welcome to the first in an series of
4 lessons on baking bread. I am sure some of you are anxious to
learn how to bake bread, however there are a few things we need
to go over First. I truly believe that quality bread comes with
a mixture, of Quality ingredients, and knowledge of the techniques.
So for the first two weeks we will go thru these ingredients, the
equipment you might use, and the knowledge of technique you will
need to bake a fantastic loaf of bread. If you follow these steps,
I guarantee you will emerge after 4 weeks, an expert bread baker
to awe and amaze your family. So lets get started.
Bread has several basic ingredients, Flour,yeast,salt,fat,sweetener,and
liquid. Most all breads contain these components, although there
are exceptions,some breads may contain no fat, others may contain
little or no sweetener. Each of these ingredients provides something
to the breads structure and texture, and there are a variety of
different types of each ingredient, and each of these will produce
a much differnent effect, depending on how you use it. There are
many other ingredients that can be added to breads, such as eggs,oatmeal,rye,
cheeses, raisins,spices and herbs, but for the purpose of this class,
we will focus on the ingredients that are the foundation of your
loaf of bread.
First Flour- which makes up 70 percent of your
breads weight. So it is no suprise that different flours will produce
different effects. There are several different types of flour, we
will go thru 3 of these in depth as they are the most likely ones
you might use in your baking, at least in the beginning. There is
a flour for everything, and we will go thru them briefly, so you
will know what to stay away from and what is ok to use. You have
your all purpose white flour, which we will go into more depth about
in a moment, but it is the most common flour and the one you will
encounter and use the most. You have Cake flour, which is low in
protein,thus does not contain a lot of gluten, this is NOT the flour
you want to use in your bread, bread performs best with a higher
protein flour. Cake flour is made from a soft wheat. Next is pastry
flour, which is between cake flour and all purpose flour. It is
a just a bit higher in protein, and is exceptional when used for
pie crusts, biscuits and cookies. This flour is also not suitable
for use in bread. Next is Bread Flour, which is made with hard spring
wheat, contains about 12 -14 % protein, and it is Ideal for making
bread with. We will go more into depth on this in a bit. And finally
there is whole wheat flour, which comes in both soft wheat for pastry
use, and hard wheat, for bread use. But most bread makes know that
whole wheat flour represents a challenge all of its own, because
the gluten is much harder to develope in the loaf of whole wheat
bread, but as you will see in the next 4 weeks that is not a challenge
that cannot be over come. Now for this class the 3 flours we will
concern ourselves with, are all purpose,bread, and whole wheat,
as these are the ones you are most likely to use in making bread.
Note the word Gluten is used in here repeatedly,
and while we will learn a lot more about gluten next week, just
remember that the gluten is one of the biggest factors in bread
baking, and learning about it, will increase your chances of baking
good bread. Gluten is basically grain proteins, it can also be purchased
seperately and added to your dough, if you are using whole wheat
and having a hard time getting it to rise properly.
All Purpose Flour- All purpose flour is the cheapest
flour, and the most available as well. It is most likely what you
will end up using. Although I do think it helps for beginnners to
start with bread flour, because it makes a nicer loaf of bread,
it is easier to work with, and it is a lot more forgiving, allpurpose
flour makes a fine loaf of bread if you follow some basic techniques.
All purpose flour is 8 -12 % protein so it is a bit lower than bread
flour. The higher the protein content, the stronger the the gluten.
So All purpose flours that are lower in gluten, will need to be
worked much more, than ones with higher protein,to develope the
gluten properly.
Bread Flour - is a beginning bakers friend, it
is made from a hard wheat, and is high in protein, 12-18% so the
gluten developes much easier and this flour is much more forgiving
than the average Flour. It is also on the average much more expensive,
but if you have a wholesale warehouse near by or a restaraunt supply
store that is open to the public, you can get a good price on Bread
Flour, and it is worth your time to do so. It most definately produces
a better bread.
Whole Wheat Flour- one of the biggest mistakes
that are made where whole wheat is concerned, is that more companies,
and most people fail to distinguish between soft wheat, and hard
wheat. All whole wheat is not the same. Take the time to examine
the protein content, on the whole wheat you buy, the higher the
protein content the better for bread it will be. Also if it is labeled
as hard spring wheat, you know it is the right kind. If it is labeled
soft wheat, or pastry whole wheat you do not want it. You can also
buy the hard spring wheat kernals and grind your own if you have
a grinder, fresh whole wheat has much more flavor than whole wheat
flour that is already milled. If you buy whole wheat flour, smell
the package before you purchase it, if it smells rancid at all,
do NOT use it, rancid whole wheat, makes a lousy loaf of bread.
Whole wheat flour is perishable, it should be stored in the fridge
or in the freezer. I keep mine in a deep freeze till right before
I am going to use it. I let it get to room temp, frozen flour is
good for pie crusts but definately NOT for bread.
Next we will look at Fats. There are several fats
that you can use in your breads, some of them are quite interchangeable,
but others will produce varying effects. Consider a croissant, that
has layers of butter alternating between layers of dough.The result
is a delicate pastry we all know and love. It would not be the same,
even with margarine, and most certainly not with shortening. Fats
will affect your texture, as well as the flavor. Normally for pastries,
sweet rolls and such I use unsalted butter. For savory breads like
herb breads, and foccacia I use olive oil, for average day to day
breads white or wheat, I use canola oil. What you decide to use
is up to you, just know that you are free to experiment with different
fats, for different effects. Some breads do not contain fats, these
breads are usually quite chewy or crisp, two examples would be french
bread and bagels, the typical recipe for either does not contain
any oil. Common fats that you can use, are butter,margarine,shortening,vegetable
oils of any kind, and in some cases lard even. My personal preference
is for canola or olive oil because of health reasons.
