Baking Bread - Basics



Bread comes in two forms, Unleavened bread which does not rise and leavened bread which is made using yeast.

Unleavened bread - the flour is mixed with water or milk to make a dough.  It is baked in a thin cake until it is cooked throughout.  Often the cooking is done on a hot stone, baking tray or oven wall.  Mixing and cooking is a quick process and the bread does not generally keep well unless it is heavily salted, thoroughly dried or smoked.

Leavened Bread - a yeast mix or sourdough starter needs to be prepared in advance (modern bakers use dried yeast).  Flour, warm water and yeast mix are combined to make a dough  The dough is left to ferment as the yeast produces ethanol and Carbon dioxide.  It is the gas in the dough that expands its structure and causes it to rise.

A single rise gives the dough a mass of large gas bubbles, so the dough needs knocking back and the yeast needs to be re-distributed within the dough to allow fined gas bubbles to be produced, giving the bread a finer texture.

When the dough has risen a second time, it is baked in a hot oven at about 220ºC, until it drums when the base is tapped.

Leavened bread needs to cool before it is eaten to allow the residual ethanol and volatile oils to evaporate.  This will ensure that the bread is good to eat and avoids stomach upsets from eating freshly baked hot bread.

Leavened bread will last a day before it becomes stale and two days before it starts to develop mould.  To extend its shelf life, oil or fat can be added as can salt.

 

Home

Modern Recipes

Historical Recipes

Bread Links

Useful Information