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HOW BREAD BAKING WORKS
Steps
#1 - 5 walk you through the bread baking steps: preheating the oven,
final touches, bake, cool and store.
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When the loaf
is first placed in a well-preheated and hot oven, the heat from it
causes a final burst of fermentation and expansion called "oven
spring". This gives the bread a nice rounded and well-risen top.
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Oven spring
continues through the first five to ten minutes
of baking and stops when the loaf has reached 140 degrees F when
the yeast dies. The
flour's starches gelatinize and the gluten sets, making the loaf's
shape permanent. |
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The bread's
crust browns in the final stages of baking. The sugars that did not
ferment during rising, caramelize from the heat of the oven, resulting
in a nicely browned crust with lots of flavor. This is caused by the
complex reaction between the sugars and the proteins on the surface of
the loaf, called the Maillard Reaction.
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STEP #1- PREHEAT
THE OVEN: This is a very important step. |
 A
reliable way to check if the bread dough passes the ‘doubled in size or
bulk’ stage and is ready to be baked:
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Press the tips
of two fingers lightly and quickly about 1/2 inch into the dough. |
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If the
impression you made stays, the dough has doubled.
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Follow
the recipe’s directions for preheating and baking.
When the loaf starts its second
rise after shaping, it is a good time to
PREHEAT the oven. This means you will have a good 30 to 45 minutes so it gets
really hot before you put the loaf in for the best oven spring! Before you
start, adjust the oven rack to the lower third of the oven (or as directed in
the recipe).
Make sure you have an oven
thermometer, available from the grocery store, hanging in the oven at all times
to make sure it is accurate.
Ovens are notoriously off and will
negatively affect your final loaf:
if the dough goes into an oven that is too hot, the
structure of the bread starts to form before the bread is allowed to go
through it's final rise, called "oven spring".
This prevents the loaf from rising to its fullest. If the oven is to
cold, the bread rises slowly and not to its fullest, causing a dense loaf.
Also, before preheating, if making
crusty breads or using a baking
stone, place it in a cold oven. If an
Artisan bread recipe that requires
steam, place an empty jelly-roll pan on the shelf below where the
bread will be placed to bake before you preheat the oven. When the bread goes in
the oven, you pour an inch of hot water in the hot pan and steam is created.
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STEP#2 - DO THE FINAL
TOUCHES BEFORE BAKING |
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YEASTED BREADS: After you turn on
the oven to preheat, it is time to give some finishing touches.
Use a clean, soft pastry brush to apply a thin
coating. Here are some of my favorites.
Glazing Before Baking:
When applying a finishing touch before baking,
be careful not to "glue" the loaf to the rim of the loaf pan or the baking
sheet. This will make it difficult to remove the loaf from the pan after
baking. If it does, use a sharp knife to the bread from the pan's
sides if it does.
Glazing After Baking:
Transfer the loaf or
rolls to a wire cooling rack, then apply the prepared finishing touch using
a soft brush while the bread is still warm. This is done to add flavor to
the bread and to soften the texture of the crust.
GLAZES:
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Egg Wash:
will give a shiny, golden
look to the crust as well as make a harder crust. This is my favorite.
Beat together 1 egg or 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon of water. (1 whole
egg will impart more color because of the yolk.) Apply it right before baking.
If you forget, you can brush your loaf five minutes before it's ready to
come out of the oven. |
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Egg White Wash - Seeded
Breads:
Poppy, caraway, sesame seed or rolled oats are eye-appealing and tasty
toppings. Poppy seeds produce a crunchy and nutty flavor in the bread.
Sesame seeds are small oval-shaped seeds of the sesamum family. They are
pearly white in color and produce a rich, toasted nut flavor. Whisked
egg whites make a great "glue" and are used to glue one piece of dough
to another.
This tip is from Robert who contributes to the
Ask Sarah Message Board for
Bakers on a regular basis: Take 1 or 2 large egg whites beaten
with 1 teaspoon water and brush on the bread dough before baking. Let it
set a second and then reapply and immediately sprinkle on your seeds.
You could try patting the seeds down gently. The egg white wash acts as
a glue. |
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Butter: adds flavor and a nice brown
soft crust to your bread.
Brush top of loaf with about 2 tablespoons
softened butter. |
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Honey: gives it a soft, sweet,
sticky dark brown crust to a sweet dough if a few tablespoons honey are
brushed on top of a loaf before baking.
For a soft, sweet, sticky
crust, brush a baked, still-warm bread from the oven with honey. |
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Milk: you'll get a slightly soft or
tender crust, with a golden color if you brush loaves with warm milk
before baking. For a
slightly sweeter glaze, dissolve a little sugar in it.
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Olive Oil: adds flavor and makes a
nice golden crust with a slight shine. Do so immediately
before and after baking. |
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Salted Water: makes for a light
shine and crisp golden crust. Mix
together 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons water. Brush on right before
popping in the oven. |
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Cornstarch Glaze:
For a chewy crust with a
sheen, brush the dough with a mixture of cornstarch and water that has
been cooked until translucent and then cooled.
Professional bakers also use this glaze.
