Susan Newman wrote about using an oiled mixing bowl instead of a coiled
basket for proving bread doughs. I have successfully used large and small
mixing bowls for proving breads prior to baking but the bowl must be oiled
AND floured for this to work. Just pour a little oil into the bowl and use
a brush to coat the inside of the bowl in oil. Then add a tablespoonful
(approx) of white flour to the bowl and tip the bowl about so that the
flour sticks to the oil and forms an even coating on the inside of the bowl
( if you've ever baked sponge cakes you will be familiar with buttering and
flouring the tins). Lightly flour the top (i.e. what will become the top
when the loaf is turned out to bake) of the loaf and settle the dough in
the bowl floured side down to prove. The proved bread will turn out onto a
baking sheet or stone very easily since the oil and flour combine to form a
release agent. Of course you won't get the rustic pattern of a coiled
basket from a smooth mixing bowl.
John Wright
Yorkshire, England