Sourdough bread is bread leavened with lactobacillus culture instead of processed yeast, or a combination of the two. It is one of the earliest methods of leavening (rising) bread, and is created by making what is known as a sourdough culture or ‘starter’. The starter is made by mixing flour and water (and sometimes other things containing enzymes) over a process of around 11 days to activate the naturally occurring bacteria and yeasts. The sour flavour of the bread comes from the lactic acid produced by the good bacteria, and once you have your starter the process of making the bread takes from 1 to 3 days. Most larger bakeries producing sourdough use yeast, then add some of the starter so that you still get the sour flavour but don’t have to wait as long to bake. Some traditional bakeries use starters that are over a hundred years old, mine is 4 years young.
Monday 6 February 2012
What is Bakers Flour?
What is Bakers flour?.
Bakers flour is simply a high protein (gluten) flour, its what helps give bread and pizza dough its elasticity.You know how we call pastry ‘short pastry’ or shortbread has the word ‘short’ in it? Well this is referring to the gluten.You know how when we make pastry, scones and shortbread, the first thing we do is combine cold butter and flour, well, gluten is activated by liquids, so by coating the flour granules in fat first, this creates a barrier from the liquid, and therefore ‘shortening’ the gluten strands. So once cooked the texture is crumbly, a perfect pastry or shortbread is deliciously crumbly or ‘short’.
When we make breads we want the opposite, we want to get that gluten wet and start it stretching.This is why we knead bread and not pastry.The gluten is stretching and this is giving our dough its elasticity so that as the yeast activates and carbon dioxide bubbles form, the dough expands but is held together by the gluten.
Now here's the thing, regular every day plain flour in Australia, is actually quite high in protein, so for doughs its actually perfect. And for ‘short’ doughs? Its fine too, but if you want to be really fancy, just add a teaspoon of cornflour or rice flour per cup of flour for perfect pastry, shortbread and sponges.
Bakers flour is simply a high protein (gluten) flour, its what helps give bread and pizza dough its elasticity.You know how we call pastry ‘short pastry’ or shortbread has the word ‘short’ in it? Well this is referring to the gluten.You know how when we make pastry, scones and shortbread, the first thing we do is combine cold butter and flour, well, gluten is activated by liquids, so by coating the flour granules in fat first, this creates a barrier from the liquid, and therefore ‘shortening’ the gluten strands. So once cooked the texture is crumbly, a perfect pastry or shortbread is deliciously crumbly or ‘short’.
When we make breads we want the opposite, we want to get that gluten wet and start it stretching.This is why we knead bread and not pastry.The gluten is stretching and this is giving our dough its elasticity so that as the yeast activates and carbon dioxide bubbles form, the dough expands but is held together by the gluten.
Now here's the thing, regular every day plain flour in Australia, is actually quite high in protein, so for doughs its actually perfect. And for ‘short’ doughs? Its fine too, but if you want to be really fancy, just add a teaspoon of cornflour or rice flour per cup of flour for perfect pastry, shortbread and sponges.
BREAD
PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEAASE!!! Im getting so frustrated reading terrible bread making advice. Please to 'those' people STOP writing about bread when you haven't a clue!!
This is a excerpt from one of my customer newsletters I write, so if you're interested in breadmaking please read this or find a good bread making book that explains the fundamentals. Ignore all the bad advice and it will make your bread making experience far more enjoyable and a far bigger success!
COMMON QUESTIONS
The most common questions I’ve had from my customers are about bread. Once you understand a few fundamental rules about bread making, the process becomes much easier.
Rule number 1: Bread kneads time. (pardon the pun!) Seriously though, bread needs time, make your bread with
one of the lovely recipes from the EDC or recipe community, then pop it in a bowl covered with Gladwrap, or if you have
a “Thermomat” which is a silicone bread mat, wrap it up. Leave to prove for around 30 mins-1 hour depending on the temperature of the day.The ideal temperature is 37degC so if it’s a cold day find a warm spot on a window sill or car seat. This will allow the yeast to thrive, which creates carbon dioxide bubbles and this is what makes the bread stretch and grow.
Rule number 2: Punch it down!
