Tricia's Bread Tutorial
Source of Recipe
Tricia....Cooking Forum
Recipe Introduction
I've written down below several yeast breads that are perfect, IMO, for beginners. None benefit
from a stand-mixer, although they DO require a hand-mixer. None require any kneading. No
pre-fermentation. The "recipes" will make just a single loaf. You will not even need a traditional bread
pan. I hope some of you will find them useful. I tried to guage the rising times based on this time of year
& using a northern climate. I guessed that your kitchen would be between 63-68 degrees & humidity
levels would be below 30% because of central heating. If you live in a warmer climate and especially if
your home has humidity levels above 45-50% then these doughs will rise in about 25-50% less time.
When I was teaching bread baking, these are the type breads I started with. They're known generically as
"batter breads" even though the first one makes a stiffer dough.
I'm going to start with the most basic. Then, progress to others that have more enhancements (add-ins).
Yeast Breads
Posted by TriciaE (My Page) on Wed, Jan 4, 06 at 18:19
BASIC BREAD (This bread has lots of holes so it's great for toast w/butter.)
2 1/2 - 3 Cups AP Flour
1 Scant Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast or Fast-Rising Yeast 1 Tablespoon Sugar
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 Cups Water
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour and the yeast.
Using warm tap water (115 degrees...you don't have to use a thermometer...the water should feel quite
warm on your hand)....put the warm water in a small bowl and dissolve the sugar in the water. Add this to
the flour/yeast mixture in the larger bowl. Blend everything together with a hand-mixer on LOW speed
just to combine.
Then, increase speed to high and beat for 3-4 minutes.
By hand, stir in remaining flour using the lesser of the given amounts first...the dough should be rather
loose but hold into a ball. Add the rest of the flour ONLY if you need it to make the dough hold into a ball.
Shape the dough into a ball. Tip: IF YOU WET YOUR HANDS BEFORE HANDLING THE DOUGH IT
WILL NOT STICK TO YOUR HANDS.
Place the ball into an oiled bowl large enough to allow the dough to double in size. Roll the dough around
a couple times to coat the surface with oil so a crust will not form during fermentation. Cover the bowl
with plastic wrap and let rise until double...this will take anywhere from 1-2 hours. YEAST NOTE: If a
yeast dough rises in one hour at 90 degrees...it will take 2 hours at 73 degrees. It doubles for every 17
degrees. So, if your house is cool this time of year...it will just take longer.
When the dough has doubled, gently roll it out of the rising bowl onto a floured work surface. This will
sufficiently de-gass the dough. Toss a kitchen towel over the dough and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes.
Grease a 1 quart ROUND baking dish, casserole, or oven proof pan. (I use my 1 quart LC saucepan for
this bread.) Sprinkle cornmeal around the greased pan of your choice & knock out excess.
After 10-15 minutes, place the dough gently in the pan and cover with GREASED plastic wrap (spray the
underneath side of the plastic wrap w/Pam). Let the dough rise until just about double again. This should
take from 45-90 minutes.
Bake on middle rack of a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. If it starts to get too brown on top,
cover loosely with a piece of foil. (probably won't happen)
When done, remove the bread from the pan & cool on rack.
MOLASSES/CARROT BREAD
3 Cups AP Flour
1-Scant Tablespoon Yeast (any kind)
1 1/4 Cups Warm Water
2 Teaspoons Salt
1/4 Cup Molasses
2 Tablespoons olive oil (or, veggie oil)
1 Egg
1 Cup Wheat Germ
1 Cup Grated Carrot
1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley
In large bowl, mix 2 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt.
Add warm water, molasses, oil, and egg. On low speed with a hand-mixer, beat for about a minute.
Increase speed to high and continue mixing for another 3-4 minutes.
By hand, stir in the remaining flour, carrots, wheat germ, and parsley. This bread will be more like a stiff
batter (looser than the first recipe).
Scrape the batter (wet a wooden spoon to prevent sticking) into a greased 2 quart casserole or pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double...45-90 minutes.
BAKE THIS LOAF AT 350 DEGREES FOR 55 MINUTES. Remove from pan immediately after baking.
This loaf is good with the top brushed with melted butter while it's still hot.
Note: This bread only needs to rise ONCE.
OATMEAL BREAD
In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups AP flour, 1 cup oats, and 2 scant tablespoon yeast.
In a small saucepan, warm 1 1/4 cups milk, 1/4 cup Crisco, 1/4 cup honey, and 2 teaspoons of salt just
until warm & the Crisco has melted. Stir until the Crisco has melted.
