Breadmaking Basics
Posted By admin on November 10, 2008
This is a tutorial I wrote several years ago for my website.
Basic bread is simple to make and easily adaptable to a variety of ingredients. While breadmaking requires a bit of practice to learn the “feel” of good dough, this technique (I’m not a fan of recipes :)) is easy, dependable and good for beginners.
The ingredients in good bread are simple:
- Flour is the backbone. Bread flour is best, but all purpose works fine. Whole grain flours are a little trickier, so I recommend starting with white, preferably unbleached.
- Liquid: Any number of liquids can be used - water, potato water, milk, even whey. We like to use the whey leftover from making goat’s milk cheese. Eggs can form part of the liquid portion as can sour cream or yogurt.
- Yeast is the living organism makes the bread rise and is most commonly available in granulated form. We like to buy it in bulk for economy and keep it in the freezer. (Since this was originally written we’ve come to use quite a bit of everlasting yeast, where a portion of the dough is set back for leavening the next batch. The technique is somewhat different and Lord willing I’ll make up those instructions for you all sometime in the future.)
- Sugar provides food for the yeast. You can use white or brown sugar, honey, sorghum, whatever suits you.
- Salt enhances taste and keeps the yeast under control.
- Fat: A bit of fat helps make the bread tender. Too much makes it soggy. Almost any fat or oil will work. I’ve made bread successfully with vegetable oil, shortening, lard, olive oil and butter.
Ingredient quantities are based on 1 cup of liquid and can be multiplied as needed. 1 cup of liquid will make 1 small loaf. For each cup of liquid I use:
- 1 teaspoonful of yeast, but no more than 2 and 1/2 teaspoonfuls for multiple batches. (1 cup liquid - 1 teaspoonful yeast, 2 cups liquid - 2 teaspoonfuls yeast, more than 2 cups liquid - 2 and 1/2 teaspoonfuls yeast)
- 1 tablespoonful sweetening
- ½ to 1 teaspoonful salt (you can cut this back to taste)
- 1 tablespoonful fat
- approximately 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour
This is how it’s done:
Assemble ingredients.
Mix yeast and sweetening (honey used here) in to the warm liquid. Here we’re using whey, about bathwater temperature.
Let the yeast mixture sit in a warm place until it begins to foam. This is called “proofing the yeast” and insures that the yeast is good.
After the yeast foams, add salt.
Add oil or melted fat.
Add approximately the same amount of flour as liquid.
Beat for several minutes until smooth batter.
Continue adding flour until a soft dough is formed that leaves the side of the bowl.
Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. More kneading forms a finer crumb.
It’s ready when the imprint left by poking a finger in the dough immediately fills in.
Put the dough into an oiled bowl, turning it to oil all sides.
Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. (In these pictures I skimped a bit on rising and the dough is not quite doubled.)
Some older ladies I know repeat this rising.
Punch down, deflating and working out all the air from the first rising, and form into loaves, rolls, etc. The dough should fill the pan about halfway.
Let rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees until browned. When done, loaves of bread will
sound hollow when tapped. Internal temperature should be about 190
degrees F. or so.
sound hollow when tapped. Internal temperature should be about 190
degrees F. or so.
Enjoy your homemade bread. The loaves may be rubbed with butter or lard while hot for a softer crust. Cast iron breadpans produced this dark brown crust.
A “3-cup” batch formed into farmhouse loaves and baked on a cookie sheet.
Till next time, Blessings.
Judy