The Art of Homemade Bread Foundations in Home Bread Making

My staff of life-baking hobby all started with a Netflix documentary. Cooked , based on Michael Pollan's volume of the same name , explores the origins of food in our world and communities. One of the episodes — "Air" — focused on breadstuff. Pollan, who as well narrates the series, takes u.s.a. on a globe tour of the history and science of bread-making. With merely 4 simple ingredients, he explains, a world can be fed: flour, water, salt, and yeast. (And that last one can be institute and added naturally in the right conditions.)

4 ingredients? I could make bakery-quality bread — the very staff of life — in my ain kitchen with only iv ingredients?

The idea was planted in my mind, but I neglected to take action on it, and the inspiration went dormant. And then I interviewed Bo Pryor for our SYWMJ series , and I learned that part of his weekly routine is making bread with his children. The inspiration re-surfaced, I asked him for a recipe, and a new hobby was built-in.

I started out with Bo'due south sandwich loaf. Then I fabricated some easy French bread, a few Dutch oven boules (that's French for "circular loaf"), a baguette-style airy loaf — soon enough it became a weekly hobby of exploring various recipes and methods. And now, just a few short months later, I'k making sourdough bread, English muffins, dinner rolls, etc. Information technology'south really quite an easy learning curve.

Below, I present Staff of life Blistering 101: guidance and recipes for very beginners — folks who may have never baked anything in their whole life — on how to make bread at home. I guarantee you'll end upwards with a bakery-quality loaf from your very own oven.

The Benefits of Baking Your Own Breadstuff

If you've never thought near baking your own bread before, why consider starting? Hither are 3 reasons:

Information technology'south healthier. Have a look at the ingredients list of any pre-packaged bread you buy at the grocery store. You lot'll observe a bunch of unpronounceable chemicals and preservatives. Your bootleg bread volition literally merely exist flour, h2o, common salt, and yeast. There may be added accoutrements like cheese, herbs, dried fruits, etc., just the base of operations of your loaves volition be built on a unproblematic foundation of 4 ingredients. While bread is calorie-rich and not particularly healthy in general (at least in the modern age where you're typically not burning off all those carbs), if yous're going to eat and enjoy information technology, homemade is the way to become. I really appreciate that my breadstuff starts to harden and mold later on a week — just like real, unadulterated organic matter should.

It'southward an easy way to impress friends/family, guests, and party hosts. Few things impress loved ones and other guests at a dinner party similar a homemade loaf of staff of life. It has a sure magical quality about it that isn't replicated in other foods — mayhap because it's i of mankind's oldest cooked foodstuffs.

Plus, being that a human being should never make it empty-handed to a party , bread makes for something unique and wonderful to nowadays to some other host. Rather than a bottle of wine or a six-pack — equally is the usual — prove upward to the door with a fresh loaf, and you'll be sure to stand up out. It's also a nice souvenir considering it can exist served with dinner or other party treats, or information technology can be reserved to be enjoyed subsequently.

Information technology connects you to your food, and rebels against big corporations. The vast majority of Americans these days are totally disconnected from their food. Everything we ingest is prepackaged, frozen, reheated in microwaves. And the giant corporations who manufacture all that "food" for us are making billions of dollars because we don't know how and don't desire to take the fourth dimension to cook our ain.

Push back against the corporate behemoths and learn how to bake a loaf of bread. It's incredibly satisfying not just to the taste buds, but to the soul, besides.

Side by side, let'southward go into the bones ingredients and supplies needed, and then into a couple recipes.

Ingredients Needed

The ingredients needed to brand bread are incredibly uncomplicated, and y'all're nigh guaranteed to take the bulk of what you need already at domicile.

Yeast. Yeast is the living organism that makes your bread dough rise and creates those lovely air bubbles in the nibble — without it, you'd accept a flatbread or a tortilla. There's a ton of complicated science behind yeast and what it's actually doing in bread (and beer!), and if you're looking for a proficient explanation, cheque out this resource library from Carmine Star . Merely for our purposes, just know that you lot need it, and there are two types of yeast usually establish in the grocery shop:

• Agile Dry — yeast that is dry out, granular in texture, and needs proofing — that is, information technology needs to exist mixed with lukewarm (nigh 110° F) h2o to activate (beware: if the water is too hot, it volition kill your yeast). This water/yeast solution is and then added to your dry ingredients.
• Instant/Rapid Rise — with a finer consistency, instant yeast activates more than rapidly than "active dry" and doesn't take to be proofed starting time — information technology can exist put right in with your dry ingredients. "Rapid rise" is a variety of instant yeast to which enzymes have been added to aid the dough ascent faster.

