Ahhhhh, the smell and warmth of fresh baked bread! There’s nothing quite like it! Just imagine butter melting into a slice of straight out of the oven bread, especially on a chilly evening or fall day when colorful leaves are falling outside your window. For those of us that aren’t seasoned bakers, we can become bakers for the seasons ahead! Take away the overwhelming thoughts of baking and turn them into a fall activity! From learning, helping, and eating, the whole family will be on board when it comes to homemade bread! But where and how do we start? The answers and tips you will “knead” are coming up next!
Read and Read Again
When baking bread, precision is a must. Don’t skim over the recipe in a rush and expect it to turn out right. Read those instructions thoroughly at least twice, making sure you grasp each step involved. It’s sort of like a math problem, struggling through it may give you a hit-or-miss answer, but the more you work it, the more you understand it…and the more you understand it, the more likely an A+ outcome!
No Substituting
Bread can become easy to master with a little bit of practice, but one thing you should never do is substitute ingredients. They are listed for a reason and thinking you can tweak it here and there will likely end in disappointment. That advice is indeed for beginners. Once you are a master baker, you will know what works and can begin to tread lightly with minor changes that won’t make your envisioned masterpiece a fail.
Temperature Does Matter
When making bread, the worst fear is likely the yeast. That’s why the temperature of all ingredients is crucial. Hot water can kill the yeast while cold ingredients can slow down the fermentation and make the yeast inactive. So be sure the egg and butter are room temperature and liquids are heated to lukewarm. Check to be certain the yeast hasn’t expired and if in doubt, test it with sugar and water. If the yeast is active, it will dissolve into the water and the top will be bubbly!
Knead it Well
Another key to successful bread making is proper kneading. How in the world do you know? For starters, it is more difficult to over-knead but under-kneading is still a common issue. A good rule of thumb is testing to see if you can stretch the dough from two to four inches without breaking apart and if so, well done! Since we are speaking to beginners here, opting for a no-knead bread recipe may be a good place to start.
Time to Rise Up
Again, it’s the temperature thing. You must leave the dough in a warm spot for the first and second rise. Placing it next to a warm stove is a good choice, or in the window, if you are certain the sun is warm and cold winter air isn’t trickling in.
Prepare by Preheating
It’s easy to forget this step with any recipe, but with bread, it’s a must to remember! That is why the first tip says “read and read again”! Preheating your oven is actually one of the most important steps. The oven must be at the right temperature, with no exceptions! With bread making, a preheated oven makes the yeast in the loaf rise enough before the flour is set, whereas a cold oven will do the opposite.
Patience Pays
When your beautiful bread is out of the oven, it is still baking and setting on the inside. If you slice it too soon, it may result in a squishy, undesirable, inside texture. Rolls are different as they don’t need to be cut immediately. And if you want your bread hot enough to melt butter, simply rewarm it for five minutes in the oven or a few seconds in the microwave.
Last But Not Least
As you begin your bread-making journey, if time is limited or you want something super simple, invest in a bread maker! There are multitudes of mixes available and the bread maker will do the work for you! Unless you have a pro at the table, no one will ever know and you will be deemed the fastest learning, best bread baker on the block! Just be sure to hide the machine when you’re finished! 😉
Whichever route you choose, your home will be filled with the scent of comfort like no other! Team your warm, soothing bread with a hot bowl of chili, nourishing soups, or a side for a salad. Fall and winter at your house is going to be fabulous!
