Use Your Loaf: How to bake bread at home and get perfect results (2 page)

Weigh your ingredients

To make things easier for you,
please try to remember the following formula:

Ø
 
Strong flour = 100%

Ø
 
Water = 60%

Ø
 
Salt = 2%

Ø
 
Yeast = 1%

This
is commonly known as the baker’s percentage and is the bedrock of making bread.
Don’t worry; soon the figures will be second nature.

To
explain the above formula, take the weight of flour you are using as 100%. For
ease, let’s say you are using 1kg (2lb 3oz) of flour. This is the batch size I
prefer as you can get two large or 3 small loaves from this size. Every other
ingredient will be weighed as a percentage of 1kg.

In
this case you will need 600ml (20fl oz or 1 pint) of water. You can weigh the
water if you wish (I do), as 1ml = 1g. You may need to use more water when
working with wholemeal flour as it tends to absorb more water. You may need to
go up to 65%, but start at 60% and then add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time,
if required.

Weigh
out 20g (0.7oz) of salt for a batch this size.

Weigh
out 10g (0.35oz) yeast for a batch this size.

So
for your basic 1kg (2lb 3oz) batch of dough you will need:

Ø
 
Strong flour = 100% = 1kg (2lb 3oz)

Ø
 
Water = 60% = 600ml (20fl oz or 1 pint)

Ø
 
Salt = 2% = 20g (0.7oz)

Ø
 
Yeast = 1% = 10g
(0.35oz)

Mixing your ingredients

There are 3 main
ways to mix your ingredients into a dough.

Firstly, the
1-Stage mixing method

This is the easiest method of all three, and simply consists
of mixing all the ingredients together and immediately kneading. Add all your
dry ingredients (flour, salt yeast and sugar if used) to a mixing bowl.
Give them a quick mix and then add your water. Mix them together – I use a
spoon at this stage – to form a rough, slightly sticky dough. Finally add your
fat, mix in, then knead straight away.

Secondly, the
2-Stage mixing method

For
this method mix the flour and water in a bowl to form a dough and leave to rest
for about 30 minutes. Then add your yeast, salt and fat, and mix in. It can be
difficult to blend in the yeast and salt, but persevere – it will happen. The
point of this method is to allow the gluten to form by itself. This results in
a dough that is easier to knead. It is good if you want to bake in large
batches.

Finally,
there is the
Sponge method

With
this method you make a yeasted batter (the sponge) which is left, preferably
overnight, to ferment. This highly moist environment encourages the yeast to
ferment vigorously and the prolonged fermentation also adds a depth of flavour
to your finished loaf. Before you go to bed, mix half the flour with the full
quantity of yeast and water. Mix them together to form a stiff batter – you
could use a whisk if you wish. In the morning add the rest of the flour and the
salt, and mix into a rough dough. You may find you need to add more water if
your dough is too dry. Remember, your dough should be slightly sticky. Finally
add in your fat, mix in and you’re ready to knead.

Kneading
is a vital step in the bread making process. One of the biggest problem bakers
have is they don't knead the dough long enough. It takes a good 7 - 14 minutes
to knead dough with lightly floured hands on a lightly floured surface.

As
explained before, kneading causes many things to happen: the gluten becomes
developed so the bread can rise to its fullest, air bubbles are incorporated
into the dough necessary for the dough's rise and the ingredients are
redistributed for the yeast to feed on resulting in a more active fermentation.
This enables the dough to expand to its fullest during rising and baking.
Gluten forms as soon as flour is moistened and stirred. Developing the gluten is
key to giving the bread a strong structure robust enough to withstand the
strength of yeast activity, sometimes over an hour or two. Gluten also forms a
mesh which traps the air bubbles developed in the dough. These bubbles are
later enlarged by the carbon dioxide, produced by the yeast, which causes the bread
to rise.

