How to Bake a Really Great Loaf of Bread

With the holidays coming, homemade bread makes a great meal addition or gift during family get-togethers. Baking a simple loaf of yeast bread isn't hard. Having baked practically every kind of loaf imaginable since being taught my mother during childhood, here's a few tips I use. By learning a few basics to handling yeast dough, soon it can become second nature to making it.

Handling yeast

Make sure the bowl to use is clean. Glass bowls seem to make yeast rise better, in my opinion, to using other kinds. Also, make sure that the water you use with the yeast is warm but not hot. If the temperature is too high, it can kill the yeast and make a lousy loaf. What was taught to me, is to put a drop of warm water on the inside of your wrist. If it burns, it's too hot. If it is lukewarm but not bothersome to your skin, it's perfect. Others rely on temperature, but this is my method of checking the water. Put the room-temperature yeast with the sugar in the warm water, and let it sit for fifteen minutes, to allow time for it to grow.

Milk

If you don't have milk on hand, use powdered milk or powdered buttermilk. Milk makes a softer crust, and can make the yeast rise higher. Just a tablespoon of powdered milk does it for me, per cup of water. It dissolves nicely and gives the loaf a wonderful texture. If you prefer a more French bread texture (with a crispy crust, use water instead.

Flours and grains

My preference is King Arthur Flour, either unbleached all-purpose or bread varieties. If you like whole wheat, then substitute one third the amount whole wheat flour for the regular, roughly. If you want a denser loaf, then increase the amount of whole wheat, and decrease the all-purpose flour. To me, a whole wheat loaf is best when somewhat soft, and not overly dense. It's a personal taste so do whatever you prefer and keep track of the ratios you used if you want to duplicate the mix in the future.

Other wonderful add-ins to substitute for part of the flour include ground flax, nuts, sunflower seeds or teff (another type of grain.) Mix and match, but make sure that the majority of the dough base is flour and not the grains themselves. Too much of a good thing can make a loaf end up like a hockey puck: hard and inedible.Grains in moderation give the loaf a wonderful texture and flavor. My favorites are ground sunflower or sesame seeds.

Dried Fruit

There are so many kinds of great fruit to use in breadmaking: dried cherries, apricots, plums, raisins, blueberries and others. To soften the fruit, it helps to put them in a small container with the liquid called for in the recipe, into the microwave to warm for a minute or two. Make sure to let the mixture cool before adding the yeast. By reconstituting the fruit, you won't bite into little fruit-flavored "rocks" when the loaf is baked. Mix and match varieties of fruits and rinds.

Other add-ons

Almond paste is a wonderful addition to any bread, if you want to make Stollen (a rich, German Christmas bread) or Danish. Work the almond paste into the dough itself or pat the paste into a "log" on top of rolled out dough, sprinkle with sugar then seal it inside the dough by pinching edges and roll out again. There are other wonderful nut butters such as peanut butter, hazelnut butter and others. They are my favorite add-ons, and can give a loaf an amazing and subtle nutty flavor. For a dessert loaf, add mini chocolate chips and ground butterscotch toffee bits for extra flavor and sweetness.

Oils and Butters

Try different kinds of oils, to see which agrees with you the most. Butter makes a lovely tasting loaf. To increase health benefits, substitute oils like hazelnut, almond, walnut, olive, or canola. Generally, the loaves I bake are not loaded with fat in general, but are still moist nonetheless. One of the joys of baking bread is that you can experiment to see which ingredients work best for your tastes. The dough is generally pretty responsive to change, as long as the yeast is handled properly in the beginning and the dough isn't over-kneaded or over-baked.

Sugars

There is a variety of great alternative sugars to choose from; such as brown sugar, maple sugar, maple syrup or honey. White sugar is always good, too. If you like a sweeter loaf, increase the sugar in the recipe a little. Whatever you do, don't omit sugar from the recipe because it is what the yeast needs to feed on, to rise. Too much or too little isn't good. As you experiment with your recipes, vary the sugar amounts somewhat to see what works best. Another good sugar I like using is Starbucks caramel syrup. Just a little bit, though. It gives loaves a wonderful hint of caramel.

Using whatever recipe you like, bake your next loaf of bread using these tips to guide you. As your bread-baking abilities expand, try harder things like brioche, bagels and other more difficult recipes like croissants. Be respectful of the yeast, and don't forget to knead. My kneading is done right in the mixing bowl or in my hands now, it's like second nature at this point. Your recipe will guide you in how much kneading is needed. Good luck and have fun. Your gift recipients will thank you in the end.