“Staff of Life” Bread – FUNDAMENTAL FACTS – PART II
Review the fundamental facts for bread-making before you try these recipes. They give detailed methods for all the steps outlined in the recipe directions.
They also tell you why these particular methods are recommended. The quality of the bread you make will be influenced by your application of:
Accurate measurements
The correct temperature at every stage
Proper timing of fermentation periods
Skillful handling of the dough
STAY ON THE JOB
Do your bread-making days when you can be at home to take care of the rising dough at each stage when it is ready for attention.
Many women turn out very poor-quality bread because they mix the dough and then leave home for several hours.
You can make good bread without standing over the rising dough while it ferments, provided you are not too far away for too long.
The longest possible time you can leave the fermenting white dough without attention, in Utah’s high elevations, is about 1 hour and 15 or 20 minutes.
That is while it is going through the first rising period. The longest safe time to be away from whole wheat dough is less than 1 hour.
WATCH THE CLOCK
You will have variations in the time it takes the dough to go through the first rising period. Remember, you read how the temperature and the stiffness of the dough influence the time it takes to get ready for the first punch down.
The rest of the rising periods are regulated by the clock. Set your alarm clock to ring about the time you need to start making the ripe test in the rising dough.
Then set the clock, or use a timer, to remind you when to punch the dough at the end of the remaining rising periods.
JOT IT DOWN
Keep a pad and pencil close by while you make bread. You might use a black wax crayon and record the schedule right on the container which holds the dough.
Make a note of the time when you first put the dough into the bowl or crock to rise. If you use a container with straight sides, make a note of the height of the dough when it first goes in to rise. Then write the height it will be when you need to start watching closely.
Record the time when it has had its first punch down. Then put down the time for each of the following punches according to the time chart with the recipes.
All of these timing and measuring details may sound like a lot of bother as you read them. Many Utah homemakers have adopted these routines with ease and comfort.
They report much better quality bread with much less guesswork.
KNOW YOUR FLOUR
When you read the recipes you will notice the number of cups of flour listed is followed with (about). Flour is the variable ingredient in any bread recipe.
Flour gradually loses some of its moisture as it stands after it is milled. Any brand of flour dries out quickly in Utah’s dry climate.
There is much variation in the amount of moisture that white flour from different bags will absorb when you make it into the dough. This variation is even greater with whole wheat flour.
You may find when you make your first batch of bread from a new bag of flour that you cannot knead in all of the flour the recipe calls for without making the dough too stiff.
This results in a small loaf of bread. While you are using that bag of flour add one or two extra tablespoons of milk for each loaf.
SIFT FLOUR BEFORE MEASURING
Always sift the flour before measuring it lightly into the measuring cup. When sifting whole wheat flour, put bran that does not go through the sieve, back into the sifted flour.
Use a spoon or scoop to lift the sifted flour into the cup. Do not shake the flour down, nor try to pack it tightly. You will have much more flour than the recipe calls for if you pack it down while you measure it.
