Bread Baking Course Chapter 2

Bread Baking Course 

Chapter 2

The modern method of preparing yeast dough

This simplified method is infallible. The main steps normally used in old recipes, and which have been altered, are the following:

1.         Start off with all the liquid ingredients in the bowl, instead of the full       quantity of flour. Then add the flour gradually.

2.         Do not cream the butter and sugar-it makes no difference whatsoever, as the dough is to be kneaded afterward, and it saves preparation time.

3.         Do not heat the butter and the sugar with the milk in a saucepan. Add it to the mixing bowl with the lukewarm milk. It will melt soon enough and saves the trouble of scraping the sugar out of the saucepan.

4.         Unless you need a little egg to glaze the breads, add them to the liquids unbeaten. The eggs will blend into the dough during kneading.

The main steps involved in the preparation of almost every yeast dough are: preparing the yeast; mixing the dough; kneading; rising; punching down; shaping; choice and preparation of pans; rising for a second time; and baking. The following paragraphs will explain the methods for preparation, the problems that may arise, and how to avoid them. This should ensure excellent end results every time you bake.

Preparing the yeast

Prepare the yeast as specified in the recipe and according to one of the methods explained. To incorporate fresh yeast into the dough, it should be at least crumbled, creamed with salt and sugar to form a syrup, or dissolved in part of the liquid, with a small portion of the sugar added to activate the yeast cells. To prepare dry granules, follow instructions already mentioned. Prepare fresh yeast in a bowl large enough for the preparation of all the dough. Activate dry granules in a small container.

Mixing the dough

The next step is to add all the liquid ingredients, including the eggs if specified and the shortening, to the prepared yeast.(Sugar, salt, fruits and spices may be added now!! be aware, caution) or according to the recipe in question. Always test the temperature of the liquid with your finger to ensure that it is mildly lukewarm. Hot liquid will harm the yeast cells!

If the sponge method is used to start off the dough, part of the flour is now added to the liquids, but not the salt. Beat the mixture well, cover and allow to rise in a warm place till frothy and spongy. This will take normally from 15 to 30 minutes. At this stage add the rest of the ingredients and sufficient flour to form a soft dough that leaves the side of the bowl.

The amount of flour called for in the recipe may be measured or weighed out roughly. It is not necessary to sift the flour for yeast baking. In conventional cake making the flour is sifted to aerate the flour for accurate measuring and a lighter texture. For yeast baking your only guide to the exact amount of flour used, is the consistency of the dough.

Different makes of flour vary and at different times of the year flours may also vary in moisture content, and the exact amount is determined by the total amount of liquid in the dough. Thus you will find ± signs before the flour quantities in most recipes. If the moisture content of the flour is very low, less flour will be needed.

When applying the “straight” method of mixing, the sponge method is omitted. Half of the flour is added to the liquid and mixed in well by hand, with a wooden spoon or electric mixer. The rest of the flour is added gradually to ensure that the dough never becomes too dry or stiff. Dry dough is more difficult to knead, unsuccessful in rising and coarse and dry after baking.

The old-fashioned method of starting off with the flour in the bowl and then adding the liquid often results in a too dry dough, especially for the less-experienced baker. If more liquid is added at this stage, the ball of dough will slip around in the liquid without absorbing it. The only way to partly rectify this problem is to knead in more shortening.

For any dough to be kneaded it is much safer to always follow the simplified method of liquids first and the flour added until the right consistency is reached. (If any flour is left over, return it to the flour bin) If more flour than stated is required, use more. What counts is the consistency of the dough).

Kneading the dough

When enough flour has been added to form a soft, slightly sticky dough, transfer the dough to a flat, well floured surface suitable for kneading. The height of the working surface should be such that you can stand upright comfortably with the palms of the hands resting on the surface.

The main object of kneading is to develop the gluten in the dough to become strong elastic bands which will stretch while the dough is rising.

There is a lifelike quality to yeast dough as it is transformed by your hands during kneading from a sticky mass into a satin smoothness. The most comfortable and beneficiary relaxing way of kneading is with the palms of the hands and not with the knuckles. The arms are kept comfortably forward and no strain is placed on the outside of the upper arms. Roll the dough backwards and forwards rhythmically, punching into the dough with the palms of the hands with every rolling movement. This rhythmic movement actually relieves tension in the neck. In this way you may punch out all aggression on the dough instead of kicking the cat or counting worry beads!

If the roll becomes too long, tuck in the ends and give the dough a half-turn. Add more flour if necessary and clean off both hands and the working surface with flour if the dough sticks to either. Rhythmic kneading with moderate punching will contribute to the texture of the end product.

The exact time spent in kneading depends largely on the end result required, the size of the dough, the type of flour used and your efficiency at kneading. A rough guide is stated in most recipes, but do remember that, if cake flour is replaced by bread flour, kneading should be much longer at the first stage as well as at the punching down stage after the first rising.

If you are preparing dough for white bread or rusks, the dough should be very well kneaded (approximately 10 minutes) to become strong enough to yield a high risen loaf. Rolls, buns or pizzas only require kneading until the dough becomes smooth and elastic (approximately 5 minutes), for a much flatter product is required.

To test whether your dough has been kneaded sufficiently, poke a finger into it. The indentation should disappear immediately. The size of the dough will also play a part in the time spent kneading. Dividing the dough into smaller portions will simplify kneading, especially for an inexperienced kneader.

