Post by braided-rug on Aug 22, 2006 11:47:07 GMT 10
This tutorial or primer is by Patty.
"I am going to use the Amish white bread for this primer. For two reasons one- it is one of the easiest recipes, and two, I use it for all my basic bread stuffs, including rolls, hot dog buns and hamburger buns.
As you become comfortable with this recipe you can add a cup of whole wheat flour if you wish, I often add 2 cups of whole wheat and then a bit of vital wheat gluten (available in health food stores) to make rise well.
Before we get to the recipe a few things you need to know. The most important things to keep in mind are water temp, fresh yeast, kneading time, and the condition of the dough after it has been kneaded.
You can use any kind of flour, if you have access to bread flour at a reasonable price (I pay 7$ for a 50lb bag) I suggest that you try it, it is not necessary but it gives that dough just a bit more of an oomph. It is higher in gluten the substance that bread needs to rise nice and light and fluffy. If you are like me and are after the lightest fluffiest loaf of bread ever then you may way to give it a try. If you cannot find it but want that oomph you can try vital wheat gluten about 2 teaspoons will do it.
Your yeast should be fresh, you can check it by dissolving it in very warm water, to see if it gets foamy, if it does, then it is fine. I use an instant yeast, which I am able to get in large quantity, and I keep it in the freezer, except for a small jar that I keep in the fridge. The most common yeast available here in the United States is Active dry, which most professionals will tell you that you need to activate in warm water before you use, I did not always do that, and my results were good. The instant yeast never needs to be dissolved first, I add it to my dry ingredients.
Many people do not realize that with most of your typical breads sweeteners and fats are pretty interchangeable, if you prefer olive oil then by all means use it, if you like butter then use that, and if you would rather have honey than sugar then go for it. For the most part they can all be interchanged with little difference in texture.
Water should be very warm without being hot… for beginners buy an instant read thermometer (small round head with a long stem) they are usually 3$ at walmart or kmart, and check till you become comfortable with the temp of water, if you must err, err on the cool side because while it will make your yeast sluggish and greatly increase rising times, I have put my dough in the fridge before, and it rises just fine. Putting it in the fridge and slowing the rise process supposedly helps to develop the flavors better. If however you make your water to hot you will kill your yeast. Recipes vary but usually between 100- 120 is the norm most recipes call for.
Weather can greatly affect breadmaking, if it is cold it will take longer to rise, if it is dry you will need to add more liquid or less flour, Bread likes warm, humid conditions, if it is drafty in your house or you just can’t get your bread to rise, you can make a makeshift proofer by placing a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack of your oven, the warmth of the boiling water and or the light bulb in your oven, will provide enough heat. Sometimes if it is a bit chilly in my house I will turn my oven on for about 15 minutes and turn it off and place the bread on the top of my stove. You will have to experiment, if you don’t care how long it takes it will eventually rise, just be sure that it doubles in bulk and that when you press it in the middle with two fingers the indents stay. I find for me that rising times vary greatly, in the summer it may take 30 minutes whereas in the winter it may take up to two hours, don’t let it worry you it will get there eventually.
Kneading is very important as well, if the bread is not properly kneaded then the gluten is not developed and the bread will not rise properly or have the texture you are looking for. When the bread is kneaded properly the strands of gluten will be very long and elastic, the bread will be smooth and soft as a babies bottom. If you take a piece of the dough, about the size of a plum you should be able to stretch it out so that it is as thin as a membrane and you can see light thru it, if it tears before this then that you need to knead it some more. Kneading for those who have never made bread before goes like this.
Lay the dough in front of you, pull the part farthest away from you toward you, folding the dough in half, then using the heel of your hand push down and away from you. Now turn the bread a quarter of a turn and repeat. What you are basically doing is stretching those gluten fibers over and over again and the more you stretch them the more elastic they become. If the dough starts to become really stiff and tight, cover it with a towel and let it relax a few minutes, this relaxes the gluten and allows you to knead it again. At first when you begin to knead the dough will be very very sticky, coat your work surface with flour and your hands, as more and more flour gets incorporated and your dough gets less sticky, be careful to add less flour, the should remain sticky, but should come to a point where it no longer leaves itself on the worksurface and on your hands, it should in fact clean the bits of dough off the worksurface. The dough will be tacky to touch. Be sure that you work in each addition of flour thoroughly before you add more.
