My Daily Bread

Half whole-wheat sandwich bread

I have always loved fresh bread, still warm from the oven - it is probably my favorite food, and it is one of my favorite things to make. Bread and pastries appeal to the scientist, the artist and the craftsman in me. There are set measurements, a technique to follow (and reasons behind it). There is hands-on manipulation of raw material, and there is shaping and some degree of creativity and variation in how you make or use the end product. Working with bread has helped to open my eyes to the fact that I have been neglecting my artistic side for some time. Thus it seems fitting for it to be the first entry in this blog.


I started making my own bread about two years ago. The decision to stop buying bread from the grocery store was motivated by a desire to be more conscious of what I was eating. When I moved to the States from England, I noticed how much sweeter the supermarket bread was here. Commercially available sandwich bread often has many additives, including HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), a common sweetener. Many people claim that HFCS is unhealthy. Whether or not this is true, I see no need for it in my bread.


I take a simplistic approach to the food that I make: keep the ingredients simple, and avoid pre-processed food where possible. If I do all of the processing, then I know what's in it. The bottom line here is that there are only three necessary ingredients in regular bread - yeast, flour and water. Salt is, as far as I am concerned, indispensable - without it the end product would be extremely bland. However, bread is still bread without salt. You could argue that bread is still bread without yeast but, unless you use an alternative leavening agent (e.g. baking soda), it would be very dense, and in my opinion, inedible.


I have played around with baking various different breads, from baguettes (a staple at the restaurant at which I work) to Ciabatta (my personal favorite), pita bread and pizza. The bread that follows, a simple sandwich bread, is probably the most versatile of those that I make. Its shape makes it ideal for slicing (and hence sandwiches), but it is also great with butter at the beginning of a meal, for mopping up sauces (especially for mussels or stews), for breadcrumbs, bread pudding and many other uses. It does lack a crispy crust and big air holes - both attributes I enjoy in bread to eat out-of-hand - but this makes it more suitable for sandwich making.


The Science


The science of bread-making is fairly straightforward. Yeast is added to flour and water. The yeast dissolves in the warm water, as the flour forms a dough. The yeast, which is made up of microbes (microscopic organisms), uses the process of fermentation to break down carbohydrates in the flour into carbon dioxide gas, water and alcohol (which evaporates during baking). Meanwhile, you are kneading the dough - working it with your hands. This mechanical action develops the gluten, a network of protein fibers running through the dough, that forms spaces in the dough. The kneaded dough is allowed to sit in a warm place, and the yeast grows, producing gas, which expands the dough by filling up the spaces, blowing it up like a balloon.


When it comes time to bake your dough, putting it into a hot oven serves two purposes. First, it causes the water and alcohol to vaporize, producing gas that further inflates the dough (this is called 'oven spring', and is magnified by the addition of steam). Second, it cooks the bread, killing the yeast, setting the structure by transforming the gluten proteins (which cross-link together) and starches (which absorb water, swell and set, popping the gas pockets and forming a sponge) and drying out the crust.


The Ingredients


Start by deciding which flour (or flours) you want to use. You can make bread from pretty much any kind of wheat flour, and from other grains besides. The best flours for bread are the 'strong' ones, often labeled 'bread flour'. They have a higher protein content (usually 12% or higher), which translates to more gluten after kneading.


Contrary to 'popular' opinion, gluten is not bad, or bad for you, unless you are allergic to or intolerant of it. If your body can tolerate it (and most of us can), there is no reason to avoid it. Gluten is necessary for light, airy bread. Without it, the yeast would have no structure to pump gas into as it grows.

Simple diagram of wheat grain

There is, of course, more to flour than just protein content. Another important consideration is whether to use whole grain or refined flour. Whole grain flour, as the name implies, contains the entire wheat grain - bran, germ and endosperm. Refined flour is produced by separating out the endosperm, leaving most of the bran and germ behind. The bran and germ together contain all of the fiber and most of the fat, minerals and  vitamins in the wheat grain. The endosperm contains the starch and most of the protein. Refining flour therefore removes a lot of its nutritional value. Most refined flours are then 'enriched' - they have B vitamins and iron added back in. However, they are still missing vitamin E, zinc and fiber (and there is evidence that the body absorbs vitamins and minerals more readily in their natural form than as supplements).

Good, tasty bread can be made with refined white flour, and most of the breads I have made previously had no whole wheat flour in them. Recently, however, I have started incorporating whole wheat flour into all of my baked goods, including breads, for its nutritional benefits.

There are some disadvantages of using whole wheat flour in breads. Such breads tend to be heavier and more dense (the wheat germ and bran interfere with gluten formation, leading to less rise). You must also store the flour in the refrigerator or freezer, as the fats in the bran and germ will eventually go rancid at room temperature.


If you decide to use whole grain flour, I would suggest mixing it with refined flour - I use up to 50% whole grain flour in my bread and other baked goods. This way, you get the nutritional benefits, but without the bread becoming too heavy.


As far as water goes, the most important thing is the temperature. It must be tepid - slightly warm. If it is too hot, the yeast will die. If it is not warm enough, the yeast will be sluggish. Some bakers recommend using distilled or spring water, claiming that chlorine in tap water can inhibit yeast growth. This is probably true, but seems to me to be an unnoticeable difference. It is also very convenient to get the temperature right by adjusting the taps! Maybe the ideal solution would be a filter on your tap? However, I don't think it's worth worrying about too much.


