As the weather gets colder and colder, there is something so comforting about the smell of fresh baked bread wafting through the house.
As an added bonus, kneading bread is like a trip to the gym, so you’re practically doing yourself a favor by making it, or at least, that’s what I’m telling myself. 😉 Here’s a few bread baking tips and tricks to make sure your loaf isn’t better off used as a paper weight.
Bread Baking Tips and Tricks
Make sure your yeast isn’t old. Old yeast just doesn’t rise as well. Storing your yeast in the freezer, though, gives it an almost infinite shelf life.
Bread can be fickle. The humidity and temperature in the room can affect how the bread turns out. Which is why I am sure we have all experienced the EXACT recipe turning out differently. You may have to learn to compensate through trial and error {i.e. place your bread to rise in a warmer part of the house if your kitchen is colder in the winter}.
Add salt after you have mixed your dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. It will decrease your overall kneading time.
Place a try of hot water in your oven while it is warming up. Steam is the key to a soft chewy inside and crusty outside. Allowing steam to build up in your oven before you bake the bread will exponentially increase the texture.
Add a tablespoon of white vinegar to your recipe to help keep the bread soft.
Rub your hands with oil before kneading, it will keep the dough from sticking.
Let the bread cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. I know it’s super tempting to dig right into the warm loaf, but it will tear the loaf to bits.
For the lightest fluffiest loaf, measure out flour into your measuring cup with a spoon, instead of scooping it up with the measuring cup. Don’t tap the measuring cup to settle the flour, just use the back side of a knife to level it off.
If you bake with whole grain flours, store it in the fridge or freezer. They tend to go rancid very easily, and will affect the overall flavor of the bread.
When adding liquid to yeast, make sure it is warm. If it is too cold, it will slow/stop the rising action of the yeast. If it is too hot, it will destroy the power of the yeast all together.
Lightly toasting nuts and seeds before adding them to bread brings out the richness of their flavor.
To test if you have kneaded enough, break off a piece of dough and stretch it. It should stretch easily like a piece of bubble gum.
If you are baking multiple loaves, make sure to place the pans several inches apart and ALL on the center rack to ensure consistent baking.
Make sure all ingredients are room temperature before mixing.
If you cover your bread with a damp cloth while rising, make sure not to use a cloth that has been washed with a strong scented detergent or bleach–the taste and smell can transfer to your loaf.
I know some of my readers are artisan bread makers, so I would love it if you would leave your tried and true tips in the comments!
~Mavis
Need a recipe to get you started? Try my simple No-Knead Crusty Dutch Oven Bread recipe.
Shirley’s Iced Cinnamon Raisin Bread is another one of my favorites.
Rosemary says
Spooning the flour into the measuring cup is important. It was something that I taught my granddaughter. I gave her my cookie recipe but when she made it, it didn’t turn out the same – the dough was very dry. I asked her to show me how she measured the flour – and I saw that she scooped it. So, I did a demonstration with her. I had her scoop the flour and then we weighed it. Then I spooned the flour into the cup (and did not tap it) and measured it. The scooped flour weighed more – it was quite a difference! She learned that she had added too much flour and that’s why the dough was dry.
Dee says
Wouldn’t it be less of a hassle to just use a scale? Practically all european recipes (where im from) are in gramms or liter. No guesswork there.
Kristina says
I follow bakers in the UK, and one of the things I have learned from them is to weigh dry ingredients instead of measuring. Much more accurate, and since making yeast breads is basically chemistry, that’s a big help.
Gigi says
I just got a scale and now I prefer to weigh my ingredients and it makes cooking so much easier and cleaner. I keep using the tare feature and don’t dirty a single measuring implement. I’m more annoyed when a recipe doesn’t give weights. Haha
Laura says
Have you ever tried making sourdough?
Sarah A Severns says
I have taught bread classes for decades, my favorite tips are:
1- use a good digital thermometer to make sure you don’t kill the yeast.
2- use your digital to test if bread is baked, 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
FeralCat says
That is some really good-looking cinnamon raisin bread. I still use my Zojirushi bread machine to prepare the dough – then I shape, proof and bake in the oven. I keep telling myself that I should try the manual method, but in the end, most days I need the ease of throwing the ingredients in machine so that I can go do something else.
JulieP says
I always weigh my ingredients on a digital scale, I too use my bread maker and these days as I only make one loaf at a time I let it cook too, it’s more economical than having the oven on. I also prep my yeast in warm water and a teaspoon of sugar for 10 minutes before adding to bread machine so it’s good and frothy. My bread maker has a beep for paddle removal so no big holes in the bread. It works for us but I do occasionally make a crusty loaf in the oven as a treat.