| Despite its looks, the doughtrey or "dough tray" was essentially a cupboard. A housewife would prepare her bread and pie dough on a table, and then she would lift the lid of the doughtrey and place the dough inside it to rise. Therefore, the piece of furniture functioned similar to a cupboard. The doughtrey developed from the dough bowl, which was simply a wooden bowl into which the dough would be placed, and then be covered by a cloth. |
| The image below shows the dovetail mortise and tenon joint used in the construction of the dough tray. |
