Baking – Using a Plastic Bowl for Bread: Pros and Cons

baking

Is it ok to let bread rise in a plastic bowl? I got rid of my glass and metal bowls because they were too heavy for me to lift.

Best Answer

It's not just OK, it's preferable.

If you walk into the back in a commercial small bakery, you'll see that pretty much all of their doughs rise in plastic rising buckets. The first advantage of this is that such buckets have snap-on lids that eliminate the need to waste a lot of plastic wrap sealing in the dough. The second advantage for bakeries (but probably not for you) is that they can be stacked.

The third advantage I can only give you from experience (I can't find a reference): the dough rises faster. I believe this is because unlike metal, ceramic, or glass, the bowl does not conduct away the heat of the fermenting yeast. Presumably a dough basket (another option for you in the "easy to lift" department) would work just as well.