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Bread Baking Basics
by Jill Cooper
www.LivingOnADime.com
We get so many questions about how to
make homemade bread, so I thought I would try to answer just a few of
them today. Don’t let all this information make it seem too
involved and scare you away from making bread. Once you get used to it,
it really isn’t a whole lot harder than baking a cake. Just read the
information and then follow the recipe step by step.
I once read a book by an older woman
on how to bake a pie. She said bake one everyday for 2 weeks
and at the end of that time you will know how to bake a pie. That rule
applies for many things, including bread baking. Things may seem a
little awkward or difficult at first, but after you have made it 14
times you will have learned what not to do and will get comfortable
with it. There really was a lot of wisdom in what that older woman said.
We didn’t put my favorite recipe for
homemade bread in Dining on a Dime
because it isn’t quite as frugal as others, but I thought some
of you might like it now. Also, I will give you my grandmother-in-law’s
very frugal recipe.
Before I share the recipe, here are some useful tips on baking bread:
- Unless the recipe states otherwise in the
recipe, heat about 1/4-1/2 cup of the water to 120-130° or until
it is hot when you put your finger in it. It can’t be too hot or too
cold. This is one of the most important parts of making the bread. With
practice and time, you will start being able to tell when you have the
correct temperature.
When the water is hot enough, add part of
the sugar (about 2 Tbsp.) to the water and then the yeast. You
add sugar because yeast feeds on sugar. This process is called
proofing. The yeast should start foaming, which tells you it’s good and
also that you haven’t gotten the water too hot. If nothing happens,
your yeast is dead for one reason or another so you need to get some
new yeast or try it again with a different water temperature.
It
is also good to do this because proofing the yeast gives the bread a
better start. So you don’t get confused, there are some recipes
where you add the yeast with the flour and other ingredients and can’t
proof. That’s OK because those recipes make up for it by calling for
you to mix the ingredients with a mixer.
- When you can, add a 1/2-1 cup of mashed
potatoes to your bread recipe or, in place of regular water, use
water you have used to cook your potatoes. Yeast loves potatoes and the
more it eats, the bigger it grows, making the bread lighter and
fluffier.
- Never add salt with your yeast and water
because the salt will kill it.
- Have all ingredients at room temperature.
Don’t forget to take the eggs out and let them warm up.
- If the recipe says to add enough flour to
make a stiff dough, just add the flour until it is slightly
sticky, taking that last 1/2 cup or so of flour and putting it on your
kneading surface. Then knead the last of the flour into the bread. If
you get to much flour in the recipe, it makes the bread tough.
Beginners sometimes put in all the flour that the recipe calls for and
then add more flour on the board to knead, it causing the dough to get
too stiff.
- You can’t knead bread too much.
Knead until it is very smooth and elastic, usually about 10-15 minutes.
I know that is a long time. That is why I don’t make bread as often
since I have had CFS. I made my best bread on the days my husband would
come into the kitchen, spy my dough and start pounding on it. He had
more strength than I and always did a better job of kneading.
- I always roll my dough into a 14×9 rectangle
then roll it jelly roll style and put it in the pan. This helps to get
rid of any large air bubbles you might have in the dough that can leave
large pockets and holes in your bread.
- I have tried many methods to raise bread,
from putting it in a covered bowl on the stove to putting it in the car
on a warm day. What I found works best for me is to heat my oven on the
lowest temperature while I am mixing my dough. After about 5 minutes of
heating, I turn the oven off, turn my oven light on and place the dough
in my oven (not covering). It works great every time. The heat from the
light seems to give it the right amount of warmth.
I also do this when I put the bread in the
pans to rise. I place the dough in the oven to rise using the
method I described above (reheating the oven and turning it off). Then,
when it is almost double in size, I leave it where it is and turn the
oven on to the temperature that the bread is supposed to bake and bake
it.
- Most recipes say to let bread double in
size and, to see if it is ready, press your finger into it. If
the dent stays, it is ready. After you have made several loaves, you
can pretty much tell when it is ready. When I use the method for
raising dough I describe above, I skip this test because my bread
finishes rising the last little bit while the oven is preheating.
- Most bread doughs can be frozen. Mix
and knead. Shape into loaves, mini loaves or rolls, not letting it
rise. Wrap very well and freeze. When you want to use it, thaw and let
it rise. It will keep in the freezer about 4 weeks, but after that the
yeast starts
going bad.