Sweeteners- these have a big effect on the texture,
volume, and the flavor of bread... I personally do not like a lot
of sweetener in my normal breads, so I usually cut the amount down
to a minimum amount. Sugar is the most common, followed by honey,
my personal favorite, and you may see recipes with molasses,brown
sugar or maple syrup as well. Honey creates a tender texture, much
like the cinnamon roll has. Most of my delicate breads have honey
in them, and it lends a wonderful flavor and texture to bread. I
have also found that sweeteners can be substituted for one another,
with good results, however if you substitute honey for sugar, you
will need to reduce the amount of liquid slightly or increase the
amount of flour, and if if you substitute sugar for honey, you will
need to increase the amount of liquid slightly.
Yeast- again this something that can really affect
the quality of baked goods. There are a few different kinds of yeast,
and understanding them can really increase your success, and reduce
your cost. The best place to buy yeast is NOT normally in your local
grocery store, they over charge horribly for it, and make the cost
of baking, not worth your time. A bit of research will help you
decide the best place to buy yeast, and this is an area that if
you don't take the time, you will be paying far more than you want
to be. I buy mine at a restaraunt supply store and pay about 2.75
for a pound of instant yeast. Good top quality yeast that yields
consistent results. It can also be bought online, for a reasonable
price, So please do your homework.
There are three types of Yeast you are most likely to encounter
in your search, Active dry yeast, Instant yeast, and bread machine
rapid rise yeast.
Active dry yeast needs to be activated, as the
yeast is freeze dried in a state of "slumber" this yeast
can be sluggish, and I have had more trouble with this yeast not
activating,but it still makes a good bread. I dont use it because
I get instant yeast at a good price. But it is likely you many not
be able to find instant yeast, and will instead by using the active
dry yeast. If so, the best way to find out if it is still live,
is put it in a glass of warm 100-110 degrees.... let it sit for
10 or 15 minutes, if it foams up, it is good to use.
Instant yeast is my personal favorite, it is basically
instant...it does not not need to be activated, is not sluggish
like its cousin, and reacts predictably every time you use it. But
if you cannot find a source for it, it is quite expensive to buy.
So shop around if you can find it at a decent price, then it is
worth the effort. You will also find you can use a bit less of this
than the active dry yeast.
Bread machine yeast- Is an overpriced cousin to
Instant yeast, and unless you can get it for a good price on sale,
avoid it, they are simply charging you for a name and quite honestly
you dont need to use it, if you can get either instant or active
dry for a good price. Even if you are using a bread machine you
do not need to use this yeast.
Yeast can be stored in the fridge or the freezer.
If you store it in the freezer, it will last indefinately. what
I do, is I keep several packages in the freezer still sealed, when
I need some I pull it out of the freezer, and put it into two old
peanut butter containers, and store it in the fridge. I use one
every 2 months or so, more during the holiday season. so it never
sits in the fridge for longer than 60 days. With instant yeast I
can use it right out of the fridge, but with active dry, I really
do suggest letting it come to room temp, or warming it up in a bit
of warm water first. It might be just fine, but it leaves open the
possibility of failure of your bread to rise. So take the precautions
just in case.
Salt- salt helps in the rising process, that is
really its sole responsibility, so omitting it is not really a good
Ideas. It gives the yeast a helping hand, and the small amount that
you use, should not be an issue with low sodium diets, I have seen
bread made without salt, but I have never tried it myself. All I
can say is that the bread is a lot denser, so if you want to omit
the salt be prepared.
Liquids- the most common liquids you will find
in bread are water and milk. Milk adds a nice texture to the bread,
and the crust, but it also increases the cost of the final loaf.
The loaves of bread I make on a regular basis, use only water. I
have also seen ,coffee,beet juice, vegetable water, and potato water,
used to make breads. They add flavor and color to a specialty bread.
The most important thing about water, is the temp. I strongly urge
you that if you are new to bread baking that you go out and buy
yourself an instant thermometer, at your local target or walmart.
They cost about 3 dollars and will save you a lot of grief. Your
liquid temp should be between 100- 120 too cold will cause sluggish
yeast, to hot will kill the yeast. I dont use a thermometer anymore,
but I have made so many loaves of bread I don't need to. If you
are determined to not buy a thermometer, then you want your water
to be baby bottle temp. Which is distinctly WARM but without a sting
to it, when you run it across your wrist.
Miscellaneous ingredients. I find it important
to gloss quickly over a few other ingredients you might encounter
along the way, only because some of them are useful, and others
require special handling.
Eggs- when a recipes calls for an egg,the egg
should be left to sit out, and come to room temp before adding if
at all possible otherwise it could affect the yeast. Another way
to do it it would be to stir your egg into part of your liquid,
and then add more warm liquid till you bring it all to the right
temp.
Gluten- Gluten is the protein of the wheat. because
whole wheat has bran, and the bran interferes, with the conditioning
of the gluten, it can be useful to add gluten to your whole wheat
bread. I usually add about 1 teaspoon, to every 2 cups of flour.
Whole wheat bread can be made without gluten, but if you are only
a once in a while baker, and want extroirdinary results it is worth
mentioning. Also I would add, although I have not tried it, some
people get great results by adding Lecithin and lemon Juice to their
dough.
I am not going to cover sourdough, or dough relaxers, in this lesson,
as they are for more advanced bakers, we may teach this lesson in
the future, but for now, lets, stick with the basics.
If you pay careful attention to your ingredients, you will find
that this in one of the keys that will greatly increase your success
with bread. The others, using the right equipment, and knowing the
techniques will allow you to produce a beautiful loaf of bread,
that your grandma would be proud of.
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