Breadmaking is a hobby I developed a few years back and I am afraid it is slowly turning into an obsession!
I love baking bread! There is something extremely satisfying about baking your own bread. Yes, it requires a little bit of effort and time but the results are marvelous and the end product is much better than the off the shelf sandwich bread available in supermarkets.
What I know…
My bread making repertoire isn’t as vast as I would like it to be, but I am still learning and would love to exchange and discuss some amazing bread recipes with you.
My bread making endeavour has led to some failures as well as some amazing results and I will share all of that in my coming posts.
I started the experiment with a normal white bread loaf and after a few attempts got exactly what I was looking for.
This gave me some encouragement and I tried my hand at brown bread, soda bread, pizza bread, french baguette(which i learnt here on this french ship), burger buns, sweet bread, rolls, stuffed rolls, cinnamon rolls and doughnuts!
What you need
Bread making requires simple ingredients like flour, water, sugar, salt and yeast. Other ingredients that can be added to enhance flavor and texture are oil/butter, eggs, milk, dry fruits, essence etc. What it means is that you don’t need special exotic ingredients to bake a loaf of bread at home!
Flour
Refined flour is good. Bread flour is better as it contains stronger gluten which makes excellent bread. Whole wheat flour can be used to make brown bread.
Sugar
Sugar is required to activate the yeast. It acts as food for the yeast. It also gives bread its colour.
Salt
Salt is a crucial element as it controls the action of yeast and ensures that the dough does not rise very quickly. Too much salt can kill the yeast. Salt also improves flavor and texture.
Fat
Fat increases tenderness and volume and improves the flavor and texture. Fat can be in the form of lard, butter, margarine, cooking oil, olive oil or any other flavoured oil.
Liquid
Liquid used in bread maybe water or milk or different forms of milk like curd, buttermilk, condensed milk or evaporated milk. Bread made with water has a nutty flavor and a crispier crust than bread made with milk.
Yeast
I found that breads made using fresh yeast have a better flavor, texture and aroma as compared to those made with dried yeast. However, it is difficult to maintain a fresh yeast culture at home so I tried all my recipes with dried yeast as well and found that a little bit of change in the recipe gives amazing results with dried yeast too.
Another method is to use a starter culture like a poolish or a biga. But this requires a lot of time and lot of planning. The outcome though is much better.
Where can you get yeast?
Dry yeast is available in many super markets. Active dry yeast is very easily available in grocery shops. Wet yeast can be bought from the local bakery. It is always wise to ask the local baker the characteristics of his yeast. Ask him the rising time, proving time etc and try to incorporate that into your own recipe.
You can make your own starter cultures (poolish, biga etc.) at home.
Starter cultures
Most starter cultures are overnight starter cultures. Yeast releases carbon di oxide, organic acids and alcohol as a byproduct as it grows. If the starter is kept overnight, it develops a wonderful taste and aroma due to the organic acids and alcohol.
There are many starter cultures but I have tried my hand at the ‘poolish’ and ‘biga’.
Poolish
A poolish is a wet starter culture that contains flour and water in equal amounts (by weight) and a very tiny pinch of yeast. A ripe starter looks like fermented dosa batter the next day.
Biga
A biga is a dry starter culture. A biga contains 5 parts flour to 3 parts water (by weight). A biga gives a better and nuttier flavor to bread. But it requires a longer rising time than the poolish.
Special equipment
According to me, the only equipment you require is a good oven. However, using machines like a kitchen aid that have a dough hook can make things easier for you. But the best results are obtained by kneading with your hands and not using a machine. I find making bread with my hands extremely relaxing and therapeutic.
Breadmakers or breadmaking machines are quite a trend but I haven’t used a breadmaker so will not be able to comment on that. Let me know if any of you have had some experience with breadmaking machines
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Proofing
This is a very important step in breadmaking. To proof yeast is nothing but to activate it. For this you need to mix your yeast with some lukewarm water and sugar. Let it dissolve and set it aside for 8-10 minutes. Your yeast should bubble up after 10 minutes and should look creamy and frothy. This means your yeast is alive and active and can be used further to make bread.
If it doesn’t bubble up then you need to get a fresh packet of yeast.
Kneading
Kneading is the key to bread making. Well kneaded dough will always produce a good loaf of bread with a nice open texture. Knead the dough stretching it with the heel of your palm for 5-10 minutes or until it springs back when you press it with your finger. It should be smooth and satiny.
Kneading develops the gluten in the flour which helps to hold in the gas formed by the yeast. Gluten is strands of protein present in flour which become very elastic when they develop. This helps the bread dough to stretch as it rises.
Bread dough should always be a little wet or slack while kneading. The perfect ration of water to flour will give bread with a perfect perforated open texture. Most recipes give the volume of water required but a lot depends on the quality of flour and the weather conditions. So, it is best to experiment and decide what works best for you.
Rising period and temperature
Rising period determines the quality of the bread. It is a good idea to follow the rising period given in the recipe. Generally, allow the bread to rise for 1-2 hours after kneading the dough. Punch it down, shape into rolls or loaf or any other shape and allow a second rising or proving for 30 minutes.
Cover the dough with cling film during the first rising and with a moist cloth during the second.
Allow the dough to rise between 24 and 30 degrees Celsius. Rising will be prolonged at a temperature lower than 24 degrees and an off flavor may develop at a temperature above 30 degrees.
Baking temperature
The best temperature to bake bread is 205 degrees Celsius. This also ensures that maximum thiamine or vitamin B1 is preserved during baking. Some recipes call for 205 degrees for the initial 15 minutes and then 190 degrees for the rest of the baking time.
You know it’s done when…
Bread is done when it shrinks from the sides of the baking pan and sounds hollow when you tap the top or bottom.
Remove the bread from its tin immediately and brush with some oil. Cool it on a wire rack to prevent steaming of the crust.
Storage
Store in a cool dry well covered container.
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