Since I learned I could bake a loaf of bread for just $0.40, on average, I've been experimenting with any recipe I can find. And since I'm new at this, I've scoured the Internet for any advice that's out there. There's a lot. Everyone, it seems, has their must-do way to bake a loaf of bread.
Despite the fact that my poor little loaves are tragically short and I have a long way to go, baby, here's a list of what's worked for me, and what I've learned from my mistakes, with bread baking.
- Know your yeast There's a difference between quick-rise and dry active yeast. Not that I've ever confused the two. Just make sure you read the recipe carefully, not that I ever haven't, and be sure to get the right one, I've heard.
- Proof your yeast There's a standard process with making yeast dough, typically starting with incorporating the yeast into the flour. There are two ways to go about this: either add the yeast directly to the flour and then add your warm liquids, or proof your yeast first by dissolving it in warm water and letting it activate for five or so minutes. No matter what the recipe says, I always proof the yeast before adding it to the rest of the dough; I've just had better results.
- No salt allowed As a rule, no matter what the recipe says, I don't let the yeast touch salt before it's touched warm water. Salt kills yeast and if the yeast is dead, so's your bread.
- Add a little sugar Yeast feeds on sugar and flour to produce carbon dioxide that makes your bread rise. [Insert yeast flatulence joke here]. During the proofing step, sprinkle sugar in with the yeast and warm water.
- The temperature matters When you proof your yeast, you want to be sure the temperature of the warm water is somewhere between 105 and 115 degrees. Too hot, you'll kill your yeast; too cold, it won't activate. An instant-read thermometer is best for this step, but I don't own one so running my hand under the tap until it feels right is my current method. Probably if I followed my own advice, I'd have taller bread. Eh, whatever.
- The less flour, the better The best dough is dough that's too moist to handle, which is why so many swear by no-knead dough mixed in a food processor. Even if you don't have a food processor, adapt to this by adding less flour than the recipe calls for (i.e. if they say to knead in 1 cup of flour, try to get away with only adding a 1/2 cup).
- Knead for texture, not time When kneading your dough, make your goal texture instead of time. Many recipes call for kneading for five, ten, twenty minutes or more, but you're not done kneading until your dough is smooth and stretches without breaking. Essentially, kneading your dough develops the gluten and impacts the final texture of your bread.
- Rise in a warm place Typically, you will need to let your bread dough rise twice before baking. The rise times vary from recipe to recipe, and can also be influenced by what kind of flour you use. Always let your dough rise in a warm place. I will pre-heat my oven to 200 degrees before I start assembling my dough, and then turn it off after five or ten minutes. You want the oven warm but cool enough you can comfortably rest your hand on the inside of the oven wall.
- Flour type makes a difference If using whole wheat flour, you will end up with a denser loaf. It has something to do with the length of the gluten in whole wheat flours versus all-purpose flours. To accommodate for this difference, and to bake a fluffier loaf, I increase the yeast amount. This may negatively impact the overall flavor, but that's okay. No one will say to you, Hey, this bread you baked tastes yeasty. What's with that? Are you over-compensating for whole wheat flour? Amateur.
- Sounds hollow when done When your bread is done baking, test if it's really done by thumping the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds hollow, it's ready. Always remove the loaf from the loaf pan immediately and set to cool completely before storing.
Did I forget any crucial tips? Let me know; I'm still learning!
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