Re: WC 150K Post Challenge - You Ready?!
My grandmother and my mother always said that stomping about the house and drafts were bad for bread. I never knew differently, but just listened to them.
That's rather amusing. It's no wonder so many people stopped making bread. It's so easy to make and it seems a lot of discouragement has come from generations before. Part of the problem with cooking as well. We talk about time it takes to cook but the reality is it's not really that difficult to cook something decent in a short period of time.
Anyway, to clear up some of the myths.
- You can do the first rise of bread overnight in a fridge (lots of bread makers do this) heat only makes it happen faster, it is not the reason why it rises.
- Noise doesn't effect the rise of bread in anyway.
- After the bread has reached maximum rise in the oven, opening the door won't do anything to it.
- Making bread is not a long process. It's up to you how quickly you want it done. In most cases you can have it done in in about 2 1/2 hours, Most of that is waiting....
- The most important part of making bread is making sure the yeast and salt are generally separated when the yeast is added to the mix as salt kills yeast.
- The second most important part is that the kneading releases the gluten (if using wheat flour) and that the dough is consistent with expected in texture (some doughs can be more wet or dry)
Tip - If you want a crisp crust put a pan filled with water in the bottom of the oven and make sure it's steaming prior to putting the bread in.
The difference in most bread is based on the type of flour used, the yeast and how it's cooked.
If you need a recipe let me know, I have a few books, all in metric of course. If you search for one, get one that uses only 600g (~4.5 cups) of flour that's a good size for a single loaf.
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