How to Bake Great Bread at Home
Many people are extremely intimidated by bread making. I’ve heard folks say everything from “I’m afraid of yeast,” to “I can’t make bread.” And that last is usually before they even try their hand at it.
With the proliferation of helpful tools–everything wonderful bread cookbooks to stand mixers to electric bread makers to baking stones–one would think that bread baking has become more accessible. The basic ingredient list is very simple and easy to find.
Of the four main ingredients, water, flour, salt and yeast, I’m willing to bet that everyone has at least three of them in their kitchen or pantry right now. Maybe what’s needed here is not gadgets, but knowledge. An understanding of how the ingredients work together along with some tips on technique will hopefully help you become more confident and successful with your bread baking.
#1. Buy a Scale.
A successful bread dough is all about the ratio of flour to water. You will get more consistent and reliable results if your measurements are accurate.
If your bread recipe is written in cups, do the conversions. Measure flour in a cup and then weigh it. Write down the weight. Do this three times, and then take the average of the three weights. If your three cups weigh 4.3, 4.5 and 4.4 oz each, the average weight is 4.4. Now you can use that weight to do your conversions. If the recipe calls for 7 cups of flour, you know you will weigh out 30.8 oz.
thank you for the best recipe for home made bread I have
come across! thanks for all the tips and explanations.
Thank you for all the tips! The only thing I do differently is slicing the bread partially frozen, so that I can get thinner, more even slices.
Hello,
I’m looking for someone to advise on the best bread roll or bun that can be made. Many years ago, I used to buy a particular high quality bread roll with sesame seeds on it. The roll was firm to grip; the colour of the roll itself was brown/dark brown; the inside was fluffy white; the seeds never fell of the roll, somehow ‘glued’ on to the surface. The smell and taste of the roll was powerful, like roasted sesame seeds but much stronger; its shape was almost like a ball; the skin was thin and crusty, but not overly ‘crunchy’.
The shop closed, and I haven’t been able to buy a similar product since. What is available is just a common bread roll, but the quality is just not the same. So, I’m looking to see if I can bake them myself as they may be a costly and perhaps difficult product to make.
If I may please ask if anybody knows the right ingredients and equipment to use to achieve an identical quality? Are we dealing with Italian OO flour, or a particular special oven to bake at a certain temperature, or unique additives such as, perhaps, malt, unique oils, or whatever?
Thanks. Jake.
these ( and all the other baking questions ) are by far the MOST useful tips on baking i have ever read . i have had so many unanswered questions and u have explained them so clearly n simply. i cant thank u enuf. i will take a look at the rest of the site ….i am sure it is just as helpful.
I always double bag my bread before freezing. Put the bread in one freezer bag, remove the air and then place in a second, remove the air. Works perfectly and I never get any ice crystals even if I leave it for a couple of month. Excellent tips – Thanks
To vacuum seal the bread: Let it cool to room temp and then wrap well in freezer paper. Freeze for 2-4 hours in the freezer paper (until solid) and then vacuum seal wrapped in the freezer paper just as you do anything else. To thaw, just remove the freezer paper wrapped bread from the vacuum bag and let it come to room temp out of the vacuum bag. Vacuum sealing and freezing can extend the useful life up to six months and is an excellent way to conserve energy and effort by baking up batches at a time. The same method is effective with quick breads, muffins, and biscuits. Just be sure to remove from the vacuum bag while thawing.
Thanks for those tips.
how do you keep the dough from falling when you try to put a slit on the top of the loaf?
We use water to spilt top
Proofing the dough is another important factor while bread making and must be duly given time as well as temperature for complete aeration.
I have been baking multi-grain bread for over 10 years, and it has worked satisfactorily. I’m not aware that I have done anything differently; however recently the bread has been fully raised and ready to bake as always. But something happens after I place it in the oven. After the full backing time, when I remove the loaves from the oven, I discover that the bread has collapsed. I have tried several different things:1. making sure I have fresh yeast; 2. making sure that I don’t jar the raised bread pan as I place it in the oven; 3.checking to make sure the temperature of the gas oven is exact. Do you have any suggestions of things I can do to result in a satisfactory product?
Hi John, are you using all-purpose or bread flour? I use bread flour because it has more gluten and rises better. Also, consider decreasing the amount of multi-grains a bit and increasing your proof times. Good luck!