I use a kitchen aide mixer for the mixing and the first half of the kneading, it is helpful to spray the dough hook with cookspray, it keeps the dough from riding up the hook and allows it to knead better. You will continue to add flour to the dough until the dough pulls completely away from the side of the bowl and the sides of the bowl are clean. Be careful it is very easy to add too much flour, as it gets close to being done, but if by chance you do add too much flour you can add a bit more liquid to to get it back to where you want it. I usually will take the dough out of the mixer and continue to knead it by hand, it is easy to get lazy at this point, but if you watch as the dough hook kneads the dough in the mixer you will notice that not all of the dough gets kneaded as well, I really feel like this affects the ultimate quality of the bread, and in fact if you do the test, to see if the dough is ready most times you will find that it is not.I am a bit of a perfectionist here, I really love the ultimate bread, and I love baking it, and it is all the little details that make it the kind of bread that will get you the oooo’s and ahhhh’s of amazement from family and friends.
With most breads there is usually two rising periods the first is in its raw form, in a bowl, let it double in size, Regardless of the amount of time that it takes. The second rising occurs after the dough is formed into its final form, when I bake bread I usually let it rise to just over the top of the pan, before I place it in the oven, the final rising time will vary depending on what you are making many things such as bagels are half proofed. I don’t allow English muffins very much proofing time either.
You will know that your bread is done, when it is a golden brown, when you take it out of the pan the bottom will also be a golden brown and if you tap the BOTTOM of the bread it will sound hollow.When your bread is finished you will want to remove it from the pan immediately, if you do not it will sweat in the pan and it will ultimately make the bread soggy.
Do not cut in to your bread for the first 20 minutes, it needs a bit of time to cool and it continues to cook even after it is out of the oven. If you just can’t wait then give it about ten minutes and if you are careful you should be able to cut into it.
Amish White Bread
2 cups warm water
!/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup oil
5-6 cups flour
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water: add yeast.
Mix in salt and oil. Work in the flour until dough no longer looks wet.
Knead on a floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, turning to coat dough with oil. Cover and allow to rise until doubles, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead again and divide in half. Shape into two loaves and place in well oiled loaf pan. Allow to rise for another hour.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Loaves with be golden brown and sound hollow when done.
I have also used this recipe for rolls and soft breadsticks. You can
substitute whole wheat flour for some of the flour if you prefer."
There are extra instructions on her site:
www.totallyfrugal.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-82.html
"I am going to use the Amish white bread for this primer. For two reasons one- it is one of the easiest recipes, and two, I use it for all my basic bread stuffs, including rolls, hot dog buns and hamburger buns.
As you become comfortable with this recipe you can add a cup of whole wheat flour if you wish, I often add 2 cups of whole wheat and then a bit of vital wheat gluten (available in health food stores) to make rise well.
Before we get to the recipe a few things you need to know. The most important things to keep in mind are water temp, fresh yeast, kneading time, and the condition of the dough after it has been kneaded.
You can use any kind of flour, if you have access to bread flour at a reasonable price (I pay 7$ for a 50lb bag) I suggest that you try it, it is not necessary but it gives that dough just a bit more of an oomph. It is higher in gluten the substance that bread needs to rise nice and light and fluffy. If you are like me and are after the lightest fluffiest loaf of bread ever then you may way to give it a try. If you cannot find it but want that oomph you can try vital wheat gluten about 2 teaspoons will do it.
Your yeast should be fresh, you can check it by dissolving it in very warm water, to see if it gets foamy, if it does, then it is fine. I use an instant yeast, which I am able to get in large quantity, and I keep it in the freezer, except for a small jar that I keep in the fridge. The most common yeast available here in the United States is Active dry, which most professionals will tell you that you need to activate in warm water before you use, I did not always do that, and my results were good. The instant yeast never needs to be dissolved first, I add it to my dry ingredients.
Many people do not realize that with most of your typical breads sweeteners and fats are pretty interchangeable, if you prefer olive oil then by all means use it, if you like butter then use that, and if you would rather have honey than sugar then go for it. For the most part they can all be interchanged with little difference in texture.
Water should be very warm without being hot… for beginners buy an instant read thermometer (small round head with a long stem) they are usually 3$ at walmart or kmart, and check till you become comfortable with the temp of water, if you must err, err on the cool side because while it will make your yeast sluggish and greatly increase rising times, I have put my dough in the fridge before, and it rises just fine. Putting it in the fridge and slowing the rise process supposedly helps to develop the flavors better. If however you make your water to hot you will kill your yeast. Recipes vary but usually between 100- 120 is the norm most recipes call for.