How to knead dough

When
kneading by hand, do it on a clean, smooth surface that's at a comfortable
height. A craggy surface may trap bits of dough or it may pick up anything that
was already trapped there! You will need plenty of room, perhaps a metre wide
and at least one arm length in depth. Before you start, check your dough; it
should be a little sticky after mixing. You could flour or grease a deep bowl
for the dough to rise in afterwards, however I tend to use the same bowl I
mixed the dough in.
Lightly
flour the kneading surface and your hands.
Only use pinches of flour if and when required. If the dough is a little dry, it
may be worth kneading the dough on a lightly greased surface. Spray the surface
with vegetable oil and repeat as required. The oil will also moisten the dough.
Whatever you do: do NOT add more water.

Tip
your dough onto your work surface and set the bowl to one side. Lightly flour
your hands. Your dough will now be probably stuck to the surface. Good. This
helps the gluten stretch and is doing most of the work of one hand. The dough
will seem to stick everywhere to begin with, including your hands. This is
fine, but the faster you work the less it will stick. Stick with it (pardon the
pun!). You will get much better and quicker at this, I promise.

Use
one hand to press down on the dough about one third from the rear of the dough.
Press the heel of the other hand into the dough just above your fingertips, and
in one smooth motion press down and away from you for a full arm’s length. Now
form a claw with the fingers of this hand and pull back to your rear hand,
scraping the dough back on itself. Turn the dough ball through 90 degrees and
repeat. And again, and again......! As you work you will see strands
developing; this is the all important gluten. As you knead the dough will
become less sticky and more silky. With a bit of practice this will become a
slick process, each stretch and rotation will merge seamlessly with the next.
You may not believe me, but trust me; it will come. After about 5 minutes the dough
will probably not be sticking much any longer and it will be resisting your
stretches as more gluten strands are formed. Adjust your kneading and use
shorter stretches, probably around double its length. If you are having
difficulty keeping all the dough together, form it into a round (see page 14
for method). This keeps you in control of your dough if it gets unruly, sticky
or slack.

When to stop kneading

This
is difficult to quantify at first, suffice to say you will learn to tell when
your dough is well kneaded. There are a few checks you can carry out to see
whether it is kneaded enough.

The windowpane test:
  Take a small piece of dough and
try to form a membrane by stretching it thinly. How thinly you can stretch it
will depend on the flour. White dough can be stretched quite thinly whereas
wholemeal dough will stretch much less. This is due to the shards of bran husk
in the dough cutting the gluten strands. Your dough should stretch thinly
enough to let daylight through without breaking – hence the name “windowpane
test.”

The touch test:
  Your dough should be soft and silky
but not dry - I describe it as “feeling like a baby’s bottom!” The dough should
spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. Your dough should not be
sticking to the work surface or your hands, although types of dough containing
eggs and butter may stay sticky.

I
will give you a word of warning here. It is possible for you to over-knead your
dough. When this happens the gluten collapses and the dough returns to being soft
and sticky and it cannot be rectified. So if this happens discard the dough and
start again. However, this is rare when kneading by hand and is more associated
with using a food processor. If you do use a food processor with a dough hook,
leave it on a slow mixing speed for 5 minutes. Then check your dough and check
every minute till your dough is fully kneaded.

Now
is the time to add any nuts, raisins or dried fruit. Stretch out the dough,
pour over the ingredient, then fold over and knead briefly to ensure they are
evenly distributed in the dough.

When
you are happy that your dough has been well kneaded, you should shape it into a
round. This ensures a nice even surface so your dough will rise evenly. It also
causes tension within the gluten mesh. As the yeast ferments, the gas bubbles
expand and gently stretch the gluten, and this tension helps the process to
ensure a well risen dough.

Flatten
the dough on a work surface using your fingers. Ensure the worktop is lightly
floured to minimise sticking. Lift an edge of the dough and fold it into the
middle and press down gently.

Pick
up the edge at the side of the previous fold and again fold into the middle and
press down. Repeat this process till you get back to your starting point.

Turn
the dough over. Your dough should now be round. You just need to tighten the
shape and ensure a smooth surface. Place your hands on both sides of the dough
with your palms facing up. Bring your hands together under the dough whilst
sliding one hand forwards and the other hand backwards. This action will spin
the dough and creates tension over the surface making it nice and even. Repeat
this process several times till you are happy. You are now ready for the first
rise.