Once your bread dough has had its first proving, punch it down so that it returns to its original size.This serves two purposes, you are releasing the stale carbon dioxide produced by the newly awakened yeast, and making the dough more elastic as it will now rise and prove a second time. So either shape into a loaf (freeform or tin), or made little individual rolls, and place onto a baking paper lined tray.
Rule number 3: Don’t kill the yeast.
Yeast is killed at temperatures over 50 degrees. So use nice tepid water or milk (37C) when making bread but don’t use hot water. And remember if your bread hasn’t risen yet before it goes into a hot oven, once that dough reaches 50C you wont be getting any more rise. So have patience and let it grow.
Rule number 4: Don’t time it, watch it!
Now preheat your oven to 190C and wait for your bread to almost double in size on the tray while the oven is preheating then place it straight into the hot oven. Bread rolls are ready when golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped
on the underside, usually about 15-20 mins depending on the efficiency of your oven. And a loaf takes about 45mins. Because everyone’s ovens are different, its handy to have an oven thermometer to check the temperature, but if you’re really unsure, just remove a bread roll and cut it open.
As a final note, I recently read a recipe for baguette dough that requires 12 hours resting in the fridge. This is utilising an age old fermentation process using the natural bacterias contained in flour. You use cold water to make the dough which will stop the yeast rising straight away, allowing time for the natural good bacterias to awaken, this produces a small amount of lactic acid will give the bread a slightly sour flavour. This is a quick variation on making a traditional sourdough culture which is an 11 day process.
There are fewer things more satisfying than successfully baking a fresh loaf of bread from scratch, but failures can be frustrating, knowledge is power, I hope this helps!!
This is a excerpt from one of my customer newsletters I write, so if you're interested in breadmaking please read this or find a good bread making book that explains the fundamentals. Ignore all the bad advice and it will make your bread making experience far more enjoyable and a far bigger success!
COMMON QUESTIONS
The most common questions I’ve had from my customers are about bread. Once you understand a few fundamental rules about bread making, the process becomes much easier.
Rule number 1: Bread kneads time. (pardon the pun!) Seriously though, bread needs time, make your bread with
one of the lovely recipes from the EDC or recipe community, then pop it in a bowl covered with Gladwrap, or if you have
a “Thermomat” which is a silicone bread mat, wrap it up. Leave to prove for around 30 mins-1 hour depending on the temperature of the day.The ideal temperature is 37degC so if it’s a cold day find a warm spot on a window sill or car seat. This will allow the yeast to thrive, which creates carbon dioxide bubbles and this is what makes the bread stretch and grow.
Rule number 2: Punch it down!
Once your bread dough has had its first proving, punch it down so that it returns to its original size.This serves two purposes, you are releasing the stale carbon dioxide produced by the newly awakened yeast, and making the dough more elastic as it will now rise and prove a second time. So either shape into a loaf (freeform or tin), or made little individual rolls, and place onto a baking paper lined tray.
Rule number 3: Don’t kill the yeast.
Yeast is killed at temperatures over 50 degrees. So use nice tepid water or milk (37C) when making bread but don’t use hot water. And remember if your bread hasn’t risen yet before it goes into a hot oven, once that dough reaches 50C you wont be getting any more rise. So have patience and let it grow.
Rule number 4: Don’t time it, watch it!
Now preheat your oven to 190C and wait for your bread to almost double in size on the tray while the oven is preheating then place it straight into the hot oven. Bread rolls are ready when golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped
on the underside, usually about 15-20 mins depending on the efficiency of your oven. And a loaf takes about 45mins. Because everyone’s ovens are different, its handy to have an oven thermometer to check the temperature, but if you’re really unsure, just remove a bread roll and cut it open.
As a final note, I recently read a recipe for baguette dough that requires 12 hours resting in the fridge. This is utilising an age old fermentation process using the natural bacterias contained in flour. You use cold water to make the dough which will stop the yeast rising straight away, allowing time for the natural good bacterias to awaken, this produces a small amount of lactic acid will give the bread a slightly sour flavour. This is a quick variation on making a traditional sourdough culture which is an 11 day process.
There are fewer things more satisfying than successfully baking a fresh loaf of bread from scratch, but failures can be frustrating, knowledge is power, I hope this helps!!
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