Weather can greatly affect breadmaking, if it is cold it will take longer to rise, if it is dry you will need to add more liquid or less flour, Bread likes warm, humid conditions, if it is drafty in your house or you just can’t get your bread to rise, you can make a makeshift proofer by placing a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack of your oven, the warmth of the boiling water and or the light bulb in your oven, will provide enough heat. Sometimes if it is a bit chilly in my house I will turn my oven on for about 15 minutes and turn it off and place the bread on the top of my stove. You will have to experiment, if you don’t care how long it takes it will eventually rise, just be sure that it doubles in bulk and that when you press it in the middle with two fingers the indents stay. I find for me that rising times vary greatly, in the summer it may take 30 minutes whereas in the winter it may take up to two hours, don’t let it worry you it will get there eventually.
Kneading is very important as well, if the bread is not properly kneaded then the gluten is not developed and the bread will not rise properly or have the texture you are looking for. When the bread is kneaded properly the strands of gluten will be very long and elastic, the bread will be smooth and soft as a babies bottom. If you take a piece of the dough, about the size of a plum you should be able to stretch it out so that it is as thin as a membrane and you can see light thru it, if it tears before this then that you need to knead it some more. Kneading for those who have never made bread before goes like this.
Lay the dough in front of you, pull the part farthest away from you toward you, folding the dough in half, then using the heel of your hand push down and away from you. Now turn the bread a quarter of a turn and repeat. What you are basically doing is stretching those gluten fibers over and over again and the more you stretch them the more elastic they become. If the dough starts to become really stiff and tight, cover it with a towel and let it relax a few minutes, this relaxes the gluten and allows you to knead it again. At first when you begin to knead the dough will be very very sticky, coat your work surface with flour and your hands, as more and more flour gets incorporated and your dough gets less sticky, be careful to add less flour, the should remain sticky, but should come to a point where it no longer leaves itself on the worksurface and on your hands, it should in fact clean the bits of dough off the worksurface. The dough will be tacky to touch. Be sure that you work in each addition of flour thoroughly before you add more.
I use a kitchen aide mixer for the mixing and the first half of the kneading, it is helpful to spray the dough hook with cookspray, it keeps the dough from riding up the hook and allows it to knead better. You will continue to add flour to the dough until the dough pulls completely away from the side of the bowl and the sides of the bowl are clean. Be careful it is very easy to add too much flour, as it gets close to being done, but if by chance you do add too much flour you can add a bit more liquid to to get it back to where you want it. I usually will take the dough out of the mixer and continue to knead it by hand, it is easy to get lazy at this point, but if you watch as the dough hook kneads the dough in the mixer you will notice that not all of the dough gets kneaded as well, I really feel like this affects the ultimate quality of the bread, and in fact if you do the test, to see if the dough is ready most times you will find that it is not.I am a bit of a perfectionist here, I really love the ultimate bread, and I love baking it, and it is all the little details that make it the kind of bread that will get you the oooo’s and ahhhh’s of amazement from family and friends.
With most breads there is usually two rising periods the first is in its raw form, in a bowl, let it double in size, Regardless of the amount of time that it takes. The second rising occurs after the dough is formed into its final form, when I bake bread I usually let it rise to just over the top of the pan, before I place it in the oven, the final rising time will vary depending on what you are making many things such as bagels are half proofed. I don’t allow English muffins very much proofing time either.
You will know that your bread is done, when it is a golden brown, when you take it out of the pan the bottom will also be a golden brown and if you tap the BOTTOM of the bread it will sound hollow.When your bread is finished you will want to remove it from the pan immediately, if you do not it will sweat in the pan and it will ultimately make the bread soggy.
Do not cut in to your bread for the first 20 minutes, it needs a bit of time to cool and it continues to cook even after it is out of the oven. If you just can’t wait then give it about ten minutes and if you are careful you should be able to cut into it.
Amish White Bread
2 cups warm water
!/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup oil
5-6 cups flour
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water: add yeast.
Mix in salt and oil. Work in the flour until dough no longer looks wet.
Knead on a floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, turning to coat dough with oil. Cover and allow to rise until doubles, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead again and divide in half. Shape into two loaves and place in well oiled loaf pan. Allow to rise for another hour.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Loaves with be golden brown and sound hollow when done.
I have also used this recipe for rolls and soft breadsticks. You can
substitute whole wheat flour for some of the flour if you prefer."
There are extra instructions on her site:
www.totallyfrugal.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-82.html
