These are 16.6 x 11.3 x 3.5 inches. 11.3 should be sufficient for up to about 15", but larger dough balls might start creeping up the sides.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Tupperware-Round-Cupcake-Keeper-12-Inch/dp/B00GS8AD0K/
   
   At a little less than 12" wide and 2.75" high, and a perfectly clear and almost perfectly smooth base, this could be, imo, the rolls royce of beginning proofing containers. But it's also a whopping 22 bucks. If you go this route, you might get only one, and then go cheaper with the other ones.
   
   Look Around for Something Else
   
   I've devoted maybe four hours, total, looking for proofing containers online and in stores. There's obviously more out there. I've given you the specs to look for. As you go into your supermarkets or dollar stores, take a look at their disposable plastic containers and see if anything fits the bill.
   
   For the Intermediate and Advanced Pizzamaker
   
   Okay, you've made enough pizza to no longer need to examine the bottom of your proofing/proofed dough and it's now time to take the training wheels off. Here are those options.
   
   https://www.bakedeco.com/a/plastic-dough-pan-s-12232.htm
   
   https://www.bakedeco.com/a/lid-for-plastic-pizz-23564.htm
   
   These are what I presently use. I was able to find them locally at a distributor. They work very well. If they could make a clear plastic version of these, and maybe make them 20% larger (17" doughs are a tight fit), then they'd be, imo, the perfect proofing pan for everyone- beginners to advanced.
   
   https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-18-x-26-x-3-dough-proofing-box/40714021.html
   
   These are the industry standard dough proofing box. When you get this large, there's are logistics you have to consider due to the size involved. You can't, say, take 8 boxes, stack them, and put them in the fridge, because they will insulate the other boxes and take a long time to chill. Pizzerias will fill these with dough balls, cross stack them so that the dough is exposed, and then place them in the walk in until they are chilled.
   
   These come in different gauges and can vary in quality from brand to brand. Check the reviews to make sure you're getting a quality box that will last you a long time. NEVER use a metal utensil for removing your dough, as the metal will scratch the plastic.
   
   I measured one brand of these in person, and it came to 27.5". My refrigerator opening is 27" wide. If you go this route, make sure you have a refrigerator that can accommodate them.
   
   Remember what I said about square proofing containers? Well, these are obviously very large, but you should be careful about having your dough balls touching, since encroaching balls will create a square edge. For Neapolitan, this is pretty common, but, for NY, you want to try and keep the dough ball round. This will limit the number of dough balls you can fit in these, but, you can still use these for NY.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/DoughMate-Artisan-Dough-Tray-Kit/dp/B00449IEM4
   
   These are the smaller version of the tray above. If you're doing Neapolitan, and are comfortable with square-ish pizza, then these might hold more than a couple dough balls, but, for NY, with that 11" width, I'd only use them for one ball. Considering the price, that, imo, rules them out.
   
   https://www.bakedeco.com/a/dough-retarding-proo-1491.htm
   
   In NY, these are pretty much standard. These will stack nicely with the plastic ones above, and they're a little bit deeper than the plastic ones, allowing for slightly bigger dough balls- such as 18" skins. I've not seen this tested, but longer fermentation generates acid in dough, which may react with the aluminum, so, for this reason, I tend to gravitate towards plastic. But this is probably a little overly paranoid, so if you feel comfortable using these for multi-day ferments, go for it.
   
   https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=14506.msg320560#msg320560
   
   http://www.pmq.com/May-June-2004/Whats-With-the-WoodDough-Boxes/
   
   This is super advanced pizza making. Wood proofing boxes (or wood liners for plastic boxes). The wood will naturally draw moisture from the surface of the bottom of the dough giving you a crispier crust. If you're running a professional operation, expect the health inspector to have a fit. The two links that I've provided are both dated and may provide inaccurate info. If you go this route, do a LOT more homework- AND report back here! :D
   
   ...
   