In that location are other varieties of yeast — fresh and sourdough starter, namely — simply the to a higher place two are all the starting time baker needs to know. Both kinds of yeast come in either packets or jars; if you plan on blistering ofttimes, it'south worth getting a jar from which yous can dole out perfectly portioned measurements (you're not ever going to need a packet-ful).

Then which kind of yeast should you apply? While each type volition produce slightly different effects in your breads, and some bakers swear by agile dry, they're fairly interchangeable. Instant has the advantage of convenience in that information technology doesn't take to be proofed and helps your dough ascension faster (potentially saving 10-xx minutes of time). For that reason, I prefer instant. Just choose ane type, go used to using it, and go far your become-to.

Flour. While any old all-purpose (white) flour volition practice, there are some variations to consider when buying flour for bread.

• Whole Wheat — whole wheat flour adds density, some sweetness, and boosted health benefits to your bread. Many people also just prefer the taste of whole wheat breadstuff over white. Know, withal, that you tin can't simply substitute the same corporeality of whole wheat flour when a recipe calls for white. Doing 100% whole wheat flour without changing the loaf's preparation techniques would give you a brick of staff of life — its properties don't allow for the same fluffiness. Usually yous'll run across xx-40% of the full flour being whole wheat, so I recommend only working with whole wheat when a recipe specifically calls for it rather than freestyling.
• Bread Flour — this is a diverseness of white flour, merely it has a higher protein content. What does that mean for our purposes? It leads to better gluten development — the bonds formed by the h2o and flour are stronger. You lot cease up with a really prissy chewy and elastic structure. You lot can sub in staff of life flour 100% for whatever recipe that calls for all-purpose. It'southward exclusively what I utilize for my loaves.
• Specialty Flours — when walking downwards the baking aisle at the store you're bound to run across other specialty flours like rye, semolina, oat, etc. Every bit a beginner, stay away from these until you've gotten some experience. As with whole wheat, yous'll rarely, if always, utilize these as 100% of the flour content in a typical loaf of bread, so don't endeavor it.

In conclusion, any all-purpose white flour will practice. I like to apply staff of life flour as a substitute, and it'south hands found in most grocery stores. Use whole wheat flour if the recipe calls for it. Stay away from the other stuff until later on.

Salt. Your basic table salt will do! I usually put 25-fifty% less salt in the bread than what the recipe calls for. I personally similar to allow the staff of life flavor come through pure, and so sprinkle some sea table salt on height if I feel it needs it.

Water. I've e'er used tap h2o, and information technology comes out just fine!

Others. Many recipes call for additional ingredients to sweeten things or create a dissimilar type of texture. These can include milk (normally calls for whole), butter (usually calls for unsalted), oil, honey, etc.

Supplies Needed

Digital scale. If there'southward one tool a home staff of life baker needs above all others, information technology's a digital kitchen calibration. Cheap versions are a little over $x; the one I use was $thirty . I'g certain the cheap ones work just fine.

Why do you need a calibration versus just measuring cups? It's almost entirely for the flour. When scooping flour out of a purse with a measuring cup, every person doing information technology (and every fourth dimension you do it) will garner a scoop with a different density. The flour can get smashed down and then you get more than needed, or information technology tin can be a little too fluffy and you'll have less than desired. In brusk, the cup of flour in a measuring cup is non always the aforementioned one cup of flour called for. With a scale, you're getting exact amounts in grams. It's only the better way to go.

Additionally, most bread recipes are written in either grams or ounces anyhow, so your measuring cups wouldn't do y'all a whole lot of expert without having to practice some math for every ingredient.

Mixing bowls. I tend to use more than one mixing bowl when I make bread, so have a couple clean and handy.

Measuring cups/spoons. Both liquid and dry, and for some recipes y'all'll demand spoons for downwardly to i/4 tsp or fifty-fifty 1/8 tsp (though not for the ones in this article).

Spatula/wooden spoon. Whatsoever will do.

Dutch oven. For the second recipe, a Dutch oven with a lid is needed. I melted the plastic handle off mine the starting time time, and so a steel handle is preferred.

2 Beginner Recipes for a Great Homemade Loaf of Breadstuff

These recipes are where, I believe, every domicile breadstuff baker should get-go. They're super piece of cake, don't crave kneading, and produce a really amazing loaf. One time y'all experience comfortable working with the ingredients, stirring and transferring dough, etc., and so you can move on to more than advanced breads and techniques (which I'll write about in the hereafter!).

I've included the step-by-footstep pictures for the first recipe. The steps are similar for the 2nd recipe, and really for all bread recipes. Mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, form into dough, permit ascension, broil. That's simplified, of course, but that's the gist of it!

