Instructions (Cont.)
Flour
Flour is the main ingredient of bread. It releases gluten, which allows the
bread to rise, and gives substance to the bread. The characteristics of our
are determined not only by the type but also by the conditions of grain
cultivation, processing method and storage.
Always check the packaging to see if the our is suitable for baking bread.
The basic types of bread our are obtained from wheat and rye, with wheat
our being the more commonly used for baking bread and pastries. Also
make sure to always weigh the correct amount of our required in your recipe
as the weight of our can vary signicantly from type to type.
NOTE: Do not use self-raising our unless stated in your recipe.
Bread flour: Bread-making our (rened) is made of the inner part of the
grain only and contains high gluten levels for optimum crumb elasticity and
rising ability.
Wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour: To obtain wholemeal our, whole wheat
grains are ground with their membrane, which produces a wholemeal our
with enhanced nutritional value. It is often used mixed together with bread
our as bread made from whole-wheat our is usually smaller in size and has
a denser consistency.
Rye flour: When using rye our, take into account that this dough does not rise
much. For that reason, use at least 30% wheat our and max. 70% rye our.
Corn and oatmeal flour: Corn and oatmeal our can be mixed with wheat or
rye our to improve the bread texture and add extra avour.
Yeast
Yeast allows the dough to rise and makes the bread light and easy to digest.
Flour and sugar are a nutritional medium for yeast growth. You can either
use fresh, compressed yeast and dissolve it in warm liquid (water, milk, etc.),
or add fast-acting dry yeast to the our in the machine (dry yeast does not
require prior activation in liquid).
We recommend using fast-acting dry yeast as this type has a longer shelf life
and tends to produce more consistent results than fresh yeast. But make sure
to check the use-by date, as stale yeast may prevent the rising process. For the
same reason, store fresh yeast in the refrigerator. Follow the recommendations
on the packaging or observe the following proportions: 1 teaspoon of yeast
powder is equal to 1.5 teaspoons of fresh, compressed yeast.
Basic bread-making ingredients
To Next Page
Loading...