- When you freeze or in store home baked
breads, be sure to wrap them well. Bread can lose its moisture.
If you don’t think you will use it quickly, freeze part of the already
baked bread, because it can dry out and get moldy faster than store
bought bread. This is the reason our great-grandmothers came up with
recipes like bread pudding and French toast.
- If your bread isn’t quite done but is
getting too brown, you can tent with foil. To test whether or
not it is done, thump it with your fingers and it should sound hollow.
Here’s
my favorite bread recipe. It is a cinnamon bread but when I want
to make regular bread, I just make it into loaves without spreading the
cinnamon and sugar on it. This makes 2 loaves of bread.
Jill’s Favorite (Cinnamon) Bread
6
1/2 - 7 cups unsifted flour
6 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg. yeast
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup margarine
3 eggs (room temp.)
Filling:
Margarine,
softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
Mix 2 cups flour with sugar, salt and yeast. Put the milk, water and
margarine in a large mixing cup and heat in the microwave to 120° or
until it feels really hot when you put your finger in it. (The
margarine doesn’t need to be melted.) Gradually add to the dry
ingredients. Add the eggs and 1/2 cup more of flour. Stir in enough
additional flour to make a stiff dough. Turn on to a lightly floured
board and knead until smooth and elastic (or you can knead it in the
bowl). Place in a greased bowl (It sounds strange, but I use bacon
grease), turning to grease the top. Put in warm place (like I mentioned
above) and let rise until double; about 35 minutes.
Punch down and divide into 2 halves. Roll into a 14×9 rectangle. If you
are making regular bread then, beginning at the 9 inch end, roll as you
would a jelly roll, gently making it into a loaf. Divide and place in 2
greased 9×5 bread pans. Let rise again for about 35 minutes until
double. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. To see if it’s done, thump with
your fingers. If it sounds hollow, it is done.
For Cinnamon Bread:
After you have rolled the dough out, spread it with a thick layer of
margarine. Then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and roll as above. Be
sure to tuck the ends under so the goodies won’t ooze out.
Grandma Suhler’s White Bread
This is a great frugal recipe or one
to use when you are short on ingredients because it doesn’t call
for things like milk or eggs.
This recipe was written the way we did
it years ago, with just the ingredients and minimal
instructions, so I hope you can figure it out OK. As you will see this,
recipe breaks most of the rules I explained above, but her bread was
always great.
You might also notice she did most of
her kneading and working the bread in her bowl instead of
dirtying a counter. One of our readers mentioned doing the same thing
on the
blog a few days ago.
1
pkg. yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. shortening or margarine
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water, very warm
Flour (about 6-7 cups)
Shift flour into the above mixture, stirring until it is too thick to
stir. Then work with hands, adding flour as needed until it becomes a
very stiff dough and won’t stick to your hands. Place in a greased
bowl, turning to coat top and set in a warm, draft free place about 1
1/2 hours. (This is why I like my oven method for rising.)
Punch down and let rise 1/2 hour more. Make into loaves or rolls. Makes
2 loaves. Bake at 325° for 1 hour for loaves and 35 minutes for rolls.
(I found 375° for 25 minutes also works for the rolls.)
Last Note:
You don’t always have to use as much
yeast as the recipe calls for. For example, my original bread
recipe called for 2 packages of yeast and it made 2 loaves. I have used
just one package for years and it works fine. Grandma’s original recipe
was doubled and made 4 loaves but still only used 1 package of yeast.
If a recipe calls for 2 packages of
yeast and it makes 2 loaves of regular bread, you can usually
just use 1 package to save a little. If you plan on making bread on a
regular basis, you might want to buy yeast in bulk or in the jars
because it is much less expensive. You can find bulk yeast in warehouse
stores or larger grocery stores. Just take some out and freeze the
rest. The yeast will stay fresh for up to 3 years this way.
Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are the authors of
Dining On A Dime:1,000 Money Saving Recipes and Tips. Dining On A Dime
will help you shop smarter, by cooking simpler meals and by making your
own basic cleaning products and beauty aids. For free tips &
recipes visit http://www.LivingOnADime.com/ . Permission
granted for use on DrLaura.com.
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