10 TIPS ON BREAD MAKING FOR “REAL BREAD WEEK “…

Following on from my post on Real Bread Week 20th – 28th February, here are ten tips on making bread.

1. When baking bread, put the empty baking tin upside down in the oven beforehand to heat up. Then when you drop the dough in it, it puffs up and creates a lighter bread.
2. Always use the right yeast, the easiest type to use in home baking is the fast acting/easy-blend dried yeast which most bread machines use.
3. Warm up your utensils before starting the process.
4. Always warm your milk, only slightly but just enough so that the yeast isn’t slowed down by the fat in the milk.
5. Make sure you check and double check your salt quantity.
6. Store your yeast at the correct temperature. Dried can be kept for a few months. Fresh yeast can be kept in the fridge for a week or two or could be frozen for up to 3 months.
7. Make sure you measure everything correctly. Use digital scales. The smallest difference in just the amount of water or yeast can make a big difference to your bread.
8. There are a number of different flours out there so try different ones.
9. Throughout the process the dough should be kept warm ie at approximately blood heat, but it must NOT be overheated.
10. Check rising time with each recipes as they can vary quite a bit and do not leave dough to just rise. Make a note of the time you left it and set an alarm to check it at the correct time.

And, enjoy with lashings of butter on…

Source : BHF