Add the milk mixture to the flour/yeast mixture in the bowl. Add 1 egg and 1 egg yolk to the mixture
(reserve the second egg white).
On low speed with a hand-mixer, beat for 1 minute.
Increase mixer speed to high and continue beating for another 3-4 minutes.
By hand, stir in 1 1/2 cups AP flour which will make a very soft dough (stiff batter). Stir by hand until
everything is well combined and smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap (leave it in the mixing bowl) and let rise until double. This one will take longer...1
1/2-2 hours but don't be surprised if it takes 3 hours. After the dough has doubled, stir it down with your
wet wooden spoon.
Grease a 2 quart round casserole or baking pan and sprinkle with oats shaking out any excess. Turn the
dough into the prepared dish. Cover with plastic wrap (again, spray under side of plastic with Pam to
prevent sticking) and allow to double again...about 45-90 minutes.
Just before baking, brush the top of the loaf with the reserved egg white and sprinkle with a few oats.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. With this loaf, allow it to stay 15 minutes in the
baking dish after coming out of the oven...then, remove & allow to finish cooling on a rack.
Probably the most important thing about bread making is, unfortunately, MEASURING. We each
measure a cup of flour differently, hence, problems arise. Yes, you can just add some water, then some
flour until it "looks right" & make a yummy loaf of bread. But, that method only takes you so far. Different
types of bread require different doughs. It's those differences that, primarily, makes the difference
between a basic bread & an artisan bread. I'm going to write a tutorial on measuring flour eventually...but
first it's good to know a little about the ingredients themselves.
Tutorial: Different types of flour for breadmaking
You can make a good bread with All-Purpose flour. For instance, with the Honey Wheat bread above...it
will not matter much whether you use AP or Bread flour. There are so many enhancements the flavor is
coming from those and not the wheat. The flavor of wheat is subtle and the honey/egg/milk overpowers
the wheat.
However, if you want to make artisan loaves...you'll need to learn a little about the different types of flour
available. I'm not going to go into all the various nuances between Italian flour, French flour, etc. I'm
going to stick with just the protein differences since that's what most of us will be putting to practical use.
But, you should know that using even a good quality American bread flour is substantially different than
the flour used in an Italian or French bakery and, therefore, our loaves will be unique to us...that does not
mean they aren't as good (although the snobby artisan bread community certainly feels that way!). Note:
Professional bakeries, even in America, frequently grade their flours using such standards as clear,
patent, or second clear.
For our use, the way we differentiate flours is by the amount of gluten protein content.
All-Purpose Flour will have between 9.5% to 11.5% gluten protein).
Pastry Flour will have between 7.5% - 9.5% gluten (protein).
Bread Flour will have between 11.5% - 13.5% gluten (protein).
High Gluten Flour will have 13.5% to as much as 16% gluten (protein).
The gluten amount is determined by the type of wheat used to make the flour. Typically, flours are a
blend of different strains of wheat. There is hard wheat and soft wheat; red wheat and white wheat (this is
where King Arthur get their White Whole-Wheat that I love so much); winter wheat and spring wheat.
Unbleached versus Bleached Flour:
Aside from not wanting to feed my family chlorox...there is another reason for using unbleached flour for
bread making. You'll notice right away that unbleached flour has a bit of a yellowish color to it. That is
from beta-carotene (VitaminA). This is lost during the bleaching process. We, as bread bakers, don't care
about the Vitamin A because it will be lost in the heat of baking anyway BUT.........beta-carotene gives
our bread more FLAVOR and AROMA.
Since in an artisan loaf of bread (no enhancements) where the quality comes from nothing more than the
wheat...we want the advantage of that beta-carotene.
The sensory benefits of unbleached flour are lost quite a bit when enhancements like milk, eggs, or
honey are added. But, there's still that chlorox issue.........
But, even if using bleached flour...a homemade loaf of bread is still MUCHO better than commercially
made.
You should not attempt to hand-knead bread flour. The higher gluten content means that this type of
flour requires strong, extended kneading that most of us can't do manually. So, if starting your bread
making experience w/o a stand mixer...stick with unbleached all-purpose flour. Your bread will be
delicious! Personally, I believe strongly that all of us benefit from starting with hand-kneading anyway. I
don't know any other way to teach technique unless folks get their hands in the flour.
Later today, I'll do another recipe...
If this is not useful to people...let me know and I'll stop. Otherwise, I'll do the next step which is that nasty
MEASURING.