Rising

When the dough has been kneaded to the required stage of elasticity, it is ready for rising. All yeast doughs and batters should rise at least once. Place the dough into a floured or a greased bowl, allowing enough space for the dough to double in bulk. Sprinkle the dough with flour or turn it around in the bowl to grease it lightly all over. This prevents surface tension which may restrict rising.

The bowl used should not be more than three times the volume of the dough, for a too large bowl will not give enough support to the rising dough. Heavy stainless-steel saucepans with lids are suitable for rising at mild temperatures.

Cover bowls with well-fitting lids or plates. Damp cloths do not suffice to cover the bowl snugly and more often than not end up entangled in the dough, which leads to wastage.

The most suitable spot for rising is a slightly warm but never hot area, e.g. in a warm sunny room during winter, at room temperature during the warm summer months or, alternatively, stand your bowl of dough in a basin of warm water to set off the rising.

Warming ovens are only suitable if the ovens can be set at very low temperatures. Another method is to pre-heat the warming oven and switch it off as soon as the bowl is placed into it. (The bowl used for rising the dough should never become hot – only slightly warm to the touch).

Overnight rising is practical only for large quantities of dough made with small quantities of yeast (25 g yeast per approximately 2 kg flour). Ensure that the bowl is large enough for expansion overnight when you will not be able to check the rising.

Small quantities of dough in moderate weather will most likely overrise if left overnight at room temperature. Leaving the dough in the refrigerator overnight in warm weather will in most cases allow sufficient rising if the product is to be baked the next morning. All doughs will rise in the refrigerator, but at a much slower pace. Home-made potato or raisin yeasts are much slower and may be left to rise overnight.

Check rising after 30 to 60 minutes, and do not allow the dough to rise to much less or much more than doubled. Thorough rising results in a light textured product, but over rising will cause the dough to collapse – in the latter instance the dough should be kneaded down and risen again.

The strength of the yeast is limited and, if the dough is over risen, too little is preserved for the second rising. The end result will also be coarse and dry. Often the remark will be heard: “The first rising was fantastic, but nothing much happened during the second rising.” The reason for this has just been explained.

Punching down

When the dough has doubled its original size it needs to be punched down lightly. This gets rid of the air bubbles and refines the texture. If the dough is not punched down, the yeast cells are surrounded by air and do not come into contact with enough food to continue multiplying.

The punching down will set the yeast cells to start multiplying again, thus producing more carbon dioxide for the second rising. Punching down does not imply a lot more kneading. A few punches will reduce the dough to its original size. Bread-flour dough does require more kneading as has been explained.

Shaping

Much of the fun of yeast baking lies in the creative shaping of the dough into loaves, braids, rolls, cakes or whatever shape the specific recipe describes. Shaping is done according to instructions in the recipes, but your own individuality can play a part as well.

The same dough may be used for different products. Basic bread dough can, for example, be baked in a well greased loaf pan, shaped and baked on greased baking trays or turned into rolls. It may even be rolled with sweet or savory filling and baked as buns.

To shape the dough for a loaf pan, the following instructions should be carefully observed in order to obtain an even-shaped loaf. Break off sufficient dough, roughly judging that it will make the pan half full. Roll out the dough on a floured or oiled surface to approximately 25 to 30 mm thickness and not much wider than the length of the pan. Roll up Swiss roll style, tuck in the ends and place in the greased loaf pan with the seam underneath.

It is important that the roll touch the short ends of the pan to support the loaf while rising – this will prevent the bread from forming a point in the center. The dough lying next to the long ends need not touch the pan as the roll will expand sideways during rising.

To prepare dough for shaped loaves to be baked on baking trays instead of in bread pans, start off by dividing it into portions as required. These breads can be rolled into sausages or rounds. Slash the top at intervals with a sharp knife or cut it with a pair of scissors to give your bread a professional look.

White rolls or loaves may be brushed with egg beaten together with either water or milk, and sprinkled with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Brown or white rolls or breads, in turn, may be rolled in crushed wheat.

Choice and preparation of pans

All pans or baking trays should be rust proof and well greased, preferably with hard-type margarine. Oil or butter is second best. Do not use non-stick vegetable spray – it reacts with the yeast dough which often remains in the pans for long periods while rising and baking, and spoils the taste and texture of the crust.

Non-stick pans are excellent for breads and also produce good golden crusts. Aluminum and glass bake ware are also successful.

Slight adaptations in baking times or temperatures may be made if necessary. For an attractive end result it is important to learn to determine how much dough to use for every size of pan.

For breads, pans should be made no more than half full and for rusks, no more than a third full. Do not overload pans – rather prepare a few buns with excess dough. If your pans are slightly larger or smaller than stated in a recipe, apply the rules mentioned above.

Second rising

Shaped products should rise for a second time until almost doubled. The second rising should take place in a warm, protected, draft-free area – do not cover. Covering breads or cakes at this stage may result in spoiling the top of the shaped product if the dough sticks to the cloth or utensil.

It is advisable to place the pans in an enclosed area such as a slightly warmed warming oven. When the product is light and risen, the oven should be ready for baking. The second rising will take approximately half the time of the first rising.

Transfer the products carefully to the preheated oven. Large breads should be baked lower down and smaller rolls or buns higher up. This is mainly to ensure that the breads will be thoroughly baked when the top crust is a good golden color.

The products will rise another 10 to 15 per cent during baking, and this is called the “oven spring”. If the pans for breads are more than half filled with dough and risen to the size required after baking, the oven spring might cause the top crust to mushroom over the sides of the pan instead of rounding attractively.