More Bread making Tips
Did you try the last handout's bread recipe
with the lemon juice? Maybe you filed it away to
try some other day. You could even
try it with your favorite bread recipe
replacing about 1/16 of your water
with lemon juice. I hear many people say it's better than any bread they have
ever made and this includes those who are old hands at bread making.
The following bread hints are taken
from "Simply Ready" by Terri Johnson,
who reports that she has made most
of her family’s bread for the past 20 years. It is
the same book that I got the wonderful bread
recipe from.
Whole Wheat Yeast Dough Tips
1. Whole-wheat flour refers to finely ground
hard winter wheat. Coarsely ground flour will
give a heavy result.
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2. Wheat dough must be softer than white
dough. Keep it just so it is not too sticky to
handle.
3. Wheat bread browns faster than white.
Keep the oven temperature no higher than
350.
4. Wheat dough requires more yeast than
white, approximately 1 1/2 times more.
5. When mixing whole-wheat yeast dough,
beat all the ingredients with only 1/2 the
amount of flour in the recipe, by hand or
machine, for 7-10 minutes to develop the
gluten content. Gradually mix in the remaining
flour until a soft dough is formed.
6. Remember the lemon juice or vinegar trick.
7. If bread browns too quickly, cover with loose
foil the last 15 minutes of cooking.
8. Bread is done when tapped and it sounds
hollow.
9. Turn out of pans immediately and cool on
wire racks.
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Poor Bread Prevention Hints
Crumbly Bread: Using too much flour and
the dough is not soft or the dough has risen
too long.
Cracks: Dough may be too stiff or you may
not have let the dough rise sufficiently.
Oven may be too hot and may have
caused the bread to form a crust before it
had finished rising. Cracks on one side
indicate the oven temperature is uneven or
that the pans are too close together so
heat could not circulate.
Flat Loaf: Dough not stiff enough or the
oven not hot enough.
Airy Crust: If a hole is found right under the
crust, this is caused by leaving a large gas
bubble near the top of the dough when
molding it. Loaf could be too dry before
baking or letting the dough over-rise.
Thick Bread: if you have a thick crust or
thick side walls, the dough was not
kneaded enough or risen long enough.
Over-rising: Letting the bread get too light
by rising too long or placing the bread in
an oven not fully pre-heated.
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