Oh, I've not forgotten about whole-wheat flour! I'm just not talking about it now 'cause it's a topic all of it's
own. That perfect whole wheat loaf eludes many bread bakers. We can get there by taking things one
step at a time. In the meantime, you can substitute up to 50% of the white flour in any recipes I give and
not experience significant disappointments. Allow your bread extra time to ferment and proof if using
50% WW flour. I'd recommend starting with only 25% and then you shouldn't have to change any other
parts of the recipe.
Posted by: triciae (My Page) on Fri, Jan 6, 06 at 11:42
Here's a recipe for a multi-purpose dough that can be made into pizza, pita bread, bagels, English
muffins, sticky buns, or a round loaf of hearth bread. NOTE, however, this dough will NOT produce the
BEST of any of these types of breads. What I'm giving is a basic recipe that "works" for many types of
uses. It's always good to have a stand-by recipe in your bread-baking arsenal that's a no-brainer & that's
what this is.
It will also introduce a primer on ratios. But, please remember that "ratios" differ considerably depending
on what type of bread you are looking to make...so this first "ratio" is just a basic bread that you can
always fall back on. There is NO magic bullet ratio that works for ALL types of bread. Do NOT expect it
to produce a blue-ribbon artisan bread...it won't. Your family, however, will think you're a genius and an
expert because it's soooo much better than what you can buy (unless you have an artisan bakery round
the corner).
I call this my "Go-To" bread.......I start it in the morning when I have no idea what I want to cook for
dinner.
GO-TO BREAD:
RATIO PRIMER: You can make a basic bread by using 3 parts of flour to one part of liquid....BY
VOLUME, not weight. (Please try to remember the volume thing 'cause I'm going to be talking about it at
length in the measuring primer.) So, if we use two cups of water...we'll need 6 cups of flour...or, 2 cups of
water + 3 times that of flour = 6 cups.
Here we go...
2 Cups Water
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Yeast (any kind) Should I do a yeast primer?
6 Cups Unbleached (preferably) AP Flour
1 Tablespoon Salt
My instructions are not going to read like a normal recipe 'cause I'm going to attempt to describe
technique as we go....
Our first hurdle is the temperature of the water. This really isn't as big a deal as some people think it is.
Basically, yeast is comfy at the same temperature you are. Now, we each vary in that. For example, I'm
ALWAYS cold. My DIL is ALWAYS too warm. We each judge the water temperature for our bread
differently...what's "warm" to her is just plain COLD to me! So, how do we fix this? The first thing we do
is stop worrying about it. Whew, now we feel better already. Remember, bread will rise in the refrigerator
so it's unlikely you'll get the water too cold. As for too hot...if the water makes you pull your hand back to
avoid a burn...it's TOO HOT. But, if it feels like something you'd like for a bubble bath temp...then, it's
just right. That's going to vary for each of us. My water in bread goes in much warmer than my DIL's. We
both make good bread.
FAST FACT: Yeast will begin to die off at 120 degrees but it has to get all the way to 140 degrees before
it "kicks the bucket". Try it sometime with a thermometer...140 degrees is REALLY hot, even to me.
My directions will be for active-dry yeast & a stand-mixer. If you're using something else (instant,
bread-machine, etc.)...follow along anyway...it won't make a difference. If anybody wants me to describe
hand-kneading, let me know & I will.
Pour the warm water into the bowl of your mixer. Add the sugar & stir until it is dissolved. (Remember,
this is going to cool things off a little so that's another reason not to fret about too hot of water) Sprinkle
the yeast on top of the water/sugar mixture and stir it in.
Let this sit, UNCOVERED, for about 5 minutes while you're gathering flour, etc. You will see small
bubbles starting to appear at the surface.
Do NOT add the salt yet. Yeast does not like salt and if the salt touches the yeast...it will kill it outright.
So, we want to make sure our yeast is dissolved and, better still, we'll mix a little flour in so the salt
doesn't come into direct contact with the yeast. The flour acts as a buffer.
Our second hurdle is not to add too much flour. This is where the importance of MEASURING comes
into play in the perfect loaf of bread. How we each measure plays a very large part in the difference
between one person's bread & another's. I'll do a discussion on measuring but not here...for now, just
measure as you always do because as I've already said...we know this will not be the PERFECT loaf of
bread. Just a really GOOD one!
Next step: Stir 1 cup of flour into the water/yeast/sugar mixture. Now, add the salt and beat hard for 3
minutes. (If you're using a stand-mixer...now's the time to let that baby go...crank it up hard) If you're
using a hand-mixer beat on your highest speed....it will be just fine.
You're starting to develop the gluten.