For yeast, the most convenient form is dried yeast, which should be kept refrigerated or frozen after opening. Fresh yeast can also be used, but a larger quantity is needed. It must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer at all times, and is very perishable.


Salt is simple - use any kind you like. Fine or coarse, iodized or not, it all dissolves in water and makes the final product taste better, up to a point! If you use too much, your bread will not only be unpleasantly salty, it will also not rise properly. Salt inhibits the growth of yeast. Bread made without salt rises really well, but doesn't taste very good! The most important thing with salt is, if possible, to weigh it. The reason for this is that there are many different shapes and sizes of salt crystals out there, and an ounce of salt will occupy a different volume depending on the crystals. One ounce of fine salt, which pours like sand, will take up less space than an ounce of flaky salt, in which the flakes sit in disarray, with plenty of air spaces between them. In this case, the difference is significant. I'll give a rough guide to volume for those without a scale, but you may need to use trial and error to fine tune it. However, I would highly recommend owning a scale - it will help your baking immensely.


Note that salt is not the only ingredient that is better weighed. Different flours also will weigh differently for the same volume. It is less important for this recipe, because you will be adjusting the amount of flour by eye as you knead - there is not a precise measurement for the flour here.


Once you have your ingredients together, you can get started. Just make sure you have some time to spare, because the dough needs time to rise. It is for this reason that I make bread on my days off from work.


The Method


You will need two 9 x 5 inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pans (makes two loaves).


Start with a large bowl. Tip in 2 lb (900g, roughly 7.5 cups) flour (you decide the type or mix), 0.6 oz (17g, which is about 3/4 tbsp kosher, or maybe 1/2 tbsp fine) salt and 4 tsp instant dry yeast (or about 1.5 oz fresh yeast). Mix in 24 fl oz (700 ml) water, and stir it all together into a rough dough. Tip your dough onto a floured counter.


Now knead the dough - pull it all together, then get your fists into it, turning, punching and rolling it. Don't be shy - the rougher you are with it, the better the end product will be. If it is too sticky (and it will be), add more flour, and keep kneading. Continue to do this until the dough looks shiny and smooth, feels elastic and is a little tacky, but not sticky.

Risen dough

When you reach this point, put the dough back into the bowl (or even better, a large plastic, straight-sided container), and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit somewhere warm and not drafty, until it has risen to three times its original size. This should take a few hours, but go by size, not time.

Bench scraper

Once risen, tip the dough back onto the floured counter and cut it in half. A bench scraper is ideal for this, and it is one of my favorite (and cheapest) kitchen tools. It can also be used to clean the counter afterwards.

Take each half, and press it out into a roughly 7 x 11 inch (18 x 28 cm) rectangle. Roll into a log from one short side to the other, then drop the log, seam side down, into a buttered loaf pan. Sprinkle the tops of your loaves with a little flour and cover with plastic wrap. Put back in a warm place and allow the dough to rise above the edges of the pans.

Once the dough is risen, preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C). Once hot, put the two loaf pans in the oven (minus the plastic wrap!) and close the door. Bake for 35 minutes, at which point the loaves should be lightly browned on top, and once knocked out of the pans, should sound hollow when tapped on the bottoms. Allow to cool directly on a rack.

What you do next with your bread is up to you. It is best to eat as soon as it has cooled down a little (as the bread is still cooking in the center when you remove it from the oven), but I allow most of it to cool completely, then cut the loaves in half and wrap in parchment paper and freeze. One half remains out, in a sealed plastic bag, or other airtight container, ready for use. It can be left at room temperature for a few days, so long as you keep the air out. Eventually it will mold, so eat it before it does, or freeze it!

Don't keep bread in the refrigerator - it will go stale very quickly. 

If your bread dries out, you can grind it into breadcrumbs in a food processor.

Enjoy the bread that you created!

Half whole-wheat sandwich loaf

Variations

Besides varying the flours in your bread, you can also put 'extras' in or on it. The most common extras would be nuts and seeds, which could go in or be sprinkled on top of the bread. Other options include rolled oats (which can be ground in a food processor) and dried fruit. A friend likes to put cooked millet and sunflower seeds in her bread. I personally love poppy seeds on the outside of mine. This is an opportunity to really personalize your loaf!

You can also substitute some of the water for milk, which will result in softer bread, and, if you like some sweetness, you could add some honey or maple syrup.

Another option is to shape your loaves by hand, for example into long loaves (like baguettes) or round ones (like boules), instead of using loaf pans. If you want to do this, set up a baking sheet with parchment paper on it, and let the shaped loaf or loaves rise on this (instead of in the loaf pan). Preheat the oven and slide the sheet onto the oven shelf.

Half whole-wheat round with poppy seeds

If you like your bread to be airier and crustier, you can bake it in a hotter oven (say 475 F - 250 C), with steam (set up a small cast iron pan in the preheating oven, and toss in a few ice cubes right after you put the bread in). If you are not using loaf pans, you can slide your loaves (on parchment paper) onto a preheated pizza stone. Baking time will depend on oven temperature and loaf size and shape.

Related Posts

The following recipes are from my old blog, An English Cook in America.

Ciabatta Bread

Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Gourmet Grilled Cheese

References/Further Reading

On Food and Cooking - Harold McGee (Food science)

Local Breads - Daniel Leader with Lauren Chattman (Great book on artisan breads, and bread in general)

The River Cottage Bread Handbook - Daniel Stevens (Great general book on breads, with an excellent final chapter on how to build your own clay bread oven)