Bread Ingredients
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and Techniques Yeast, a fungal leavener, is suited to elastic, gluten-forming doughs that accommodate its slow development of carbon dioxide. Bread is an example of a product where high gluten content is desirable, as opposed to cake, which would be tough if you were to develop the gluten considerably. Most recipes (in this book and elsewhere) call for active dry yeast, which is granulated yeast that comes in small jars or individual envelopes. An envelope of yeast contains 1⁄4 ounce or 7 grams (about 21⁄2 teaspoons) of active dry yeast. Dry yeast is also available in bulk; all the recipes in this book call for measuring-spoon amounts of dry yeast, so bulk yeast is easy to use. Yeast will have an expiration date and should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Yeast is also available in small moist cakes and in instant form. Instant yeast is faster acting (although “instant” is an exaggeration), but it doesn’t lend quite the same depth of flavor. Cake yeast is available in 2⁄3-ounce (16-gram), 2-ounce (50-gram), and 1-pound (450-gram) cakes. The first two sizes are available in different regions. One-pound blocks may sometimes be purchased from a friendly bakery. A 2⁄3-ounce (16-gram) cake is equivalent to 1 envelope or 21⁄2 teaspoons dry yeast. A 2-ounce (50-gram) block is equivalent to 3 envelopes of yeast, so just cut off a third for a recipe that calls for 1 envelope or
21⁄2 teaspoons of dry yeast. If you buy a 1-pound (450-gram) cake of yeast and don’t use it all at once, divide it into eight 2-ounce (50-gram) pieces (dividing visually is okay), wrap them in plastic, and freeze. Divide further, if necessary, and chop slightly. Dissolve the yeast while it is still frozen or it will become pasty and unmanageable. All yeast has to be dissolved in liquid before being added to a dough. Warm liquid between 100º and 110ºF (37 to 43ºC) is perfect. To dissolve cake yeast, crumble, then whisk into the warm liquid. For dry yeast, whisk while pouring it in slowly. Modern dry yeast dissolves almost immediately. Current thinking about mixing bread doughs dictates mixing less in order to preserve the natural sweet wheat flavor of the flour. When flour is mixed for a long time in dough, some of the flavor-carrying substances oxidize and lose their flavor. That’s why all the recipes for breads and other yeast-risen doughs in this book call for mixing just to combine, then allowing the dough to rest. After a rest, the dough mixes smooth with a minimum of kneading, preserving that elusive flavor. Lots of chemical changes occur in the dough while it’s resting, including the absorption of dead yeast cells, which helps to make the dough smooth and elastic without a lot of kneading.
Proofing is the final rising before baking. Breads and rolls should be covered during proofing to avoid thickening the crust too much. Proof to a 100% increase in size unless otherwise stated in the recipe. In general, when it comes to bread and other yeast doughs, the leaner the dough, the cooler the rise. Bread doughs can rise very well, if slowly, at a cool room temperature, developing the best flavor and texture possible. When shaping bread doughs, you will often form them into a round loaf or loaves. This stretches a smooth, even skin onto the outside of the dough that becomes an attractive crust after baking. On a flour-free work surface, form small pieces of dough into rounds under the cupped palm of your hand, moving in a circle and just touching the top of the dough with the center of your palm. For large pieces, use both hands to press the bottom of the dough toward the center of the bottom, rotating it as you do so for an even shape. For best results when forming loaves, round the loaf-sized pieces of dough first, then cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes. For a pan loaf, invert the dough so that the smoothest part is on the bottom and press the dough into a rough rectangle. Fold the left and right sides inward an inch (21⁄2 cm) or so, then roll it up from the top down, pinching the seam BReads