Now, add 4 cups of flour and mix SLOWLY to blend. When the flour is mostly wet...crank up the mixer
again and knead 4 minutes & stop. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. This will allow the flour
to soak up the moisture. Now, begin to knead again...if the dough is not balling up and pulling away from
the sides of the bowl add more flour 1/4 cup at a time...knead for 2 minutes before adding the next 1/4
cup. When the dough just clears the sides...stop adding flour. If the dough is whipping around your mixer
in a clump & the mixer is jumping all around your counter...you've added too much flour.
Remove the dough from the mixer & pat it into a ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl & roll it around
a few times to coat the surface with oil. This will prevent a crust from forming on the dough which inhibits
fermentation. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to double. This will take about 2 hours this time
of year for most of us. In July, it will probably only take an hour.
FAST TIP: On a rainy or snowy day, when barometric pressure is low, your bread will rise faster. It's a
gravity thing...
FAST TIP: When you can poke a finger in the dough without it springing back...it has doubled.
When doubled, gently roll the dough out of the bowl onto a floured work surface. This is not as much fun
as pounding a fist into the dough to "punch" it down...but makes a much better loaf of bread. Allow the
dough to sit for 10 minutes.
Shape as desired...see start of post.
For a hearth bread, just gently shape the dough into a ball and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Then, take your hand and very gently flatten the top (only a little tiny bit). Cover the dough with plastic
wrap...it's a good idea this time to spray the underneath side of the plastic wrap with Pam to prevent the
plastic from sticking to the shaped dough.
Allow the dough to proof. This will take 45-90 minutes in winter.
At the 30 minute point, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and place a rack in the lower third of the oven.
When the dough has almost doubled...take a serrated knife (or lame if you have one) and make a couple
slashes 1/4" deep into the top of the loaf. Cut on a diagonal as opposed to straight down. This allows gas
to escape during baking & allows for more oven pop as well as being decorative.
Bake the bread for 45 minutes. Cool on rack for at least 2-3 hours before cutting. The bread will finish
cooking and the gluten will complete it's congealing process during the cooling phase. If you cut when it's
hot...the texture will be significantly less than it would have been if you'd allowed it to cool.
Enjoy your bread! This will make a soft crusted loaf that's light on the inside but it will not have huge
interior holes (those require a special technique...not hard...just different). The crust will not be crackly
but will be crisp. If people want me to continue...we can cover the crackly crust, holes, etc. as we go on.
MEASUREMENTS:
Adding too much flour in our bread comes primarily from the differences in how we measure. But,
different brands of flour weigh out different, as well.
The thing to remember is that it's not important that we each measure the same. What's important is that
we get to the end result the same.
The way I measure...it takes about 3 3/4 Cups of bread flour to equal 1 pound. I always use King Arthur
products and each type of flour weighs slightly different. Except for whole wheat (which is heavier), I
stick with the same 3 3/4 cups to a pound for all flours. The heavier weight of whole-wheat and our
measuring techniques is why it can be a challenge to get a good WW loaf. The problem goes away when
we learn about measurements.
You might measure 4 1/2 Cups to get the same pound. Or, somebody else might get as little as 3 1/2
Cups or as much as 5 Cups.
Most general bread recipes are written for 4 Cups to the pound. If your measurements are different than
that...it's going to affect the end result. It won't make a huge difference when making a recipe that uses
enhancements (although 3/4 cup in either direction will). But, it makes a huge difference in that artisan
loaf of bread.
More advanced bread books will write recipes giving both weight measurements as well as volume
measurements. The weight measurement will ALWAYS be the most accurate.
When I realized that it was important to me to move beyond basic bread & start striving for that artisan
loaf...I purchased a scale and was amazed at how much difference there was in how I measured. It was
not the same...day-to-day...recipe-to-recipe. The age of my flour, the humidity in the air, how I felt on any
given day all affected my measurements. It was so easy to throw off my ratios. Since it varied so much, I
had trouble with being consistent from loaf to loaf. It's hard to get better if you can't duplicate your
starting point!
If you have a scale, I strongly recommend you see how many cups it takes you to reach one pound of
flour. If you don't have a scale, use this technique for measuring since it produces the closest thing to a
four ounce cup short of a scale.
1.) Take a fork & fluff the flour in your canister. Then, using a large sifter...sift flour onto a piece of plastic
or waxed paper on your counter.
2.) Take a 1 Cup measuring cup and sit it on the counter. Then, sprinkle the sifted flour with a spoon
lightly into the measuring cup.
3.) Scrape any excess off with the back of a knife.
