aeration when it was put in the oven. This is not a serious matter and sometimes happens even with commercial breads. To remedy, try one of the alternate methods of forming to get a tighter loaf.
•
Large holes in your bread indicate that you may have overkneaded or that the dough rose too long. This is an advantage with certain free-form loaves, particularly French, but with other breads an even crumb is one of the attributes of good baking. All this is really a matter of taste, however, and if you really like a strong bread with big holes and a chewy texture, given the dough lots of kneading and a long, slow rise—even two risings.
•
If there are circular streaks in your slice, don’t worry. They are usually caused by the rolling and pinching of the dough when you formed your loaf, and you probably pinched too vigorously.
•
If your slice has doughy or small, hard lumps, it is certain that the original dough was not mixed sufficiently, possibly because it got too stiff to handle. Next time hold back on the flour so that the dough gets thoroughly mixed, then work in additional flour as you knead.
Basic Home-Style Bread
To most people homemade bread means a slightly sweet loaf made with milk and some shortening, quite light and rather fine in texture and much enjoyed when fresh with a generous spreading of butter and preserves. It is also popular for sandwiches and toast. Here is such a loaf, which I call “home-style” to distinguish it from my other basic white bread.
[2 loaves]
1 package active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk (100° to 115°, approximately)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup melted butter
1 tablespoon salt
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten (optional)
Add the yeast to ½ cup of the warm milk, along with the 2 tablespoons sugar, and stir well until the yeast is completely dissolved. Allow the yeast to proof. Place the remaining milk, the melted butter, and the salt in a bowl. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time, with a wooden spoon. After the third cup, add the yeast mixture. Continue stirring in flour until the mixture is rather firm, which should take about 4 to 5 cups. Remove the dough to a floured board or a marble slab, and knead, adding more flour as necessary if it gets sticky, until it is supple, satiny, and no longer sticky. Butter a bowl and place the dough in it, turning to coat all sides with the fat. Cover and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1½ to 2 hours.
Deflate the dough by punching it firmly two or three times, return to the floured board, and knead 4 to 5 minutes more. Divide into two equal parts and shape into loaves. Place in well-buttered 9 × 5 × 3-inch loaf tins, cover, and let rise again until doubled in bulk. Slash the loaves with a sharp knife and brush with lightly beaten egg white or water. Bake in a 400° oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped with the knuckles. Remove the loaves from the pans and put them in oven a few minutes longer to become crisped.
WhiteFree-Form Loaf
A free-form loaf is one that is not baked in a tin. It can be made round or oval. It is best, I find, when baked in an oven in which the racks are lined with tiles , with a pan of boiling water set on the lower rack to create steam. This type of bread is known as a “sponge loaf,” which means that you make a soft yeast mixture and let it refrigerate one or two nights to start fermentation before you continue with the recipe.
[1 free-form loaf]
FOR THE SPONGE :
2 packages active dry yeast
½ cup warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)
2 cups flour, preferably hard wheat
¾ to 1 cup water, approximately
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, let it proof in a large mixing bowl, and start adding the flour with enough water to make quite a soft dough. When the sponge is well mixed, cover it with a plate or plastic wrap and refrigerate it 12 to 36 hours—one or two nights.
FOR THE
•
Large holes in your bread indicate that you may have overkneaded or that the dough rose too long. This is an advantage with certain free-form loaves, particularly French, but with other breads an even crumb is one of the attributes of good baking. All this is really a matter of taste, however, and if you really like a strong bread with big holes and a chewy texture, given the dough lots of kneading and a long, slow rise—even two risings.
•
If there are circular streaks in your slice, don’t worry. They are usually caused by the rolling and pinching of the dough when you formed your loaf, and you probably pinched too vigorously.
•
If your slice has doughy or small, hard lumps, it is certain that the original dough was not mixed sufficiently, possibly because it got too stiff to handle. Next time hold back on the flour so that the dough gets thoroughly mixed, then work in additional flour as you knead.
Basic Home-Style Bread
To most people homemade bread means a slightly sweet loaf made with milk and some shortening, quite light and rather fine in texture and much enjoyed when fresh with a generous spreading of butter and preserves. It is also popular for sandwiches and toast. Here is such a loaf, which I call “home-style” to distinguish it from my other basic white bread.
[2 loaves]
1 package active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk (100° to 115°, approximately)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup melted butter
1 tablespoon salt
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten (optional)
Add the yeast to ½ cup of the warm milk, along with the 2 tablespoons sugar, and stir well until the yeast is completely dissolved. Allow the yeast to proof. Place the remaining milk, the melted butter, and the salt in a bowl. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time, with a wooden spoon. After the third cup, add the yeast mixture. Continue stirring in flour until the mixture is rather firm, which should take about 4 to 5 cups. Remove the dough to a floured board or a marble slab, and knead, adding more flour as necessary if it gets sticky, until it is supple, satiny, and no longer sticky. Butter a bowl and place the dough in it, turning to coat all sides with the fat. Cover and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1½ to 2 hours.
Deflate the dough by punching it firmly two or three times, return to the floured board, and knead 4 to 5 minutes more. Divide into two equal parts and shape into loaves. Place in well-buttered 9 × 5 × 3-inch loaf tins, cover, and let rise again until doubled in bulk. Slash the loaves with a sharp knife and brush with lightly beaten egg white or water. Bake in a 400° oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped with the knuckles. Remove the loaves from the pans and put them in oven a few minutes longer to become crisped.
WhiteFree-Form Loaf
A free-form loaf is one that is not baked in a tin. It can be made round or oval. It is best, I find, when baked in an oven in which the racks are lined with tiles , with a pan of boiling water set on the lower rack to create steam. This type of bread is known as a “sponge loaf,” which means that you make a soft yeast mixture and let it refrigerate one or two nights to start fermentation before you continue with the recipe.
[1 free-form loaf]
FOR THE SPONGE :
2 packages active dry yeast
½ cup warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)
2 cups flour, preferably hard wheat
¾ to 1 cup water, approximately
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, let it proof in a large mixing bowl, and start adding the flour with enough water to make quite a soft dough. When the sponge is well mixed, cover it with a plate or plastic wrap and refrigerate it 12 to 36 hours—one or two nights.
FOR THE
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