How to bake bread

How to get started

Baking is a science so it needs precision and accuracy. Always use exact measurement and don’t swap between metric and imperial. Good ingredients make good bread, so choose good quality flour, yeast that is in date and use sea salt.

Get to know your oven and bake bread on the middle shelf unless otherwise stated

You will need:

Weighing scales
Measuring spoons
Measuring jug
Large mixing bowl
Various sized loaf tins
Food mixer if using

Flours for bread making

Flour is the main ingredient for baking bread and a wheat flour is the most suitable one to use as it is has a higher gluten content than other flours. It can be combined successfully with other flours.  Flour is the main ingredient in bread. Wheat flour is the most commonly used because the properties of wheat gluten allow bread to rise. It can be combined successfully with other flours to produce bread with different flavours and textures. Choose a strong flour for bread making as it has a high protein content which will form gluten when water is added provided it is mixed and kneaded correctly. This will produce a dough that will stretch and rise. Strong flour is available in white, brown and wholemeal. 

Flours for bread making

Flour is the main ingredient for baking bread and a wheat flour is the most suitable one to use as it is has a higher gluten content than other flours. It can be combined successfully with other flours.  Flour is the main ingredient in bread. Wheat flour is the most commonly used because the properties of wheat gluten allow bread to rise. It can be combined successfully with other flours to produce bread with different flavours and textures. Choose a strong flour for bread making as it has a high protein content which will form gluten when water is added provided it is mixed and kneaded correctly. This will produce a dough that will stretch and rise. Strong flour is available in white, brown and wholemeal. 

Basic wheat flour types

Wholemeal - 100% extraction, made from the whole wheat grain with nothing added or taken away.
Brown  - usually contains about 85% of the original grain.  Some bran and wheat germ are removed.
White - usually 75% of the wheat grain.
Flour for Different Uses:
Strong Flour – usually white, can be brown or wholemeal with a high protein content. This flour is recommended for use when making bread by hand and also making bread in a bread making machine.  It is also ideal for bread rolls, pizza dough, puff pastry and Yorkshire puddings.
Plain Flour - this can be white, brown or wholemeal.  It is made from a variety of hard and soft wheat to make an all- purpose flour.  This flour is ideal for pastry, batters, sauces, gravies, fruit cakes and shortbread.
Flour Mixes/Pre-packed mixes - ready prepared mixes of flour with other ingredients which help you make bread, cake or biscuits more quickly.  You can find these at all major supermarkets or alternatively download the Flour for Home baking list below. 
Self-Raising Flour - white, brown or wholemeal to which a raising agent has been added.  This flour is ideal for cakes, scones, pudding, suet, pastry, tea breads and biscuits. You can make your own-self-raising flour by mixing plain flour with baking powder.  You need to add 2 level tsp baking powder to every 225g (8oz) of plain flour.
Malted Wheatgrain - flour with added malted grains for a distinctive nutty flavour and texture.  Ideal for bread, rolls, scones and tea breads.
Stoneground - wholemeal flour ground in a traditional way between two stones.
Wheatgerm - white or brown flour with at least 10% added wheatgerm.  You can purchase wheatgerm in all major health food shops
Spelt – Made from a nutritious wheat variety, white or wholemeal is available. It is higher in protein, fat and fibre than wheat. Spelt can be used for bread making, pizza dough and cakes.

Flour is a natural wholesome food.  The following ingredients may be added to some flours to give baking benefits to the consumer.

You may see the words 'flour treatment agent' on the list of ingredients in your flour.  This improver is generally vitamin C (ascorbic acid) that makes the dough more manageable and gives a helping hand to get your dough to give a well risen loaf with what's known as a 'good volume'.

Flour was once bleached using various bleaching agents, most notably benzoyl peroxide.  As a result, most millers started producing unbleached lines in the 1980s, declaring them as such on packaging.  Use of benzoyl peroxide proceeded to decline steadily in the following years, until it ceased to be available altogether under the 1995 Bread and Flour Regulations.  So now no flour is bleached.  Sodium hydrogen carbonate and calcium phosphate are the baking powders (raising agents) used in self-raising flour.

There is more detailed information about flour in the Flour & Bread Facts section.

Yeast

Yeast is the raising agent used in most bread, it is a living organism and needs warmth and liquid to activate it.   

There are several different forms of yeast, some easier to use than others, but none of them particularly tricky if you follow a few simple rules.  Whichever yeast you use, it must be in good condition – stale yeast will not make bread rise.

Fresh Yeast - is available from baker's shops, most supermarket in-store bakery departments, health foods shops.  It is pale beige in colour, has a sweet, fruity smell and should crumble easily.  It can be stored in the fridge and wrapped in cling film for up to 1 week or can be frozen for up to 1 month.  Fresh yeast is not suitable for breadmakers.

Dried Yeast - is simply the dehydrated equivalent of fresh yeast but it needs to be blended with lukewarm liquid before use.  Store dried yeast in a cool dry place and check the 'use-by' date on the tin or packet.

Easy Blend and Fast Action Dried Yeast – this is the most convenient of the dried yeasts as it can be stirred directly into the flour.  Fast action yeasts and some easy-blend contain a bread improver, which eliminates the need for two kneading and risings -check the instructions of use on the packet to make sure.

Yeast Dough by the Sponge Method - the yeast is dissolved in warmer water than usual, and then mixed with some of the flour to make a batter.  This can be done in a bowl, or the batter can be made in a well in the centre of the flour, with only some surrounding flour included at the start. The batter is left for at least 20 minutes - often much longer - until bubbles appear on the surface, a process known as sponging.  It is then mixed with the remaining flour, and any other ingredients are added.

Sourdough - a traditional sourdough starter is made with flour and water paste that is left to ferment by wild, airborne yeast.  Some yeast is added to encourage the fermentation process. Once established, sourdough starter can be kept indefinitely in the fridge. The longer a starter is kept, the better the flavour

The quantity of yeast needed to raise 450g/1 1b loaf:
20g/1/3 oz fresh yeast
3 tsp fast action yeast
4 tsp dried yeast

Kneading

This is working the dough so the gluten in the flour stretches and becomes elastic and enables the dough to rise evenly. This is an important stage of the process. White bread will take longer to knead than brown or spelt bread.

Kneading by hand:
Place the dough on a floured surface and press the heel of your hand on top and push it away from you then fold the dough back on itself, turn it and repeat the process. Most dough will need kneading for about 10 minutes. To see if it is ready press a finger into it, if it springs back instantly it’s ready. 

Kneading in a mixer:
Put the dough into the mixing bowl of a food mixer and using the dough hook, mix for about 5 minutes. Be careful as you can over mix in a machine and the dough will be unusable. It is ready when it wraps itself around the hook.

Proving

Dough needs to be left to prove or rise. This is when the yeasts begins to ferment and releases carbon dioxide gas which stretches the gluten in the dough. It should be left somewhere warm to double in size, usually for about 1 hour. It should always be covered so it doesn’t dry out.

Don’t make the mistake of leaving it somewhere too hot or for too long or the yeast will be killed off and the bread won’t rise. Remember cold doesn’t kill yeast but excessive heat does. To test if it’s ready, give it a poke with your finger and if an indentation remains the dough is fully risen.

Knocking back -
This is a term used for giving the dough a second knead, It is to knock the air out of the dough and it helps to distribute the yeast. This only needs doing for a couple of minutes.