Keeping the conventional yeast leavening technique under consideration, the next step is to leave the dough for rising. This is one final but important step before baking. You cannot leave the dough open in the air. Transfer it to a greased bowl first and rub the top of the dough with some cooking oil as well. The size of the bowl must be two to three times bigger than the size of the dough so that it will have enough space to rise.
Cover the dough bowl with a clean kitchen towel or a plastic wrap. Now keep this covered bowl in a warm and humid place in the kitchen. Yeast works well in a warm setting. Leave this dough for at least one hour and then check if it is raised to double its original volume. If not, then leave the dough for another hour. It usually takes 1–2 hours for the dough to rise completely. Once the dough is raised, punch it down to release all the air trapped inside, then knead it for one minute before transferring it to the loaf pan.
Chapter 2: Preparing to Bake
The stage of bread making involves three main steps. You first start by selecting an appropriate pan, then set the dough for baking, and then bake. Let us break the process into a few simple steps.
1. Prepare the Pan
Using a loaf pan is probably the best idea to bake the bread as it can give you a perfectly shaped loaf. A loaf pan comes in different sizes to give a different sized bread loaf:
9x5x2- Large-sized loaf
8x4x2- Medium-sized loaf
7x3x2- Small-Sized loaf
The pan should be greased and must be lined with parchment paper for easy handling. If the loaf pan isn’t around, you can either set the dough in a baking sheet in the desired shape or use any other baking pan.
2. Oven’s Temperature
The oven’s heat and temperature are most crucial to bake the bread well. If you bake it at higher temperatures, it will be baked unevenly, or it will get too brown and dry, whereas slow baking on low heat will also make the bread dry as it will lose all its moisture. The appropriate temperature to bake bread ranges from 300ºF to 370ºF. The perfect brown color with a fluffy texture can be achieved at 320–350ºF.
3. Baking
When the oven is preheated at the right temperature, you can set the loaf pan inside, but make sure that the pan is placed in the middle of the oven so it will receive a controlled amount of heat. Usually, a bread loaf takes 20–25 minutes, depending on the size of the loaf. Keep an eye on the bread during baking and check constantly. When the bread looks well-baked, remove the pan from the oven and leave it for five minutes to allow the pan to cool down. Now run a knife around the edges and remove the bread from the pan. Place it on the cutting board and slice it into equal-sized slices. Serve or keep them stored in a sealable plastic bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Reading the theory is one thing, but when you start baking the bread, things turn out differently, and many new questions pop up in our minds. The following are some commonly asked questions about bread baking.
1. Is homemade bread better than market-bought bread?
Some factors make homemade bread healthier than the market-bought one. Firstly, when we bake the bread at home, we can use the desired ingredients, and we always prefer to add fresh organic ingredients, whereas the market-bought bread may contain sub-standard material.
2. Does it cost less to bake bread at home?
The bread that is baked at home costs much less than the market-bought bread. At the same price, you can buy the raw ingredients for bread making, and you will end up having more loaves of bread.
3. How much bread can we make using 1 kg of flour?
One kg of flour equals eight cups, which give enough dough to make about two large-sized loaves of bread. Keep in mind that the dough gets less dense as it is baked, so it loses about one-fourth of its total weight during baking.
4. How can we keep our bread soft?
The perfect formula for baking the bread soft is to make it with white flour mixed with extra gluten. For every cup of flour, you can add a tablespoon of gluten to make the bread. Then knead the prepared dough well, avoid over-baking, and always keep the bread covered after baking.
5. Is it necessary to add sugar to homemade bread?
Sugar is usually used to activate and rehydrate the yeast; it allows the yeast to ferment the dough quickly. For this purpose, a very small amount of sugar is added, which is not there to sweeten the bread. However, you can add more sugar or other sweeteners like honey, molasses, or maple syrup to make the bread sweet.
6. Can you use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Bread flour is considered a perfect option for bread making, but it's not like you can’t bake bread without the bread flour—you can always replace it with all-purpose flour. But the all-purpose flour has comparatively lesser proteins, so its dough is not raised as high as that of bread flour’s dough, and it remains a bit dense too.
7. How can instant yeast be used for baking bread?
The instant yeast works differently than the regular yeast, and it is more efficient in action. That is why if you want to replace the regular yeast in the recipe with the readily available instant yeast, then use the only ¾ of the stated quantity. Instant yeast has a faster rising time, so you will need to keep a close eye on the dough.
8. Can we use baking powder instead of yeast to make bread?
Both yeast and baking powder can be added to the bread as leavening agents. You can replace the yeast with an equal amount of baking powder. But baking powder does not need any rising time; it raises the bread as the bread is baked. So, when the dough is ready, just put it in the oven directly.
9. Can we use baking soda instead of yeast to make bread?