That method is tedious and I don't have the patience for it. So, I used my scale & learned how much MY
cups weighed when I just scooped into the canister, bashed the cup against the side to level it off, &
hoped for the best.
After much practice, I now know that I need 3 3/4 cups of flour for every 4 cups called for in a recipe
'cause of how I measure. You are going to be different. But, you can see how it will make a difference
when trying not to add too much flour.
As with so many things, practice helps a lot. Eventually, you'll learn about your flour's characteristics (I
don't recommend jumping around from one brand to another.) & how you measure. Then, make the
adjustments in the recipe to compensate for YOUR "1 Cup" of flour.
An extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour in an artisan bread changes the bread's characteristics. It can make the
difference between a dense Ciabatta & one that has large, nicely spaced holes. A good Ciabatta has
65-80% hydration. If we vary from that range by adding too much flour we loose the characteristics of
Ciabatta.
Measuring is not something to be wary of & it's certainly not hard. We just have to learn how we each do
it and adjust accordingly. If you take the time & have the patience to learn your measurements, you're
more than halfway to a terrific artisan bread. Time & temperature are the other missing pieces.
REMEMBER: When you're reading a recipe...almost undoubtedly, it's written assuming 4 Cups of Flour =
One Pound. So, in the recipe I gave earlier today, we used (hopefully) close to 1 1/2 pounds of flour.
This measurement thing is the reason I grimmace when somebody asks me for a bread recipe.
OK, we've talked a little about the types of flour and how we measure them. We know that if, in a pinch
w/o a cookbook, we can make a delicious bread by using our 3:1 ratio & 1 Tablespoon of yeast + 1
Tablespoon of Sugar. We know that our measurements are different for each of us if we're NOT using a
scale.
In the last primer, I mentioned that after measurements we still needed some info on time & temperature.
This morning, we'll take the "time" issue. We'll discuss the five basic types of PRE-FERMENTS, how
they work, why we use them, and I'll give a recipe using one. Be aware though...once you make bread
with a pre-ferment...there's rarely any going back. The difference is HUGE. Even with a quick oatmeal
sandwich bread, you'll be wanting to play with the recipe to use a pre-ferment, hence, making the bread
even yummier. I mentioned earlier that when enchancements were used, we loose a lot of the wheat's
subtle taste. With a pre-ferment...the wheat has a fighting chance of coming through all the milk, eggs,
honey, etc. Not as clearly as w/o the enchancements but enough so you'll notice the difference. The
recipe I'll give today will be a multi-grain hearth bread. It's very nutritious with a wonderful flavor. It uses
a pre-ferment but won't take 4 days to make!
In bread baking, when we talk about "time" we're referring to either fermentation or proofing.
FERMENTATION is the first rise and PROOFING is the rise after shaping & just prior to baking.
Fermentation starts as soon as you add liquid to the yeast. Controlling the time it takes for the yeast to
sufficiently rise the dough is one of the ways we control flavor & texture in our bread. Bread baking has a
lot of "art" in it as well as science. How you choose to control "time" is one of the "artistic" parts.
Fermentation is our next KEY in deconstructing the creation of a truly great bread.
You can make a very delicious loaf of bread in a relatively short period of time. In a minute, I'm going to
give you some instructions for shortening how long it takes to get that bread on the table. I hope you
don't use them too frequently but we should know them...cause sometimes...we don't decide we want
bread until 3:00 p.m.!
The first thing to be aware of though is that if we opt for fast the trade-off is FLAVOR. There's just no
getting around that. Life is like that...actions have consequences..lol. Darn! This is the most evident in
our artisan bread. But, even the whole-wheat/honey recipe given above...could be made better by
manipulating "time".
During fermentation, your dough comes to life. I love watching this. It satisfies my soul the same way
planting my garden does.
Every dough has its own fermentation requirments that's based on a balance between the amount of
yeast used, the nutrients contained in the yeast, enzymes working, the temperature of both the dough &
the environment, & the length of the fermentation.
Many of our common recipes ask us to ferment the dough in a covered bowl at room temperature (or,
warmer) for 1-3 hours. But, others require a slow fermentation so we chill the dough immediately after
mixing (kneading). This cool, very slow fermentation attempts to draw every bit of flavor from the wheat
by giving the enyzmes more time to interact.
NOTE: Please remember that kneading & mixing are interchangeable terms. There's nothing magical
about kneading. It's just the bread baker's jargon for mixing...makes things sound mystical to non-bakers
lol
The addition of SUGAR to our dough is the first way we can control TIME. It also adds some modest
flavor (not talking sweet dough here where sugar accounts for more flavor).
