Homemade Artisan Bread- The Easiest recipe Six different ways - Nesting With Grace (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making homemade bread? ›

Flour, water, salt and yeast are the key ingredients of most artisan breads - and a lack of chemical additives in its ingredients list is a sign that it is truly artisan. Sourdough breads may not even include yeast, as they rely on a culture for leavening instead.

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

On top of that, Vinegar can also enhance the browning of baked goods, and it also acts as a natural preservative, extending the shelf life of homemade bread. The acidic environment created by vinegar inhibits mold and bacteria growth, helping your bread stay fresh for longer.

All-purpose flour produces tender baked goods (as opposed to chewy ones) and is ideal for cakes, muffins, biscuits, piecrust, etc. Bread flour, on the other hand, is ideal for bread, pizza dough, pretzels, etc. – items where a strong crumb and a chewy texture are coveted.

It Uses Natural Ingredients

Some store-bought breads, however, contains preservatives and processed ingredients. As artisan bread uses only the finest natural ingredients and it is made fresh, it has earned its spot in the top when it comes to the best bread options.

“For crusty artisan bread, one way to determine doneness is by thumping the bottom of the loaf,” says Barb. “Give it a few quick knocks on the bottom of the loaf with your knuckles; if it sounds hollow, that tells you it's fully baked.”

Instrumental springiness was positively associated with sponge and dough mixing time (P = 0.02). Sponge and dough mixing and baking times were the two most significant process parameters affecting the bread physical quality and hence should be optimised.

Kneading Dough: Kneading bread dough is an important process to developing a gluten structure which strengthens the bread. It also creates a more even crumb for the final product and improves the flavor of the bread.

How do you tell if you made good bread? ›

The Crust: The ideal loaf of bread should have a dark, nicely domed, oval crust with a gentle curve towards the bottom—nothing too angular or balloon-like. The crust should burst wide at the scored areas and its surface should have plenty of blisters that help keep it crunchy even hours after baking.

Baking is a science, and certain ingredients like flour and leavening agents need to be measured and added exactly how the recipe suggests. Avoid overmixing the batter as it can lead to tough, dense quick bread that may sink in the middle.

Eggs also act as an emulsifier. By surrounding small particles of fat, the egg helps make the quick bread batter smoother, thus contributing to volume and texture. In addition, when eggs are beaten, they incorporate tiny air bubbles that expand with heat in the oven, contributing to volume.

Overmixing can cause quick breads to be tough, bake unevenly or cause elongated holes (or tunnels).

That said, most homemade breads are likely healthier than store-bought breads, which are often high in sugar and preservatives. One benefit of making your own bread is that you can control the ingredients. For example, you can use whole wheat flour instead of white flour, or add healthy toppings like nuts and seeds.

Carbon dioxide is responsible for all the bubbles that make holes in bread, making it lighter and fluffier. Because gas is created as a result of yeast growth, the more the yeast grows, the more gas in the dough and the more light and airy your bread loaf will be.

You want to rise the dough so that the yeast still has enough energy in it to work in the oven to give you a nice, light, fluffy loaf of white bread. Lightly cover the loaf pans with plastic wrap - do not make it too tight as you don't want the dough to rise up and get trapped in the plastic wrap.

Storing the bread in the refrigerator will help prevent mold from growing, but will also dry out the bread. The solution is to put your lovely bread into a zip lock storage bag, then place that bag into a second plastic bag. Place a moistened, damp paper towel in between the two bags and zip it shut.