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Making bread can be tricky, especially for a beginner. It’s no wonder people feel intimidated by it. If you’re not using a bread machine, making bread can be a hard and time consuming experience. There are a lot of things that could go wrong, but the biggest mistakes most beginner chefs commit are following:
Inadequate Water Temperature
Salt Omission
Not Kneading Enough
Blown Dough
Burned Crust
Sensitive Yeast
The most important ingredient in bread is yeast. These tiny organisms are present everywhere. They are responsible for the delicious fluffy texture of your bread. They use starches for food and turn them into alcohol and CO2. During the baking process, the alcohol evaporates, leaving you with a delicious tasting loaf. In moist and warm conditions, yeast multiplies very quickly. However, if the temperature is too high, yeast will die. As a result, your dough won’t rise so make sure you get a thermometer to check if water temperature is ok.
Also, it is very important to use exactly the type of yeast that was in the recipe. There are different types of yeast and substituting one for another can make a huge difference in results.
A Loaf Worth Its Salt
Salt has an important role in bread baking. It can influence the proofing process. If you forget to put salt in your dough, it will rise quickly and have a bit bland taste. Breads with more salt tend to taste better, have a stable crust and a longer shelf life. Be sure not to put too much salt. Not only will it have an effect on your loaf but it will also have an impact on your health.
Being Lazy When it Comes to Kneading
Kneading is an essential part of making fabulous tasting bread. It helps in the development of gluten and aids in an even distribution of the bubbles through the dough. Failure to knead the bread sufficiently will result in you having difficulties in forming decent loaves because the dough will stick to your fingers. You’ll know kneading is done when you have an elastic dough which doesn’t stick to your fingers.
Blown Out of Proportion
A common beginner mistake is when people leave their dough to over-proof (over-rise), which inevitably leads to it falling. To prevent such a thing from happening, you should leave the dough in a slightly warm place to let the yeast do its thing. Now put the dough in an oiled bowl and rub some oil over the top of the dough to prevent it from drying up. Cover it with a plastic wrap and leave it to rise. To check whether it has risen sufficiently, you should perform the so called ripe test. Stick your finger into dough and if the indentation remains it is ready for baking.
Charred Crust
Nothing can be more frustrating than seeing your hard work go to waste by turning your dough into what can only be described as a big chunk of coal. To avoid such a thing from happening always keep a timer handy. From time to tie open the oven and check out the crust. It should be golden brown.
Well, that pretty much sums it up. By avoiding these 5 mistakes you’ll be well on your way of making that elusive perfect loaf.