Sugar is a MUST HAVE ingredient for fermentation to happen. Sugar is converted into alcohol and
carbon dioxide by the yeast. Sugar can be added to our ingredient list. This addition should be
considered a TIME element. It is NOT a necessary ingredient for bread. Sugar is also obtained from the
complex carbohydrates in the wheat as the yeast breaks them down into simple-sugars. So, the fewer
enrichments (even milk has sugar) in a dough the more flavor relies on the wheat starches being
released.
FAST FACT: The less sugar in a recipe...the longer the fermentation will take because it just takes time
for the yeast to break down the wheat's complex carbohydrates into sugar. SUGAR = FLAVOR. How we
get that flavor puts us to controlling TIME.
FAST FACT: In a "sweet" dough, most of the flavor is coming from enhancements rather than the wheat
so a shorter fermentation is best.
I hope the following will prove to be empowering:
There's lots of science in truly understanding how yeast works. It's useful & fun to know but not necessary
so I'm not going to make this a science lesson about Saccharomyces cerevisiae, fructose, and maltose.
FACT FACT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF YEAST: All commercial brands of yeast are pretty much the
same in spite of advertising to the contrary. But, INSTANT yeast contains 25% more living yeast cells
per tablespoon than ACTIVE DRY YEAST (regardless of the brand). Technically speaking, there are
conversion ratios for figuring out how much instant yeast to use if a recipe calls for active dry yeast.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT THEM! At this point, it's just not going to affect the quality of your bread. So,
use whatever you have and stick with the amounts provided. The biggest advantage of instant yeast is
that because of the higher number of cells...it can be effectively added directly to the flour w/o proofing.
Well, truth-be-told...so can active dry yeast. So, if your store only carries "Bread Machine" yeast...don't
worry about it.
FAST FACT: Yeast will start absorbing moisture as soon as the package is opened and, since we already
know moisture triggers the yeast to come to life...that's what happened when you open the jar or packet.
So, it will loose it's strength, over time, unless you keep it in an air-tight container. Keeping it cold also
retards growth...so, keep it in the freezer & it will remain viable for over a year.
Yeast converts sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The alcohol will evaporate during baking & the
carbon dioxide will make the dough raise.
FAST FACT: Use only as much yeast as it takes to get the job done. Using a lot of yeast will rise the
dough faster but it will also eat up the available sugars & leave a NASTY alcohol taste in your bread.
(Beer making, anyone?)
TIP: In summer, when your dough will rise faster due to warmer environment & higher humidity levels (if
you live east of the Mississippi)...use LESS yeast. If your recipe requires 1 Tablespoon of yeast...in July,
reduce that amount by about 25%. In July, retarding the rise is critical to good bread.
FAST FACT: Yeast fermentation practically STOPS below 40 degrees.
Now, I'm going to spend a few minutes talking about how we can SPEED up making a loaf of bread. This
section is like the 3:1 ratio...a fall-back position. After that, I'll give a primer on the five pre-ferments and
follow with that a multi-grain recipe.
SHORT CUTS:
1.) After the dough has risen once, immediately shape into desired shape (skip the resting period)...allow
the shaped loaves to sit in their prepared pan/baking sheet/whatever you're using to bake them in/on.
Slash the tops as I described yesterday. Brush the tops of the loaves with COLD water and put them in a
COLD oven. Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes. The bread will be
heavier textured but still very good.
2.) You can shorten even more by a substitution of a 15 minute "rest" for the primary fermentation stage.
After the "rest", shape the loaves & bake as described in #1 above. WHEN TIME IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN FLAVOR & TEXTURE...this is the method to use.
3.) When you're proofing your yeast in the warm liquid...add 50 milligrams of Vitamin C...just cut a
regular Vitamin C 100 milligram tablet in two pieces. Since yeast wants an acidic environment, it will
grow & divide faster when you provide more acidity. The Vitamin C will be destroyed in the baking
process so it will not add any nutrition to the bread. Proceed as normal with making your bread. The
dough will rise faster so watch it for doubling...don't let it rise too much.
4.) If you want bread for dinner but aren't going to be around all day to watch it...do this:
In the morning, mix up your dough as normal BUT use only 1 TEASPOON OF YEAST & HALF OF THE
REQUIRED FLOUR. Cover & place in a cool location (50-60 degrees...NOT THE FRIG). Just before
dinner, add the rest of the flour...give the dough a short 15 minutes "rest", form your loaves, and bake as
above. This is great in the winter when your kitchen is cool...when you leave the house, turn down the
heat (save heating costs in the process).
