Top Baking Bread Tips to Make Amazing Bread Every Day

Get your baking bread tips and make amazing bread at home. These tips and tricks will cover you against most common mistakes that beginners do. If your dough does not turn out the way you like then please don’t give up. It could be a minor issue that you can fix the next time you bake. Make a check list to analyze what went wrong.

Use Bread Flour

Bread making requires high protein flour. This is crucial for developing gluten. Your bread might collapse in the oven when you don’t use strong flour. If you are looking for variety then you can substitute 1/3 of wheat flour with whole wheat flour. This will also make your bread tastier and healthier.

Be Careful with The Salt

Contrary to the common belief, salt does not kill the yeast. But it slows down its activation which is not good for your bread. Blend the salt into the wheat flour and do not add it directly to yeast. Never put it in the lukewarm water, especially when you are activating the dry yeast. Try to put the yeast and salt on opposite sides of the bowl.

Make A Small Dough

If you are a novice baker then you should make small batches in the beginning. The small dough will be easier to knead and handle. Once you develop your bread baking then you will be able to make bigger loaves without any errors. İf you want to learn more on bread dough development then you can read this guide to baking bread for beginners.

Always Follow the Recipe

This is a very common mistake and most new bakers fall into this trap. Don’t be one of them and make sure you always stick to the recipe at hand. It is almost impossible to recover the dough when you add too much water or flour. If you think that the dough is too dry or wet then add them in very small amounts. For home baking, always use a teaspoon to make any additions to your bread dough.

Cool Down Your Bread

Do not try to slice your bread when it is still hot. I know the smell is tempting but you will only ruin your bread if you try to cut it before it released all the hot air inside. Wait at least half an hour before you start slicing.

Sift the Flour

You should always sift your wheat flour before you start mixing the bread dough. This is also true for cake making. Sifted flour becomes fluffy and you can combine the dry ingredients better. This is beneficial when you are adding rye, corn and other flours to add variety to your bread.

Can I Add Milk to Bread Dough?

The short answer is yes, you can add milk to your bread dough. Use non-fat milk to colorize your bread. You will have a much darker crust color if you replace the 1/3 of the water in your recipe with milk. This is also good for pizza dough.

Add Steam During Baking

You can’t develop good crust without steam. Spray your bread with water right before you put it in the oven (after you score). Alternatively, you can add ice cubes and cold water into a small tray and put it next to the bread dough while baking. However, the best way to create steam at home is to use a Dutch oven.

How Do I Know If My Bread Dough Is Ready?

If you have read any bread making recipe earlier then you probably encountered the phrase ¨windowpane testing¨. This is done to test if the dough has developed gluten. Take a small portion from your dough and round it up. Try to stretch it by pulling between your hands. If your dough is good then you should see a paper-thin window. This is called the windowpane testing. If your dough breaks apart easily then you should continue to knead until the gluten develops fully.

Another method is the pop-out test. Press your finger in the dough to check if it will spring back. If it does not come out, then resume kneading. Your dough should have a smooth exterior when it is ready, although it could be slightly sticky. But there should not be any lumps at all.

In Conclusion

Make sure you have fun while you are making bread. It is a lovely process and you should enjoy it to the fullest. Learn from your mistakes and make up your own tips. It is not as hard as it looks. All it takes is a little patience and practice! Remember, all those artisan bakers were once a beginner like you.