Freshly baked bread is one of life's greatest pleasures, and making bread is a lot easier than you might think. You can make your own crispy French bread, soft sandwiches, and sweet and delicious instant breads as a great way to save money and fill your home with the sweet smell of freshly baked bread. Anyone can make bread with simple ingredients and even with a little knowledge.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Making Basic French Bread
Step 1. Prepare your ingredients
To make this basic French bread, all you need is:
- 6 cups all-purpose white flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups warm water
- 3 tsp or 1 pack of active dry yeast
Step 2. Activate the yeast
In a small cup or bowl, mix the yeast with 1/4 cup warm water (about 38-43˚C). The water temperature should be warm to the touch, not hot. If the water is too warm, the yeast will die, while if the water is too cold, the yeast will not be active enough to make the bread rise properly. The water temperature should be warm enough to keep your fingers comfortable in it.
- After a minute or two, the mixture will begin to thicken, become frothy in texture, and will smell like beer. When the mixture is foamy and thick, the yeast is well activated and ready to use.
- If you use "Rapid Rise" or self-activated yeast, you don't need to activate the yeast before mixing it with the flour. Skip this step and move on to the next step.
Step 3. Combine flour and salt until well combined in a large bowl
The bowl you use should be large enough to hold all the flour and water at once and allow you to mix them comfortably, using a sturdy wooden spoon. After mixing the dry ingredients, you can also add yeast, either using instant yeast or an activated thick, foamy yeast mixture. Stir with flour.
Alternatively, you can mix the dough in an electric mixer or KitchenAid, as long as you have a dough mixer. However, mixing dough is only a small part of making French bread, so it's usually easier to mix it by hand. No need to use a mixer, especially since you also need to get your hands dirty
Step 4. Add water, mix well
Slowly pour the water into the bowl with one hand, while the other hand stirs the flour with a wooden spoon. You'll need to form the initial dough and stir all the ingredients into the mixture until well combined, so it's important to keep your spoon moving. Asking someone to add water while you are kneading the dough or vice versa can be very helpful.
- The amount of water you'll need to make the dough will vary (less in humid climates) but you'll find out with practice. Add slowly and stir, looking at the dough you are mixing. Once the bread dough begins to mix well in the bowl, stop adding water.
- Put your hands in the bowl (sprinkled your hands with flour first) and pull the dough together. Combine all the separate small pieces of wet dough into the now ball-shaped dough and begin to form the basic dough in the bowl before turning it over.
Step 5. Turn the dough out onto a floured cutting board
Let the dough rest for at least five minutes. At this stage, gluten strands are starting to form, which will give the bread a nice chewy texture. Gluten strands will form depending on whether or not you knead the dough. Therefore, the dough will be easier to knead if you allow the gluten to form for a few minutes, which makes your job of kneading easier.
Meanwhile, you can clean the bowl before using it to rise the dough
Step 6. Knead the dough
The initial kneading is the most important step in preparing the dough. You should knead the dough continuously for at least 5-10 minutes, or until the dough feels smooth. The surface of the dough should be soft and mostly uniform in appearance, not sticky or lumpy. If the dough still looks like the rough surface of the moon, continue kneading, adding flour if necessary.
- It does take practice to get the moves right, but it's very much like Mr. Miyagi's advice from the Karate Kid movie: push away, and fold. You have to push the dough firmly, roll it away from you, and fold it. Don't be afraid to push it too hard, as if you were trying to push the dough against the table, pushing it forward and rolling it.
- Make sure your hands are floured, and make sure the table surface is floured to prevent the dough from sticking. If the dough looks wet, sprinkle some flour on the surface of the dough and continue to knead the dough.
Step 7. Let the dough rise for about 3 hours
Place the dough back in the washed (or at least rinsed) bowl and cover with plastic wrap, or a napkin. Store the dough in a warm, but not hot, place. The ideal temperature for the dough to rise is around 39-42 °C.
If it's cold in your house, or you're baking bread in winter, a good place to rise the dough is on or on a stove that is off. Keep the marker light on to control the development of the dough
Step 8. Beat the dough, turn it over, and reshape it
You don't need to knead the dough nearly as long as the first knead. Roll out several times on a floured countertop and return the dough to the bowl for a second expansion. At this stage, all you need to do is reshape the dough into its original basic shape. This process won't take long and the dough is now much easier to knead due to its smooth and creamy texture.
Step 9. Let the dough rise again for about 90 minutes
There are various opinions regarding the need for a second dough expansion: some bakers do not do a second expansion and go directly to the process of forming and greasing the dough before baking, while other bakers prefer to do three times of development to get the best consistency. Good crusty French bread has the characteristic soft crust of the inside, which you'll only get from the many tiny bubbles that the yeast creates in the development process. If you want to make "real" French bread and have plenty of time, go through the development process two or three times. If you want to quickly finish the baking process and want the delicious aroma of bread to fill the kitchen like ten minutes ago, skip this step and move on to the next step. The results will still be good.
