Beard on Bread (6 page)
B. Roll out the dough, and then roll it up into a sausage shape. Tuck the ends under and fit it, seam side down, in the buttered pan.
8
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When using glass for baking, always set the temperature 25 degrees lower than is specified, since glass heats faster than metal and holds the heat longer.
9.
The dough can also be brushed with a mixture of lightly beaten egg whites and water, which colors the crust and makes it very crisp, or it can be brushed with a mixture of beaten egg yolk and milk, cream, or water, which gives the crust a rich brown color.
10.
The loaf can also be slashed lengthwise down the center.
• Whole-Wheat Bread:
This same recipe can be used to make a whole-wheat loaf. Merely use 2 cups whole-wheat flour and 1¾ to 2 cups white flour. For a slightly richer loaf, add 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil or peanut’ oil to the flour before adding the water, and use slightly less water to compensate for the oil.
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If your slice sags more than the one on the next page and is soggy to the bite, the dough was not aerated enough. It probably had too much liquid and did not get enough kneading. Next time work in a bit more flour as you knead and keep at it longer.
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If your dough seems to have a pretty good crumb but tastes damp, it means that it did not bake long enough. Try putting it in the oven at a slightly lower temperature at the start and let it cook longer.
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If your loaf has really fallen flat and doughy, gooey streaks appear in the slices, the chances are that the second rising was too long and the bread collapsed on contact with the heat. Be careful not to let the loaves rise too much in the pans.
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If your bread has risen more on one side than on the other, you probably had it in the wrong position in the oven. And if the slice has an uneven crumb, this is certainly true. Next time be sure to place a single
loaf in the center of the oven so that uneven distribution of heat won’t upset the form and shape of the loaf while it is baking. Usually, if you have several loaves in the oven, evenly spaced, this problem will not occur, since the flow of air around the pans will be regular.
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If your loaf has cracked on one side during the baking, don’t worry. It is likely to be a perfectly good loaf—in fact, it may be utterly delicious—even if it doesn’t look beautiful. This is something that at times even the best bakers can’t prevent.
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If the bottom and side crusts are pale and soft and the bread is difficult
to slice without having to saw with a very sharp knife, next time remove the bread from the pan and place it on the rack or on tiles in the warm oven to brown and crisp the bottom and sides, turning the loaves once, before cooling. (Also, do not ever wrap loaves in plastic before they are thoroughly cooled.)
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If your bread has really mushroomed and there is a rather deep indentation around the bottom, it means that the entire loaf has broken away from the bottom crust, probably because you tried to pack too much dough into too small a pan, or, if you were making a free-form loaf, your oven was undoubtedly too hot at first so that the bottom cooked too quickly and as the loaf rose it broke away and mushroomed. In either case you’ll have an uneven slice, denser at the bottom than at the top, but this is no great tragedy.
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If your free-form loaf spread too much as it was rising, your dough was too soft. Free-form loaves must be quite firm when shaped. Next time remember to add extra flour as you are kneading and if you are still uncertain put the dough in a ring to contain it.
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If, when slicing your bread, you find that the top crust separates from the rest, it means your loaf was not properly formed and the heat caused instant 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
Free-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 BREAD
:
3 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups flour plus ½ cup for kneading
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Cornmeal
When ready to make the bread, remove the sponge from the refrigerator, punch down, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, then gradually add the buttermilk and 2 cups of flour, mixed with the salt, to make a soft dough. Turn this out onto a lightly floured board, using another ½ cup flour or more, if need be, and knead for a good 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and resilient to the pressure of your
fingers. Shape into a ball, and place in a buttered or oiled bowl, turning to lightly coat with the fat. Let rise until doubled in bulk at ordinary room temperature. (Because the sponge is cold when it comes from the refrigerator, rising will probably take from 1½ to 2 hours, or even a little more.) When it has risen, punch down and let rest for a few minutes, then remove to a floured board and knead for 3 to 4 minutes. Place back in the bowl and let rise a second time until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1¼ hours.