Basics of Bread Baking for Beginning Bread Bakers

If you’ve ever read the novel or seen the movie or musical called Les Miserables, you  may remember the protagonist, Jean Valjean, a man who suffers multiple arrests for stealing bread.  Bread sets the story into motion as Valjean’s arrest leads to his gradual transformation into a wealthy man sought by villain Javert, whose motive is to expose his criminal roots.  Who would have guessed that bread would be the catalyst for such an epic story?  This is especially apparent when one considers that throughout history, bread was long considered peasant food.  It was an affordable way to satisfy one’s appetite and very little thought was given to taste and aesthetics.

Now, bread has reached a new plateau as bakery’s open up across the country specializing in artisan bread.  Even chain restaurants like Panera Bread have opened up satiating America’s craving for freshly baked artisan bread.

It’s true that there are very few things more satisfying than a delicious slice of bread fresh from the oven.  This is what I have realized as I have delved further and further into the depths of bread baking.  My first encounter with bread baking occurred in Summer 2012.  I was inspired by an amazingly decadent Honey Wheat Toast dessert served at a neighborhood Japanese restaurant called Shokudo.  Crisp, yet delicate and sweet, yet rustic, this bread had all of the qualities that good bread should have.

Honey Wheat Toast

Desperate in my attempt to recreate this bread, I rushed to my beloved source, the Internet.  I discovered a recipe for Honey Wheat Bread and took my first stab at bread baking.  Unfortunately, my first stab missed by a mile and my first attempt was unsuccessful.  My Honey Wheat Loaf was dense and heavy.  If I was into sports, I could have used it as a football.  What I had failed to consider were the fundamental basics of bread baking.  When armed with the rules, a little time, and patience, one can reap the rewards of a bread well done.

Basics of Bread Baking for Beginning Bread Bakers

1. Follow the directions and use approximate measurements
Unlike cooking, baking recipes should not be altered unless one knows exactly what they are doing.  With cooking, you can easily substitute ingredients.  However, baking begs for precision as the elimination of one ingredient could throw off the whole recipe.  Baking is a science and every ingredient’s presence is necessary.  With bread baking, every ingredient needs to be present within the confines of specific ratios.  If possible, use a scale to measure the ingredients to be more precise.


2. Use yeast that has not expired
The right yeast is yeast that is not expired.  Make sure that the expiration date has not passed.  If it has, dispose of it immediately unless you want to find yourself stuck with a loaf you can throw in the next neighborhood football game.  Yeast must be active in order for it to help the bread rise properly and achieve proper texture.  If its inactive, it will not help the bread rise and you will have a very dense loaf.


3. Use the right type of yeast
Using the right type of yeast in essential to achieving the results you desire.  To stay on the safe side, stick with the type of yeast the recipe suggests or you will have to convert the amount to produce equivalent results.  I don’t recommend dealing with conversions, because a recipe sets baking and rising times based on the type of yeast and using more yeast than called for will result in a more pronounced yeast taste.

There are three types of yeast and various names for them which can be confusing.  The names you are most likely to run into include: fresh active, cake yeast, active dry, rapid rise, instant, quick rise, and bread machine.  Despite all these names, there really are only three types:

TYPE 1: Fresh
Possible names: Fresh active, fresh, cake
Description: This yeast must be refrigerated.  It only has a shelf life of 10 days.  It is what professional bakers use and supposedly produces the best flavor.  However, home chefs may be better off using active dry because it is more convenient and can be kept in the pantry.  I have never personally used fresh yeast, preferring to use dry for convenience.

TYPE 2: Dry
Possible Names: Active dry, dry
Description: This is essentially a dry version of fresh yeast.  It can be kept in the pantry and will survive for up to 2 years if properly stored.  This is my preferred type of yeast to use as the results are consistent and it produces better flavor than instant.  In conversions, less dry yeast would be used than fresh and more would be used than instant.  Dry yeast should be proofed which will be explained in the 4th step.

TYPE 3: Instant
Possible names: rapid rise, instant, quick rise, and bread machine
Description: Bread traditionally needs to rise twice to achieve desired results.  Instant yeast is a dried yeast that was created to eliminate the first rise making the waiting game much shorter.  It is often associated with bread machines, which are known for baking bread rapidly.  Flavor is not as well-developed as dry because rising times are shorter.  If you use instant instead of active dry, the ratio is 1:2. Instant yeast does not need to be proofed (explained in 4th step) and can be added immediately to dried ingredients.  Although the packaging for instant yeast usually states that proofing is not necessary, I recommend doing it anyway.