Combine 1/2 cup cold water and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. In a small
saucepan, with a small whisk, stir together water and cornstarch. Heat
mixture to a gentle boil. Stir, reduce heat, until mixture thickens and
is translucent. Cool. Brush on loaf about 10 minutes before baking is
finished and again 3 minutes before bread is completely done.
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FOR
FRENCH,
SOURDOUGH OR SPONGE ARTISAN BREADS:
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Slashing: The
scoring of some breads before baking is done for a couple of reasons.
First, for a beautiful visual appearance and second, this scoring allows
the dough to expand quickly during baking so it reaches its maximum
volume. It also prevents a "blow out" from happening if bubbles appear
under the crust and then burst. Slashing was used historically to
also give a distinctive slash to a bread baked along with others in a
French communal oven. Since the bread of each household would be mixed
with others, a distinctive slash was one way to tell the loaves apart. For
regular and large-sized breads: After the shaped Sourdough or Sponge
dough rises, glaze and slash top 3-4 times with sharp knife, lightly
sprayed with vegetable oil, to prevent dragging. Cut each about 1/4 inch
deep at a 30 degree angle. To slash small breads, such as rolls, you can
snip a crisscross with kitchen shears. Cut the dough about an inch deep
into each roll. You can also slash it if desired.
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Steam: For a crisp crust on a rustic
or sourdough loaf, brush or lightly spray with water. Heat a pan in the
oven while preheating and add hot water after you place the loaf in the
oven. Quickly shut the door. |
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 For
brown and serve rolls: Bake rolls as usual, but do
not let them brown; they will be slightly tacky on top. Take out of pan let
cool completely on a rack. Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and then place in an
airtight bag. They will keep up to 7 days in the fridge and 3 months in the
freezer. They can be baked right from the fridge, until golden brown. If
frozen, let thaw covered at room temperature and then bake. |
When a loaf is first placed in the oven to bake, it goes
through a quick rise what is known as "oven spring". It is caused by the yeast
becoming more active when first subjected to the oven's hot temperatures
creating a burst of carbon dioxide that is responsible for the bread's rise.
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BREAD LOAF IS DONE BAKING WHEN: If
the bread loaf is taken from the oven just because the outside looks done,
the inside may be underdone. To test: My
favorite and most accurate way to do test whether a bread loaf is done is to
place an Instant Read
Thermometer dead center in the bottom of it. If it reads between 190 -
210 degrees F, the bread is done. Another way to test for doneness is
to turn the bread out of the pan and tap its bottom and side. If the
interior sounds hollow, the bread is done. It should also be evenly browned
and smell just wonderful !! |
Place the baking pans several inches apart on the lower shelf
or on the baking stone. If there isn't room, stagger loaf pans on the rack
placed in the middle and the lower third of the oven. Check your loaves
about 10 minutes before recipe says they should be done. Let bake until golden
brown. If your loaf is browning excessively, place an aluminum foil ‘tent’ on
top to shield it. For rustic or sourdough breads, certain additional baking
steps are followed to guarantee a crispy
crust.
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STEP #4 - COOL THE LOAF
& OPTIONALLY SLICE |
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To
keep bread warm while serving: Add a few clean, unglazed
terra-cotta tiles to a preheated oven for for 5 minutes to heat. Place the
hot tiles in a towel-lined basket, add bread or rolls, and cover. Make sure
your tabletop can withstand the heat. |
When the bread is done, take it out of the oven and let it sit
in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire cake rack. For less shine but a good deep
golden-brown color, and good flavor, brush butter on bread just out of the oven.
Warm honey can be brushed on to give a sweet and glossy glaze.
Invert the pan and the loaf should fall out. If it doesn't
come out easily, run a thin knife around the sides of the pan to loosen it and
try again. Set it on its side on the wire rack to cool before slicing or
storing. I have also set it across the rims of the pan to cool when I ran out of
wire racks. After thoroughly cooled, extra loaves should be stored.
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STEP #5 - STORE
THE LOAF & LEFT-OVERS (IF ANY) |
Storing Bread. It's always best to
enjoy bread the day it's made, preferably within a few hours. If freshly baked,
make sure the bread has cooled thoroughly before storing
or steam will condense on the bread's crust causing it to become moist.
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 Some
Quick Notes on
Storing Bread:
If you'll be using your bread within a few
days, wrap the loaf so that it's airtight and store at room temperature.
If the loaf is made with perishable
ingredients, like meat or cheese, wrap the bread and store it in the
refrigerator. Breads that aren't made with perishable ingredients should not
be stored in the refrigerator; it will make the bread become stale more
quickly.
If you'll be keeping your bread for more than
a few days, seal the loaf in a freezer-proof bag. The bread will keep in the
freezer for up to 3 months.
Thawing frozen bread will take about 2 to 3
hours at room temperature, or about 6 to 8 minutes on the defrost setting of
your microwave. If you slice your bread before freezing, you can toast it
straight out of the freezer.
To warm bread, wrap loaf in foil and heat in
a 350-degree oven for 15 to 30 minutes. Unwrap bread in the last 5 minutes
to produce a crisp crust. Thaw frozen bread thoroughly before warming in
oven. |
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