Baking bread is not necessarily difficult, it can be made with just a few simple ingredients. To ensure success, it is best to understand the types and functions of the main ingredients used in bread making.
1. Types of wheat flour
Bread flour is made from hard wheat. It’s high protein percentage (10%-13%) makes it an excellent choice for baking yeast breads. There are variations from white to whole wheat, and some mixtures in-between.
Cake flour is a milled from soft wheat. It is a very fine white flour. Having a low protein percentage makes it suitable for baking soft-textured desserts like cookies and cakes.
All purpose flour is made from a blend of wheat types and has a lower protein content than the bread flour. It may be made from only hard or soft wheat but it is usually a mixture of the two.
2. Yeast
Organic yeast is composed of billions of micro organisms that feed on sugar, consuming oxygen, and multiplying, causing fermentation which produces carbon dioxide. But the process is long and requires a minimum rising time. Yeast can come in several forms. It is very important to differentiate between them because the process of using dehydrated or freeze-dried yeast is not the same as with fresh yeast.
3. Water
The water must be suitable for drinking and contain sufficient minerals (calcium salts, as found in hard water) to help with strengthening the gluten. Water that is too soft leads to a sticky dough. It must also be warm (85 °F) because the yeast does not grow in cold water.
4. Salt
Salt brings out the flavor but it also improves the mechanical properties of the dough, the bread color and its conservation. Added at the beginning of kneading and comprising between 1 and 2% of the dough it preserves the taste of bread by slowing the oxidation during kneading.
Stages of baking bread
1. Kneading
The first step is to completely mix all the elements that will form the dough. It occurs at low speed until all traces of water and flour have disappeared. In the second step, the kneading itself is done at higher speed. It is at this moment that the gluten structure is changed. At the end of kneading, the proteins of the dough form a continuous network capable of stretching while retaining carbon dioxide.
2. Fermentation
Fermentation begins when the yeast comes in contact with the mixture of water and flour. After the kneading phase, the baker lets the dough rise for the first time. The physical properties (viscosity and elasticity) of the dough will change again during this stage thus complementing the work of kneading. This is important for the final quality of bread, both for its appearance as for its taste. After the first rise the dough is separated, possibly divided and then shaped into loaves. During the second rise the yeast in the shaped dough continues to ferment. Just before baking, the baker makes small cuts with a knife on top of the loaves that form into lovely ridges on the crust of bread. These small knife cuts are essential for the bread to have an even and optimal development. Without them, the bread will become deformed from the expansion of carbon dioxide and water vapor.
3. Cooking
The last step of baking bread is done in an oven heated to 350 °F. The crust is formed at around 195 ° C while water vapor is distributed in the crust and browning starts between 230 and 300 °F. Upon exiting the oven the bread releases steam as it cools off. During this cooling period the bread will lose about 1 or 2% of the water it contains.
Tips for Successfully Baking Bread
1. Always add a pinch of sugar to activate yeast.
2. Knead rhythmically and thoroughly to develop the gluten network
3. Check that the room temperature is sufficient for good growth of yeast (77 °F minimum) if not, move the covered bowl near a heater to rise.
4. To get a nice crust: put a container of water in the oven to create a moist cooking environment.
5. Brush the uncooked loaf with hot water to produce a sticky starch. A more pronounced browning will be produced.