This is a breadmaking day. Nothing particularly noteworthy about the day to make it into a breadmaking day except that it just is.
The first stage of the process is underway as I sit at the computer. If you like, and if you want to continue or start reading I will relate something about the process and experience of making loaves of bread. I remember the first loaf of bread that I produced. At least I think I remember. As I get older there are memories that are so vivid in the recollection, that I begin to wonder if they can be real. Whether it is real or not there is a video in my head of the third floor attic apartment in New Brunswick and the tiny kitchen. And I recall thinking, as that first loaf came into shape under my hands, and then when it emerged as a loaf from the oven, that there was something magical about getting the dough to rise and make itself into a loaf. This even as I understood a little of the science of how yeast grows and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide. And I felt some sense of accomplishment as the bread came out of the oven the first couple couple of slices were cut off the loaf. I don't know if the loaves that come from today's exercise will be any better than what I picture in my head of that first loaf.
Making bread nowadays doesn't seem quite so magical. I have read more about flour and know a little about the chemistry and physics to make the process knowable and understandable. There is no magic to getting the yeast to grow to generate the bubbles that pump up the dough, and it's not magic that with kneading the molecular gluten changes shape so that it holds the gas bubbles and holds the flour together. No magic involved, but maybe it is mystical. It is for sure a sensual experience. Just think of the golden brown loaf just out of the oven, it is still almost too hot to handle when you put onto the cutting board and the yeasty aroma steams out from the initial slash through the skin of the loaf.
So the recipe that I sort of follow when I make bread is very simple. White flour, whole wheat flour, yeast, honey, water, and yougurt. The methodology for the bread making is based loosely on what I read about making bread in "The Bread Bible" by Rose Levy Berenbaum.
First step in the process is preparing the sponge:
- 2 1/4 cups flour, The flour can be a mix of white and whole wheat. I use 1 1/4 cup white and 1 cup whole wheat.
- 1 cup warm water
- 3/4 cup yogurt, Russian or Greek style plain yogurt, that is yogurt with the active culture.
- Yogurt adds a bit of fat to the bread. Also adds a little sour flavor. If you choose not to use the yougurt, replace with equal volume of other liquid, water or milk.
- Yeast. Proof yeast in 1/3 cup warm water with 2 tbsp honey or sugar. Start the yeast first so that the mixture begins to bubble and
generate the wonderful yeasty aroma before it is added to the flour mixture. Unless the yeast has been sitting in the refrigerator for a long long time well past the stamped expiration date, proofing is probably not necessary. But if you don't you miss out on that yeasty smell.
Stir the flour and liqid mixture vigourously for several minutes. Mixture should be smooth with consistency of thick pancake batter. This is the sponge stage. Cover the bowl and let the sponge stand ar room temperature for several hours. The length of time for the sponge development is not critical, longer and it will develop more flavor. It can be put in refrigerator overnight. Let sponge warm to room temparature after bringing out of refrigerator before continuing.
Add to the sponge:
- 2 1/4 cups flour. Use mixture of white and whole wheat flour. Adjust ratio of white to whole wheat according to taste. Loaves with higher proportion of whole wheat will be more crumbly.
- 1 teaspoon salt.
Mix sponge and new dry ingredients together in bowl, until it begins to hold together and can be dumped onto floured surface for kneading. Knead until dough until it feels right, depending on how vigourous the kneading this may be about ten minutes. Add flour as needed during the kneading if the dough feels sticky. More kneading will produce smoother bread, less kneading the bread may have more large wholes. The kneading works on rearranging the gluten molecules into a more orderly side by side alignment which makes the dough more elastic. It also continues the mixing process and the hydration of the dry flour. It also can be a time for meditation.
When you are satisfied with the feel of the dough under your hands, return the dough to the bowl for the first rising. I have found that first coating the bowl with shortening and rolling the ball around in the bowl to give it a thin coating of oil helps. Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place. Allow to rise until double in size. "Punch" down the dough when it is doubled in size and let it rise to double in size a second time. During the rising there is fermentation wherein the yeast generates the carbondioxide, produces other by products which add to the flavor. The rate of rising depends on temperature, lower temperatures it takes longer, at higher temperatures the generation of carbon dioxide is faster but at higher tempertures there is more production of less plesant smelling sour by products. Better bread is produced if you don't try to speed up the rising process by placing the dough in the oven. Satisfactory bread can be made with only one rising or if you only let the bread rise to 1 1/2 times its volume. End result may have different flavor and texture.
Make dough into loaves when you are satisfied with the rising, or if it is getting late before you want to be able to serve the bread with dinner. Divide the dough into three approximately equal lumps and form into three loaves to fit into 4" x 8" loaf pans. Let rise in the loaf pans. Longer period of rising, the bread will be lighter in texture. If you are rushed, shorter rising time will produce more dense loaf.
Bake loaves in oven preheated to 435deg for 10 minutes then reduce temperzture to 400 deg. Bread is done when internal temperature is 200deg. A less precise measure of doneness is to tap the loaf with finger, it is done when it has a hollow sound. Remove loaves from loaf pan and let cool on a rack.
But then you must, as soon as you can handle a loaf, or even at risk of some discomfort in trying to handle the hot loaf, put one on the cutting board and slice off the first piece, You may have to contend with whoever else is in kitchen over who gets the heel. And have honey or butter, ready. A word of caution, that first loaf may disappear in mere moments upstting your calculations on how many loaves you will have for tomorrow.
I noted above that the methodology for making bread as described above is based loosely on recipes in the "Bread Bible" by Rose Levy Berenkbaum. She advises that ingredients shold be measured precisely to assure success and consistency in flavor and texture with each batch of bread. In my experience making bread is not dependent on precise measurements. Breadmaking is forgiving of imprecise measurements and timing, except maybe be careful to measure the salt.
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