5.) Use the reduced amount of yeast, as above, but knead in all the flour. Cover the bowl & put in a cool
spot. When you're ready to use the dough, GENTLY roll it out (keep as much gas as possible in the
dough), shape, & proceed with whatever baking method you like. If you want sticky buns in the morning,
make the dough the evening before and let it rise overnight. This time of year...leave it on the
counter...not in the frig...it's cool enough in your kitchen. You want the yeast to rise the dough...just
retard the process.
6.) This is useful when you want to bake bread in loaf pans...Use the normal amount of yeast, make your
dough as normal and immediately form it into loaves. Place the loaves in the greased bread pans &
cover with greased plastic-wrap (LIGHTLY grease the tops of the loaves, as well). Refrigerate anywhere
from 2 to 24 hours. When you want to bake the bread, remove it from the frig and let it sit while you
pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (pre-heat for AT LEAST 15 minutes). Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Now, we'll talk about controlling TIME to MAXIMIZE flavor & aroma. Above, we wanted to speed up the
process knowing we'd sacrifice some flavor & texture.
A pre-ferment is one of your most useful ways to manipulate TIME. The pre-ferment's MAIN function is
to IMPROVE flavor, aroma, & texture. A pre-ferment can hugely improve your odds of winning a blue
ribbon with a simple loaf of oatmeal/molasses bread at the fair! Trust me...it's worth the effort & TIME. I
judged bread at the Hillsborough County Fair....
We'll not use all of these in today's recipe but I'd like for you to start getting comfortable with the terms,
ratios, & types of bread to use each one in.
I've mentioned five types of pre-ferments. Here's the first. I'll mention it here & say no more 'cause you'll
be improving the quality of your bread but you have little control 'cause every batch will be different.
FOR EVERY BATCH OF BREAD THAT YOU MAKE...HOLD BACK 1/4 CUP WORTH OF FERMENTED
DOUGH. PLACE IT IN A ZIP-LOCK BAG...PUSH OUT THE AIR & PUT IN THE FREEZER. THE NEXT
TIME YOU MAKE BREAD, REMOVE YOUR LITTLE BALL OF DOUGH, ALLOW IT TO THAW FOR AN
HOUR OR SO...AND, ADD IT TO THE NEW BATCH WHEN YOU'RE ADDING THE BULK OF THE
FLOUR. Poof, instant pre-ferment!
The second is the sourdough pre-fermant. It's a topic of it's own so I'm not going to discuss further now. If
people still want me to continue with this primer...then, we'll get around to it.
So, we're on #3...
This one is slightly off-topic but so useful I'm adding it in anyway. It concerns quick breads. If you want to
make a better biscuit, muffic, pancake, waffle, etc. try this...mix 1 teaspoon of yeast with 1/4 cup of warm
water...add 1/2 cup of AP flour and stir the beejeezums out of it. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Make your
normal quick recipe but deduct the 1/4 cup water & 1/2 cup flour you used above from the recipe
standards. Add the yeast mixture. Proceed as normal but let whatever your making sit for about 30
minutes before you stick it in the oven or cook the waffles/pancakes. Instant improvement over a
standard leavened quick bread.
#4 & #5 are the pre-ferments you'll encounter in recipe books and are the best for controlling TIME to
IMPROVE flavor, aroma, & texture.
4.) POOLISH (aka: sponge, barms, wet sponge)
This is easy to make & best made fresh each time you want it. You can store it for 2-3 days in the frig if
you have to and it can be frozen as well. It's goopy & it's an advantage if you remember the wet
hands/wet wooden spoon tip.
Poolish Recipe:
2 1/2 Cups Unbleached Bread Flour (use AP if you don't have a mixer)
1 1/2 Cups ROOM TEMPERATURE water
1/4 Teaspoon Yeast
Stir everything together hard. It will look like a thick pancake batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and
ferment, at ROOM TEMPERATURE for 3-4 hours. It will become foamy & bubbly. This is enough for two
loaves of Ciabatta or three medium-sized pizzas.
Your RATIO for POOLISH is: EQUAL AMOUNTS FLOUR TO WATER + 1/4 teaspoon of yeast.
Equal, you say? Yes, the flour & the water WEIGH just about the same thing (11.25-11.50 ounces). Don't
CONFUSE cups to weights.
5.) Biga (aka: pate-fermentee...actually, there's a slight difference which I'll explain just below but many
people use these term interchangeably & they shouldn't.)