Piece of cake Sandwich Loaf

This is a classic sandwich loaf recipe, that adds some butter and beloved for additional sweetness. You lot'll need a loaf pan for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 310 grams flour (all-purpose or breadstuff) – 2 cups
• 55 grams whole wheat flour – 6 tablespoons
• 7 grams yeast – 2 1/4 teaspoons
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 14 grams honey – 1 tablespoon
• 4 grams common salt – 3/4 teaspoon
• ane 1/four cups warm water

Directions

i. In a large basin, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast, and then information technology's all well-incorporated.

Whisking together dry ingredients.

2. Whisk together warm water, melted butter, and honey in liquid measuring cup until dear is dissolved.

3. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and stir until the batter comes together. And then utilize the spoon or spatula to fold the dough over on itself 4-6 times until a more firm dough starts to grade.

The dough is coming together after mixing the wet and dry ingredients with a spatula.

4. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough ascension until it's about doubled in volume (xxx-twoscore min.).

Y'all can see the dough has well-nigh doubled in volume, filling some of the space of the mixing bowl. It's too naturally smoothed out a chip. The bubbling are the yeast doing its job!

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and grease your loaf pan (Pam for the win here!).

6. Transfer dough to the loaf pan, cover with plastic, and allow rise until the dough gets to ane/2" below the lip of the pan. Uncover, and allow rise until the dough is level with the lip of the pan. This should all have well-nigh 30-forty minutes.

The dough naturally deflates some when transferring to the loaf pan. That's A-okay. Information technology can actually rise likewise much, in which case the loaf deflates when cooking.

Almost ready for blistering! Merely a few more minutes.

7. Bake xl-45 minutes, until the top is a nice golden-dark-brown. Let loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes or so, before transferring to a cooling rack or cutting board.

8. Let cool for a couple hours before slicing and enjoying! If you cutting bread too soon, the steam that'southward all the same in there volition escape, and the breadstuff will dry out much quicker.

Dutch Oven Boule

This recipe is stupidly easy, and it tastes amazing. This was my family's favorite staff of life of mine before I recently got some speciality bread-baking tools (more on that in Staff of life Braking 201). This is an overnight rise, so start the bread the twenty-four hours or dark earlier you'd like to bake it. Hardly whatsoever skill needed — just some time and attention.

Ingredients (I've included standard measures every bit well, in italics)

• 630 grams flour (breadstuff or all-purpose) – 4.v cups
• 18 grams salt – ane tbsp
• 1 1/2 grams yeast – 1/2 tsp
• ii 1/two cups lukewarm water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast, so information technology's all well-incorporated.
2. Add ii 1/4 cups water, stir until a pasty, pretty wet dough forms. If not all of the flour is incorporated, slowly add together more water, a tablespoon or so at a fourth dimension. This isn't your standard dough; it's very moist and would be impossible to course into any shape at this point.
3. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and allow it rising on the counter at room temperature overnight, or up to 24 hours.
4. Later the bread has risen, employ a spoon to fold the dough over itself 4-6 times, deflating some of the air from it. Let ascent some other 2-3 hours.
5. When you lot're prepare to bake, identify your Dutch oven, with the lid, into the conventional oven. Preheat it to 475 degrees.
6. When the conventional oven is preheated, pull the Dutch oven out (with oven mittens, please) and place it on the stovetop. Using a spoon, pour your dough into the hot dutch oven. Information technology'll sizzle a little bit.
7. Place the lid dorsum on, and put information technology back in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes with the lid on, then another 15-20 minutes with the chapeau off.
8. Pull the Dutch oven out of the conventional oven, and let the staff of life sit in there another xv minutes or so, before carefully flipping it over to become the breadstuff out. The high estrus ensured that the bread wouldn't stick, so information technology should plop right out.
9. Let cool for a couple hours earlier slicing in and enjoying!

For a whole wheat variation, employ 420 grams (three cups) all-purpose flour (or staff of life flour) and 240 grams (1.v cups) whole wheat flour.

You can also add: grated cheese (one cup, gruyere is excellent), stale fruit (one loving cup, blueberries are my favorite), rosemary (1-2 tablespoons). These are all added betwixt steps one and 2. Use your imagination and experiment!

______________________________

Sources/Inspiration

Cooked by Michael Pollan
52 Loaves by William Alexander
In Search of the Perfect Loaf by Samuel Fromartz
Bread Illustrated
Bread: A Global History by William Rubel
Bread Science: The Chemistry and Craft of Making Bread by Emily Buehler
Bake Magazine

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