Step 10. Shape the dough into whatever shape you want
Remove the dough from the bowl and cut it into the shape of the bread, batard, or baguette you want to bake, then start rolling it.
- To form boules, cut the dough in half and reshape it into two simple round dough as you have shaped before. Place both doughs on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch, then cover the dough.
- To form a baguette, cut the dough into 4 equal parts and roll the dough out on a long, narrow surface that has been previously floured. This process will require several rolls to allow the dough to become long enough. Therefore, keep rolling from the center of the dough outwards. Roll the dough as evenly as possible.
- To form batard, cut the dough into 4 or 6 pieces and roll the dough into a shorter and wider baguette. There's no perfect way to make it and no matter what, batard bread will still taste delicious.
Step 11. Let the dough rest for at least 45 minutes
After placing the rolled bread dough on the baking sheet that will be used for baking, cover the dough for at least 45 minutes and allow the dough to rise again before placing it in the oven.
In general, the top of the bread should be sliced in an X pattern or as desired before placing it in the oven. Make small incisions, about 1 cm into the dough at a distance of about 2.5 cm from the other incisions so that the dough rises evenly as it bakes
Step 12. Bake at 222 °C for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown
The bread will be ready to take out when the crust on top is a nice golden color and the bottom has hardened, which will make a knocking sound when you press or snap your fingers on the bread.
Step 13. Make the crust crispy with steam
The secret to the perfect bread crust? Steam. Use a spray bottle to periodically spray the bread, or spray the inside of the oven with a little water several times during the baking process to create a steamy mist in the oven that will create a crispy outer crust, which is perfect for French bread.
Alternatively, bakers usually place a pot of water in the oven on a rack under the bread, so that steam will build up little by little during the baking process. Experiment with the oven to see which method works for you
Method 2 of 4: Making Sandwiches
Step 1. Prepare your ingredients
Sandwich bread is basically made with the same preparation process as French bread, but there are some additional ingredients to give it a sweet taste and soft texture. Additional or alternative ingredients will be required later, but to make a basic sandwich for beginners, you will need:
- 6 cups all-purpose flour (white or wheat flour)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp sugar or honey
- 1 tbsp salt
- oil (optional)
- 1 beaten egg (optional)
Step 2. Activate the yeast
Prepare 1 cup of warm water (55-61 °C). Put the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl and pour water into it to activate the yeast.
Step 3. Heat the milk in a sauce pan
Heat the milk quickly on the stove over high heat. Before the milk boils, remove from the heat and add the butter and sugar, stirring until well combined. The milk should not be heated to a boil, and be careful not to boil the milk as it tends to foam quickly. Pay attention and remove it from the stove as soon as the milk starts to appear steaming. Let the milk cool slightly before you mix it with the yeast.
Alternatively, you can heat the milk in the microwave and add butter and sugar when the milk is hot
Step 4. Use a mixer to mix the wet mixture with 1 cup of flour
Stir for about 2 minutes on medium speed. As the dough begins to form, continue to add the remaining flour gradually, one cup at a time. When all the flour has been added, set the mixer on a higher speed for 2 minutes.
The amount of flour you use will depend on how moist the dough is. Therefore, pay attention to the dough and use your judgment. Wheat flour also has very different properties - you may need to use less of it to form a dough. If you're a beginner, it's a good idea to use half wheat flour and half white flour to get used to seeing the difference
Step 5. Take out the dough and start kneading it
Press all the remaining flour into the dough ball, then remove the dough and place it on a floured surface. Keep kneading until the dough has a smooth and soft textured surface, and the dough will come back when pressed.
Alternatively, you can knead the dough with a mixer, provided you have a bread dough mixer. Kneading will be much easier than using your hands. Knead the dough in the mixer for about 10 minutes to form the gluten strands that will give the bread a nice chewy texture
Step 6. Grease the dough with oil, and put it in a greased bowl
This method will prevent the surface of the dough from drying out and cracking as the dough rises - a dry dough will take a bad shape when the bread is finished baking. Cover the bowl with a clean napkin or plastic wrap and place it in a warm (but not hot) place.
Let the dough rest for about 90 minutes to allow the dough to rise. The dough should be about twice its original size, or at least much more fluffy if you're using a lot of wheat flour
Step 7. Beat the dough
Hit the dough ball until it changes in size to its original size. You don't need to knead it again, because the dough is already soft and chewy. Divide the dough into two equal parts using a chef's knife or pastry knife to form the loaf.
Step 8. Roll out the two doughs and apply oil on the bread pan
Roll out the dough by hand on a flat surface. First flatten the dough into a kind of tall rectangle, then fold the bottom and top towards the center and pinch the creases closed. This will be the bottom of the bread.
Place the dough in a greased baking dish and cover the pan with a napkin to allow the dough to rise again for another 30-45 minutes, while you clean the kneading surface and heat the oven
Step 9. Bake at 200 °C for 35 minutes or until golden brown
Before putting the dough in the oven, make a gap of 3 or 4 times about 1 cm deep on the surface, then spread a beaten egg or oil on top of the bread if you want a crisp, glossy crust.
