Comments on: Basic Bread Recipe

By: Jenni

Jenni — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:38:00 +0000

Hi, Rachel:) Your “crumbly” problem probably does have a lot to do with the crazy ingredients used in store-bought, mass-produced bread. Some breads don’t even actually rise conventionally–even though they have some yeast in them, time is money, so the manufacturers have figured out a way to make bread rise very quickly by whipping in a bunch of air. That’s why lots of store-bread, esp. your generic white sandwich bread, is so “squishy.”

Homemade bread stales pretty quickly, since it doesn’t contain preservatives. That can contribute to the crumbliness. When I make bread for sandwiches, I go ahead and slice it after it cools. Then, I wrap it well and put it in the freezer. When it’s sandwich time, I just take out what I need. That way, the bread stays as fresh and un-crumbly as possible.

Breads that contain some milk, butter, and/or eggs tend to be less crumbly than lean breads that contain only flour, salt, yeast and water. If you’re wanting to make a non-crumbly sandwich bread, make one that contains some fat–that will help.

If your bread starts out crumbly, it might be that you’re not using enough water (or conversely, you’re using too much flour). If you have a tendency to keep adding flour to prevent the dough from being sticky, just stop it. Know that having the dough a little too sticky is much better than having the dough too dry. If the dough isn’t wet enough, it won’t rise well and will end up heavy and crumbly. If you knead by hand, rub your hands with a little oil. It’ll keep the dough from sticking to them and help you resist the urge to add too much flour.

You might need a bench scraper to help you knead, but your bread will be better because it’ll be lighter and be able to rise to its fullest potential.

That was a very long answer–I hope it helps:)

As always Jenni, thanks for a great response. Be sure to check out Jenni’s Baking Site called Pastry Chef Online. - RG

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:10:26 +0000

I too am curious why homemade bread is always so crumbly. It’s delicious, but it’s not the same as storebought (in a good way, except that the crumbs are frustrating). Is it the preservatives in the store-bought bread?

By: Phil DePalma

Phil DePalma — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:47:20 +0000

I have attempted many time to make homemade Italian bread and the inside always comes out off white and dense. How do I get the inside milk white ??

Hi Phil, two questions - What type of flour are you using and what type of Italian bread are you using as your benchmark for “milk white?” - RG

By: Amanda Lentz

Amanda Lentz — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 07:44:48 +0000

I was very reluctant to make bread at first. I learned how to cook and bake almost everything else i wanted to before even attempting bread. However this recipe makes bread making as easy as can be. Thank you for the in depth instructions on the techniques and also the problems that can occur while making bread. This recipe and the explanation was vital to making my first loaf. Thank you again!!

You are very welcome Amanda. Thanks for writing. - RG

By: RG

RG — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:20:13 +0000

Thanks Sheri for your helpful response.