Biga is the Italian version of a pre-ferment. It's like making a French bread dough & should look/feel the
same odd, huh?).
Biga Recipe:
2 1/2 Cups Unbleached Bread Flour
1 Cup Water
1/2 Teaspoon Yeast
Put the ingredients in the bowl of your mixer & combine with the paddle attachment just until it's not
showing a lot of flour. Then, switch to the dough hook & knead for 5 minutes. The dough should be shiny,
look & feel elastic like a finished French bread dough. It should NOT be too sticky. You want it to form a
ball and hold it's shape. Place the Biga into a greased bowl, roll the dough around to coat it with oil,
cover with plastic wrap & allow to ferment, at room temperature, for 2-4 hours or until it doubles. Remove
the dough from the bowl and place on a slightly floured work surface. THIS TIME, we're going to PUNCH
down the dough by kneading it for about a minute to degass. Return the dough to the rising bowl, cover
with plastic wrap, & refrigerate overnight. It will keep in the frig for 2-3 days or you can freeze it.
This is enough to make a couple loaves of French/Italian bread or Ciabatta.
Your RATIO for BIGA is: Flour = 100%; Water = 67%; & Yeast = .49%
The difference between a Pate Fermentee & a Biga is that the Pate Fermentee uses salt so requires a
higher percentage of yeast. Don't worry about it.
A POOLISH & a BIGA are interchangeable. But, you'll need to adjust water/flour proportions accordingly.
I don't want you to get too caught up in all this. Just to generally know & understand what these things
are so if you run across a term it won't throw you off.
Now, for a recipe using a PRE-FERMENT. It uses a POOLISH or wet sponge.
MULTI-GRAIN HEARTH BREAD
POOLISH:
1 1/2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast (or, Instant)
2 Cups Warm Water
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (Think TIME control..not ingredient)
1/3 Cup Rye Flour (or, Pumpernickel)
1 1/2 Cups Whole-Wheat Flour
In the mixer bowl, whisk together the yeast, water, sugar, rye flour, and whole-wheat flour. Beat very
hard for about a miinute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & allow to sit, at room temperature, for 1 hour.
1/4 Cup Bran Flakes (I use oat bran)
1/3 Cup Stone-Ground Yellow Cornmeal
2/3 Cups Old-Fashioned Quaker Oats (not instant)
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 Cups BOILING Water
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
While your sponge is fermenting, place the bran, cornmeal, oats, salt, & Olive Oil in medium-sized bowl.
Add the boiling water and stir until everything is dampened. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & let sit at
room temperature until the Poolish's one hour is up. This will soften the grains and allow them to absorb
some moisture so they won't suck it all out of your finished bread.
After 1 hour.......combine the POOLISH & the grain mixture into your mixer's bowl. Using the whisk (or
paddle) attachment blend together the POOLISH & grains.
3 3/4 to 4 1/4 Cups of Unbleached Bread Flour
Add the above flour to the mixer bowl 1/2 cup at a time mixing (kneading) well after each addition. When
you reach 3 3/4 cups start watching the dough. Now, add your remaining flour just 1 Tablespoon at a
time until the dough just clears the sides of the bowl. It should be quite tacky (from all the grains) but
should hold it's shape. If you poke your finger in it...your finger will come up with sticky stuff on it but it
needs to clear the sides and ALMOST the bottom, as well of the bowl. When you're happy with the
consistency of your dough...mix (knead) hard for 5 minutes.
Remove the dough from the mixer (WET YOUR HANDS OR YOU'LL BE HOPELESSLY TANGLED IN
THIS DOUGH!). Place the dough in a greased bowl and roll around to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with
plastic wrap & allow to ferment for 2-3 hours.
When the dough has doubled, gently remove it from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. You'll
need some flour here...this is a tacky dough. With a bench knife, divide the dough into two equal pieces.
Cut STRAIGHT DOWN...do not saw back & forth. Toss a towel over the mounds of dough & allow to rest
for 10 minutes.
After ten minutes, shape each piece of dough into a large ball with a slightly flat top. Place loaves on a
parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap that you've sprayed the underneath side of with
Pam to prevent sticking.
Allow the loaves to proof for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled. At the 45 minute mark, preheat your oven
to 375 degrees. When the loaves have almost doubled...slash the tops and bake for 45 minutes.
Cool on rack for several hours before cutting.
This is my standard sandwich dough. It provides good nutrition and is extremeley flavorful. The oats &
olive oil keep this bread fresh for several days. Toasted, it's devine! The nutty flavor of the grains really
comes through. It makes a terrific grilled ham/cheese sammie.
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