Yes, they are two different instruments. Dough thermometer (meter) measures temperature and humidity. Oven thermometers (gauges) only measure temperature. If you are making bread, you will need a dough thermometer (meter).

Making bread requires two fermentations, and we will always see requirements for the conditions for the two fermentations in the recipe. The first fermentation generally requires a temperature of 28-32°C, which is easy to handle. Usually fermentation is done at room temperature. Even if the temperature is not reached, it can be solved by extending the fermentation time. Moreover, the dough is not shaped at this time and can be directly covered with plastic wrap. Or covering the dough with a damp cloth will create enough humidity.

The second fermentation is difficult to handle. Generally, the temperature is required to be above 35℃ and the humidity is above 80%. If you don’t have a professional fermentation box at home, what should you do to achieve such conditions? Since you can't use professional tools, use some alternative methods. Although they are not accurate enough, they are very effective.

During the second fermentation, the dough has generally been shaped and placed on the baking sheet. At this time, place the baking sheet in the middle or upper rack of the oven, put a plate of hot water on the bottom of the oven, and close the oven door. The oven has a certain sealing effect, and the hot water plate at the bottom will continue to emit water vapor, creating sufficient temperature and humidity inside the oven.

A few points to note are:

1. The temperature and humidity meter is a good helper. Put it into the oven together, and you can use it to know in time whether the temperature and humidity in the oven meet the requirements, and flexibly adjust the temperature and amount of hot water we put in.

2. If your oven has a low-temperature fermentation function, you can use this function to maintain a constant temperature in the oven. If not, you may need to replace the hot water in the oven with a new pan when it cools.

3. This is a fermentation method suitable for home use. Because of this, it cannot control the accurate temperature and humidity like a professional fermentation box. We only need to ensure that the temperature and humidity are within a rough range. We do not need to require that it must be able to accurately meet the requirements of the formula.