The bread is done when the bottom of the loaf has hardened, and you can make cavities with your fingers. If you're not sure, remove the bread from the pan and check for doneness by pressing your finger on the top a few times. The bread is still hot, so be careful
Method 3 of 4: Making Instant Bread
Step 1. Make instant beer buns
There's nothing simpler than warm, dense, and delicious yeast beet bread without the hassle of making it rise. Simply combine 3 cups of white flour, half a cup of sugar and 340 grams of canned beer in a bowl, and mix well. Pour the batter into a greased bread pan, brush with melted butter, and bake at 208 °C for 45-50 minutes. The resulting bread will not disappoint you and will make a great instant treat for dinner.
Step 2. Try baking soda bread
Soda bread can be sweet or savory, depending on your taste and the ingredients available. To make simple soda bread, mix dry ingredients: 4 cups flour with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp baking soda, then add a few tablespoons sugar (1 tbsp if you want savory bread, up to 4 tbsp if want to make the bread sweeter). To make the wet ingredients mixture, combine 2 cups milk or buttermilk with 4 tablespoons melted butter and mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Knead the dough briefly and bake in a greased bread pan for about 1 hour at 205°C.
Commonly used additives include orange or lemon peel and dried fruit or nuts. Serve the top with jam or leave it plain
Step 3. Experiment with other recipes
Instant bread is a great cleaner for groceries and refrigerators: use whatever you have and see if they're suitable for making bread. It's good to use whatever materials you have. Try making:
- zucchini bread
- Pumpkin Bread
- Banana bread
- Cornbread
Method 4 of 4: Other Bread Variations
Step 1. Make garlic bread
Garlic bread is a favorite dish for dinner and can be made using many different types of bread.
Step 2. Make the challah bread
This fatty and delicious Jewish yeast bread resembles brioche but with a slightly sweet taste. This bread is a delicious dish and will be even more delicious when served with butter and other jams.
Step 3. Make fruit buns
This type of bread will stimulate your creativity and make your homemade bread even tastier. Examples of fruit breads include banana bread, apple bread, papaya bread, and even mango bread.
Step 4. Make a cinnamon swirl bun
One delicacy is the cinnamon swirl bun, which is loved by many in the winter and holiday seasons. This bread is easy to make and very tasty too!
Step 5. Make vegetable buns
Vegetable buns taste great and are healthy too! Examples of vegetable breads include pumpkin bread, cornbread, and even zucchini bread.
Step 6. Make a croissant
This buttery, multi-layered French breakfast food takes a long time to prepare from scratch, but the bread is mouthwatering. Take your time to make it!
Step 7. Make the biscuits
You can make delicious homemade, American-style biscuits that have a layered texture using self-rising flour. Are you ready to munch on this delicious treat?
Step 8. Make French Bread
Ah, the crunchy buttered baguette - is there a greater culinary delight? French bread tastes best when served straight out of the oven; Once you start making it at home, you won't want to stop.
Tips
- The liquid ingredients you use will change the taste of the bread. Milk and shortening (white butter) will make the bread a light white color. Water and olive oil make Italian bread tougher. You can use wholemeal or white flour, or a mixture of the two (preferably as whole wheat flour is usually too heavy), or add whole grains, seed bran, flaxseed, seeds and other herbs… After you Knowing how, you'll be able to make any combination you want!
- Bread--a recipe for one loaf will usually make a dozen small loaves of bread. Place the small bread doughs on a greased baking sheet, and leave a gap of 5 cm between each, remembering that the dough will rise and touch each other when the dough rises a second time.
- "bread machine flour" has a high protein content and helps yeast form more gluten, which is suitable as a bread ingredient to go in and out of the bread machine. To make Italian bread that is very stiff and coarse, replace it with 'pasta dura' flour, and don't use a loaf pan.
- In addition, you can apply milk to the top of the bread using a brush if you want a smooth finish, or spread an egg on top to give the top a glossy finish. If you want to put grains or other ingredients on top of the bread, do so before baking. You can use poppy seeds, plain oatmeal, or sesame seeds.
- You can warm up the oven by heating it on low for 5-10 minutes. Another option is on a radiator at low temperatures, or in direct sunlight, especially if you cover the dough with a dark cloth.
- Make sure you choose the right ingredients. Cake or pastry flour is too "soft" for bread--because the bread should have a slightly chewy texture. Also, avoid self-rising flour. You can use all-purpose flour, but bread flour (it usually says "bread flour", "high protein flour" or "flour for bread machines") is the best choice. fine-this flour has a higher gluten content, so it will respond better to kneading.
- Kneading: place the dough in front of you, place the heel of your hand on top of the dough and press it down, as if to push the dough away from you. Raise your hand and push back. Don't release the dough with your right hand: take it and turn the edge of the dough 1/4 circle to the left, then fold the dough back, place the heel of your hand and push the dough back. Kneading is done by squeezing the entire ball of dough – turning the dough will give you a new piece of dough to knead.
