However, bread baking is not a genetic predisposition. When I tried making my own rolls, they either didn't rise, or looked perfect after baking but had doughy centers. With my history of rather scarring bread baking experiences, I began to shy away from recipes that called for yeast, preferring to bake boring baking powder-risen recipes when bread was needed with a meal.
A couple of months ago, I decided to forget my failed attempts and learn to bake bread for real. I mean, there are plenty of people out there who can do it, so really, the only thing that was stopping me was me... and bad yeast. (Incidentally, my 2012 mantra will be "I can do whatever I want." But anyway.)
Here is what I have learned:
-Buy good yeast. I have never had any success whatsoever using yeast from packets. I buy the kind in a jar and keep it in the refrigerator. (A packet of yeast has 2¼ teaspoons in it, so if a recipe calls for a packet of yeast, there you go.)
-Proof the yeast by adding a tablespoon of sugar with the warm water and yeast. I do this even if the recipe doesn't call for it. Good yeast should form a thick head of foam during proofing.
-Always, always, always add the wet ingredients gradually. I have found that the amount of water it takes to get a good dough consistency varies with the weather, so a recipe may need more or less liquid than what is called for. Better to err on the side of not enough than too much. You can put more in, but you can't take it out!
-Knead for a full ten minutes. Some recipes call for more or less kneading time, but ten minutes has always given me good results.
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| Kneading builds muscles... unless you use the KitchenAid. |
-Oil the dough bowl, then turn the dough in the bowl to coat with oil on all sides. This will keep it from sticking to the bowl, the plastic wrap cover, and later, your hands.
-Make a warm place to rise the dough by pouring boiling water into a pyrex pan on the lower rack of the oven. This helps to keep the dough from drying out. I leave the pan of water in the oven when I bake the bread, too. It seems to give the bread a better crust.
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| Boiling water pan with covered dough... |
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| ...after an hour's rise... |
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| ...and with pizza bites, formed and ready to bake. |
-I also use the microwave to rise dough if the oven is in use. Ours is mounted over our oven, so it is usually pretty warm in there, but I put a mug of boiling water in with the dough for just in case purposes. This keeps the dough from drying out, too, eliminating the need to cover it during the second rise (which can mess up the shape).
-Rise and bake the bread until it looks right to you. If the recipe says rise until doubled, make sure that happens. Timing also seems to depend on the weather.
-Don't give up. When I had invested half an afternoon (or more), it was like a slap in the face when my bread didn't turn out. But it got better with practice.
The recipe used for the photos is this one, which I make all the time, using the methods described above. Because I can't leave anything alone, I used three cups of white flour and one cup of whole wheat flour for the batch I made tonight... gotta sneak a little healthiness in there when consuming large amounts of carbs!
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| JB with his pizza bites. |
Happy bread baking!