   A final note... These containers are constantly changing. The disposable containers are always being redesigned- usually for the worse, and the companies offering these types of containers rise and fall. 15 years ago, the plastic dough proofing pans that I use didn't exist. Where I am getting at? This list is liable to change- and most likely sooner rather than later. If, on your travels, you come across a viable option, please, drop me a PM. Thanks.

I use these..

https://www.amazon.com/DoughMate-Artisan-Dough-Tray-Kit/dp/B00449IEM4

Also went for the 3rd tray to accommodate when i make a lot of dough. Each tray will hold 6 200g dough balls with plenty of space, you can pack them in denser if you have to.

Anyone use or recommend a specialty proofing container? I may just need to use better plastic wrap that actually clings better, but I was wondering if anyone used containers like this or had any other recommendations on how they proof their dough in a refrigerator.

Love me some BBQ chicken pizza. Same here! We can't go back to delivery or frozen pizza unless we are in a dough jam.

These are what we have: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00449IEM4/

They are a bit pricey but definitely worth it. We can fit 12 dough balls comfortably in them, 6 in each. They stack and prevent any air from getting in and they come with a dough scraper. Just be sure to measure your fridge to make sure they will fit!

6 balls around 270g each. After the 12 hour initial, bulk rise - I use this container, lightly oiled - it also makes a great cover for the intervening "stretch and fold" rest/knead periods:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005INDQSC/ref=s9_dcacsd_dcoop_bw_c_x_1_w


I pour it out and, using a dough knife, eyeball it into 6 pieces, trimming and weighing to get them all close. I then shape them into really tight balls using Alton Brown's method (just ignore everything else he says about pizza), i.e., gently rolling them along a flat surface until a nice, smooth skin forms.

The balls then go into a floured proofing tray (I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/DoughMate-Artisan-Dough-Tray-Kit/dp/B00449IEM4/ref=lp_8066596011_1_1?srs=8066596011&ie=UTF8&qid=1537597372&sr=8-1) for UP TO another 12 hours. You can stretch this time period for days, probably. Just pop the whole tray into the fridge.

Recipe from u/dopnyc: https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,27591.msg279664.html

Sauce: Tomato La Fiammante, San Marzano DOP. Oregano, Salt, Olive Oil

Flour: King Arthur Bread flour

Cheese: Low moisture mozzarella from Traders Joe

I ordered an aluminum slap, but unfortunately it didn't arrive on time for this weekend, so I used my regular pizza stone. Next weekend then.

I've recently been having problems with my dough. This makes it hard to shape it the way I would want and get it more round and even. I proof it for two days - after day 1 it looked good, approx tripled in size. After day 2 it started getting flatter, and when I took it out of the fridge to warm up before cooking, it flattened even more. I tried both 61% and 59% water version of the recipe, and both had the same effect. So I'm still having difficulties in understanding why this happens. I'm thinking it might have to do with the proofing container, because before using this one, I'd just wrap an oven tray with the dough inside and never had the issue. This is the container I use now https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.amazon.com/DoughMate-Artisan-Dough-Tray-Kit/dp/B00449IEM4&ved=2ahUKEwiPzOK1hNHgAhVN-qwKHRVaAGgQFjAAegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw3u_LYyblY3ggHP3KLBqsNt

I have however switched the flour type and recipe since then, so this is by no means fully controlled.

I'm still really happy with the taste of the pizza, and so is my family which is the most important thing. I'll keep trying to improve every week.

And just to be clear, don't wrap the dough balls (they may not be able to expand as needed). Put the dough balls on a plate or baking sheet or something similar and then wrap that. If you wanna get real pro with your dough making, you'll wanna get something like this: https://www.amazon.com/DoughMate-Artisan-Dough-Tray-Kit/dp/B00449IEM4/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1525284555&sr=1-1&keywords=dough+proofing+tray
(could likely be found cheaper at a restaurant supply store).

Just bought this: DoughMate Artisan Dough Tray Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00449IEM4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Tn0MDbVY7CN85

Tried buying restaurant official gear but realized I needed to own a restaurant to buy it. I actually do recommend these for proofing at home. They fit in the fridge and my cabinets and does the job like restaurant equipment the same.