Advanced Baking Hpmgt #135

Key Topic Discussion: BREAD& STARTERS

v Success in bread making depends largely on your understanding of two basic principles:

ü Gluten development, and

ü Yeast fermentation.

v 12 basic steps in bread (or yeast dough) production:

Ø Baker’s Notes:

ü Gluten: most bread dough is made with high-gluten flour, which gives the dough enough strength to withstand kneading and rising. As dough is kneaded, two protein fragments in the flour, gliadin and glutenin (which are more abundant in wheat than in any other grain) are hydrated by the liquid and they then expand and bond with each other, creating a longer molecule called gluten, which gives bread its strength and invisible skeletal structure.

ü Salt: every bread dough needs salt. Salt makes the fermentation proceed evenly throughout the dough, slows staling of the baked bread, increases the dough’s elasticity, and fosters browning of the crust, in addition to its flavor properties.

ü Yeast: all traditional breads are leavened with commercial or wild yeast, as opposed to quick breads which use chemical leavenings. Breads leavened by commercial yeast are often called yeasted breads, while many bakers refer to wild yeast breads as leavened breads. Commercial yeast is very aggressive and ferments the dough so rapidly that it is usually ready for baking within a few hours after mixing. In fact, dough made with commercial yeast can sustain only two or three risings before it overferments. At this point, the yeast begins to die and loses its leavening power, and the bread will have an unpleasant sour flavor. Some doughs made from wild yeast starters may take up to three days to ferment. Slow rising also allows the dough to develop more lactobacillus organisms, which give the dough complexity and acidity. Sourdough breads, leavened with wild yeast, develop their unique flavor not from the yeast but from these organisms.

ü Eggs: besides their nutritional value, when you add eggs to a dough, you accomplish several things. The lipids in the egg yolks emulsify, producing a softer, golden crumb and a crust that browns more quickly. The fat in the yolks will increase the bread’s shelf life.

ü Fats and oils: the addition of any fat to a dough will acts as a tenderizer, softening the texture of the crumb and the crust. The bread will be more moist and will keep longer. Fats help carry flavors through the dough, enhancing the flavor of added ingredients and generally enriching the dough.

ü Pre-ferments: generally breads made with a pre-ferment have a less yeasty flavor, a chewy texture, an irregular crumb, and a crust with a richer appearance and taste. Some examples of pre-ferments include sponge, biga, poolish, and pâte fermentée.

ü Dough temperatures: professional bakers carefully calculate the temperatures of the ingredients and workplaces to reach the best temperature for fermentation of each particular dough. For the optimum fermentation of most doughs, the temperature at the end of kneading should be about 75˚ - 78˚F. The four factors influencing this goal are the temperatures of the flour, the room, and the water and how much the dough heats up during the kneading process. Dough kneaded by machine may rise as much as 1˚F per minute. Because the temperatures of the flour and the room are hard to adjust, the temperature of the water is manipulated/calculated. Normally the ideal sum is 225, so subtract from this the room and flour temperature to determine the water temperature, 225-(80+80) = 65.

ü Windowpaning: is the best way to check for gluten development. Remember when overkneading happens, the gluten molecules begin to break apart and the dough becomes irretrievable. Overkneaded dough is stretchy like taffy and sticks to your hands like bubble gum on a warm day, no matter how much flour you add. Don’t confuse this with merely wet dough.

v The Baker’s Math-Formula System

ü Professional bakers view recipes as formulas, meaning that they conceive them as ratios and percentages rather than as cups and spoonfuls. Weight measuring is preferred because it is far more accurate than volume (or scoop) measuring, but even more importantly, the ratios of ingredients to one another reveal patterns that allow bakers to be creative and to control the outcomes of their efforts.

ü To understand the baker’s math system, it is important to know that all ingredients are view in ratio to the total flour weight (TFW). The TFW always equals 100 percent, and all other ingredients are figured as a percentage against that figure.

ü Example using French baguettes:

Ingredient	Measure	Weight	Ratio	New Calc.
Bread flour	12 cups	3 lb 6 oz	100%	13 lb 9 oz
Water	5 ½ cups	2 lb 12 oz	81.5%	11 lb 1 oz
Salt	4 teaspoons	1 oz	1.85%	4 oz
Yeast	2 Tablespoons	2/3 oz	1.23%	2.7 oz
Total		6 lb 4 oz	184.6%	25 lb

v The Basic Types of Bread

ü French baguette and pain ordinaire, or pain francais – characterized by a thin, crackly crust, diagonal cuts across the top that “bloom” open into crusty flaps called ears, a length of 18 to 36 inches (or longer), and color varying from light gold to deep gold with tones of reddish brown. The interior crumb of French bread has irregular holes, some very large and barely connected by strands of gluten and others tighter and smaller. If this webbing is composed of uniform-sized holes, it means the loaves have been shaped too roughly or by mechanical equipment.

ü Levain – is a naturally leavened bread made with pre-fermented starter developed from wild yeast. Country levains are made with a small percentage of whole-grain flour, usually wheat or rye, to add complexity and texture. The crust is thicker and chewier than pain ordinaire or other yeasted breads. The flavor usually include acidic sour tones, though Europeans like their levain minimally sour. The crumb should have the same irregular hold structure as a baguette. Because it is often baked in round (boule) or oblong (bâtard) shapes, it has more interior crumb than a baguette. The mouthfeel should be cool and creamy, not dry. The crumb webbing should have a slightly shiny, almost translucent quality.

ü Ciabatta and rustic breads – loaves made from wetter doughs are called rustic breads, of which the best known is the Italian ciabatta. Other Italian versions include pugliese, francese, stirato, pane rustico, and stretch bread. These breads may be made with as much as 80 percent hydration, compared to 55 to 60 for most other breads. The crumb is extremely open, barely holding the loaf together and sometimes tearing to reveal large holes or tunnels. The gluten is stretched to the maximum, exposing it fully to the heat. This gives the bread a pleasant toasty flavor and a gelatinized, shiny interior. The crust is sweet and nutty from the natural caramelization of the sugars. Rustic breads are often yeasted but may also be naturally leavened.

ü Pumpernickel and other ryes – there are many versions of rye bread. Pumpernickel is a German/Russian-style bread made with coarse, whole-grain rye flour. Rye bread usually has a tighter crumb than wheat bread because, as with all grains other than wheat, there is very little gluten in rye.

ü White bread (pain de mie): yeasted white bread, for sandwiches, toast, or as an accompaniment to meals, is as much a European tradition as it is an American one. Dough conditioners such as butter, milk, potato starch, and sugar are added to soften the crumb and crust. White breads are baked in loaf pans at a lower heat than hearth breads to prevent early caramelization and a crispy crust. The crumb is uniform in appearance with medium-size holes and a tenderness not found in lean hearth breads. Despite its softness, the mouthfeel is drier than that of hearth breads.

ü Brioche and enriched breads – the generous addition of butter and eggs pushes some breads into a category called rich or enriched breads.