4. Proof your yeast first!
Proofing yeast is a simple procedure.  Proofing ensures that your yeast is active.  In addition, by proofing your yeast first instead of just adding all ingredients together at once, you ensure that your bread will rise at the appropriate temperature.  Temperature is key with bread rising for the yeast to start feeding on the flour.  The only times you don't need to proof your yeast is when your recipe calls for a starter, biga, or poolish because these are alternative ways of activating yeast.  

If your recipe does not include a step for proofing, do not fret, it can still be done.  Just subtract ½ cup of water from the liquids listed and use that for proofing instead.

All it requires is a thermometer, liquid (like milk or water), a bowl, sweetener, and yeast.  First measure out the amount of water required for proofing.  Heat it in the microwave or stovetop until the temperature is between 100 and 110 degrees.  The thermometer can be a candy thermometer or a meat thermometer, either will do the job.  Different sources recommend different temperatures for proofing, but I generally stick with this range to be safe.  Anything lower will not activate the yeast and anything higher will kill the yeast.  Stick with something close to 105 to be safe.  Now, mix in the sweetener, which is usually sugar, honey, or diastatic malt.  Lastly, mix in the yeast.  Now, let it sit for about 10 minutes and you should see it start to foam up.  This is a sign that it has activated and is ready to be added to your other ingredients.


5. Knead your dough well in accordance with recipe times
Once you have prepared the dough, there are three major steps before you can bake it.  First, is kneading the dough.  Many recipes will give the procedure for using a KitchenAid mixer, which many individuals, including myself, do not own.  However, there’s absolutely no shame in using your hands to knead the dough.  Kneading by hand is beneficial as it helps you become more familiar with how dough feels when it changes.  Simply, fold one side of the dough over the other side and push down.  Then, rotate it by 90 degrees. Continue folding one side over the other and rotating.  Typically, dough should be kneaded in this manner for 10 minutes or until it becomes smooth and elastic.  The primary reason bread must be kneaded is to produce gluten, which is essential for producing the light and airy texture characteristic of bread.


6. Bread needs to rise twice
Time is key for bread to develop flavor and rise.  After kneading dough, it should be placed in a greased bowl then covered with a piece of plastic wrap/cling film (and possibly a towel to keep that in place).   Set it aside at room temperature for about an hour or until it rises to double its original size.  Next, here’s the fun step, punch it down with your fist and watch it deflate.  Then shape it as indicated by the recipe.  The last step is to let your dough rise covered with plastic wrap/cling film a second time either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.  This is a general rule of thumb for bread baking.  Generally, the rule is that once the dough ingredients are completely combined, there are four phases necessary to successful bread.  These phases are:

1) Knead

2) First Rise

3) Punch Down, Then Shape

4)After Shaping, Second Rise

There are many variations to this and some breads may require more than two rises.  But overall these are the basic rules.  If you’re deciding whether to refrigerate or not, you should consider the result you are trying to achieve.  Refrigeration retards the dough, in other words, the cold temperature slows the rising process so that it develops better flavor.  Refrigeration=better tasting bread!  I highly recommend refrigerating if you have the time.  However, you must remember that refrigeration can change the order of the steps. 

These are the options when considering refrigeration: 

• After Kneading, put covered dough in the refrigerator overnight (First Rise), Punch Down, then Shape, let Rise at room temperature until doubled
• After Kneading, Let dough Rise at room temperature until doubled, Shape dough, Put covered dough in refrigerator overnight

7. Make sure bread does not under-proof or over-proof, which refers to how much it has risen
If the bread does not get enough time to rise, it will be dense and gummy.  Ensure that your dough rises to double its size.  This is a more trustworthy indicator of rise doneness than the typically stated hour (it may take longer or shorter than an hour).  However, also make sure that it does not over-rise, because it still needs to rise in the oven.  You can test the doneness using the poke test (found on the fresh loaf website).  Just poke your dough about ¼ inch in with the pad of your finger, then check to see how long it takes to spring back like a rubber band.

Under-proofed: Immediate spring back
Just Right: Delayed spring back
Over-proofed: Very slow spring back

If bread may seems intimidating, it does not have to be as long as one follows the basic rules for baking bread.  Also, consider that bread baking takes practice, time, and patience.  As soon as one smells the wonderful aroma of bread that fills a house, all of that time instantly becomes worth it.  The feeling of gratification and pride gained from bread baking is the primary reason bread has become my favorite thing to bake.