The Best & Most Basic Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making homemade bread? ›

White bread is the most common type of bread in many countries. It has a mild flavour and a light colour. As part of the flour grinding or milling process, the bran and germ layers of the whole wheat berry are removed from white bread flour.

Wheat flour is the key ingredient in most breads. Flour quality is particularly important in breadmaking as the quality of the flour will have a significant impact on the finished product.

In addition to the four main ingredients used to make bread – flour, salt, yeast and water – there are often small quantities of other ingredients which are added to improve the texture, crumb structure and keeping properties of the bread.

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

What is the most difficult bread to bake? In my experience, it would be sourdough bread. Sourdough uses a starter made from wild yeast instead of active dry or fresh yeast. It takes much more time and is more involved.

When it comes to baking bread at home, most recipes call for active dry yeast. This type of yeast comes out of the package looking like small, tan granules roughly the size of poppy seeds. In this state, the yeast has a long shelf life so long as it's kept in a cool, dry place.

To determine whether bread is of good quality, there are several factors and characteristics you can identify. For example the crust must be crisp and of a darker tone than the inside, a strong flavour and taste due to the flour, as well as a pleasant smell. What's also important is that the conservation is longer.

Because the bakers use the best ingredients! Perhaps one of the most important reasons you should buy your bread from your local baker is that professionals use high-quality ingredients to ensure the quality of their pastries and bread.

What is the ideal flour for making yeast breads? ›

For best results, base your yeast dough on wheat flour — only wheat-based flour provides the type and amount of protein yeast dough needs to support its structure. Whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, bread flour, or all-purpose flour are all good choices.

Pastry flour is lower in protein than all-purpose or bread flour. Without that protein to help give structure, it's not able to rise properly; as soon as any bubbles form they collapse. You'll end up with a dense loaf with an unappealing texture.

Emulsifiers in bread:

Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471): often derived from plant oils or animal fats, E471 may have some negative health effects, including an increased risk of heart disease and weight gain. Furthermore, their production contributes to deforestation and habitat loss.

Pop the loaves into a 375º oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The loaves should be golden brown. If you want to be sure they're baked through, use your thermometer to check the internal temperature of the bread. You're looking for about 185º.

How can you keep homemade bread soft and moist? Store bread in an airtight container or plastic bag: This will help trap the bread's natural moisture and prevent it from drying out. Keep bread at room temperature: Storing bread in the refrigerator can cause it to dry out, so it's best to keep it at room temperature.

Kneading Dough: Kneading bread dough is an important process to developing a gluten structure which strengthens the bread. It also creates a more even crumb for the final product and improves the flavor of the bread.

Quick breads are typically mixed by hand, and it's important not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can cause the gluten in the flour to develop, resulting in a tough and chewy bread. Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined, and then stop. If there are a few lumps in the batter, that's okay.

You can also put hot water in a heat-safe dish and place it on the floor of a cold oven (or on a lower shelf). The steam and heat from the water will help the temperature rise just enough that the yeast is active. The steam will also assist in keeping the surface of the dough moist so it will stretch as it rises.