Bread question -- what am I doing wrong?

[Bruenor]

So I've decided to try and learn how to bake my own bread. I've made a couple of loafs, but each time I get really dense bread.

Does anyone know a good book or resource for a beginner bread baker?

[Katrina-Sisu]

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/beginnersbread.htm

I don't make bread but this recipe sounds good and easy.

[MotherCharlotte]

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/beginnersbread.htm

I don't make bread but this recipe sounds good and easy.

This is the exact recipe I started with about a year ago when I wanted to learn to make bread. I didn't have much success with this or any of the Hillbilly Housewife recipes actually. I think this is because she starts out by adding the yeast to the flour, then adding a certain amount of water. Sometimes this way there may be bits of yeast remaining undisolved. One time I made a recipe for dinner rolls of hers, and they were horrible hard lumps with visible clumps of yeast! She must be using a type of yeast that is like powder.

Instead, I find for me it works better to add the yeast to the water and sugar, and wait until the yeast is fully dissolved and begins to foam. THEN add in some flour--no need to measure it, just approximately a third of the flour. This makes a runny batter that you can give a good stirring to with a wooden spoon to start building up the gluten. You need lots of gluten to get a light loaf.

After stirring for a few minutes I add some more flour, then just keep stirring and adding more flour until it forms a ball. Then I turn it onto the counter to knead it. It's really important to knead it until it feels really firm and elasticky.

Using those techniques (which if I remember I got from the Storey's Basic Country Skills book) I have had pretty good success with baking bread.

Another important thing is the flour--you will get a much lighter loaf using bread flour (also called "hard" flour) because it contains more gluten, which makes the dough more elastic and therefore more able to rise.

White flour makes a lighter loaf than whole wheat because it contains more gluten. If you want to make a 100% ww loaf, you can buy gluten at the bulk food store and add a bit to help the dough rise.

Lastly, make sure you don't use water that is too hot, or put the dough to rise in a place that is too hot, or you will kill the yeast. The yeast will still rise even in a fairly cool room just sitting on the counter, it just may take longer than a recipe specifies. I never go by what a recipe says (actually I don't use recipes anymore for making bread), I just let the dough rise until it looks good and ready.

Hope some of that helps. :)

[Shamrock1121]

Bread is as much science as it is following a recipe. *When I first made bread, I followed the recipe, then I learned the science and everything improved. *"Troubleshooting" lists will help to tell you where you go wrong. *http://www.baking911.com/bread/problems.htm

I'd also suggest you read the first 100 pages of CookWise by Shirley O. Corriher. *Get it through the library or have them get it through inter-library loan if they don't have a copy. *That will teach you a lot about the science.

I often use this Bread-in-a-Bag recipe for new students to breadmaking when I teach classes. *It's easy and fun, and almost always successful.

*http://rps.uvi.edu/CES/bread.htm

- It's better to err on the side of a slack, rather wet dough, than a stiff dry dough.

- Mixing is equally as important a step as kneading. *Take your time mixing. *Add the flour slowly to the wet ingredients a little at a time. *Be sure to thoroughly beat each addition of flour thoroughly into the wet ingredients before adding more.

- Use a dough rising bucket for accurate measurement of when your dough has risen to double to avoid over- or under-proofing the dough. *

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/dough-rising-bucket *

You can get these (food storage containers) at most restaurant supply stores. *I normally use a 2-quart size for 2-pounds of dough, and have other sizes for larger dough amounts. *I press the dough into the bucket (modified to add: it comes up to the 1-quart line), place the lid on tight, and when the dough reaches the 2-quart line I know it's doubled. *NO GUESSING! *Dough doesn't rise to a clock, so only use the recipe information as a guideline. *Dough rises according to the ambient temperature, humidity, hydration of the dough, and the strength of the yeast.

-Karen *

[CarolAnn]

Here's my method for those that don't have the hand-strength for a lot of kneeding -

I used to make hockey puck bread & door stop bread . . . awful stuff! So I stopped trying. Then my sister found a bread maker for 5 bucks at a yard sale! The arthritis in my hands doesn't even slow me down now - it does all the work!

I do take out the dough and put it in a pan to bake, though - I like the loaves better and it looks like "real" home-made bread! It's certainly better than store bought!

[Lynnkay]

If your loaves of bread are too heavy (dense) like mine were on occasion in the past, I've discovered that if I use any amount of whole grain flour, I must also add in some vital wheat gluten, found in the baking aisle near the flours. Heavy dense loaves result when there is not enough gluten.
In addition, the white flour that I use is marked 'Bread Flour' which means that it's higher in gluten. Also make sure that the yeast you use is fresh, and consider using a candy thermometer to be sure that the water is not 'too' warm, but between 105-115 degrees.
Hope this helps. :)