Turns out I won't need
to change the name of my blog after all. It must be some sort of Thanksgiving miracle! For the first time ever I
have a loaf of bread and I have no idea what I could do to make it
better. It's big and fluffy and soft. It's perfection! Hello day after Thanksgiving sammies. Now that I finally have this
bread baking thing figured out, I would like to impart some of the
knowledge that I have learned over the months to help clear some myths. Maybe it's just me but I feel like there are certain things about this process that a person is just supposed to know and I was too blonde to figure them out. So here goes:
- When "proofing" the yeast, it is important to do this with water that has a temperature of about 105 degrees. Adding some sugar to this process is important too. I find that using superfine sugar works best.
- After the yeast has finished proofing for 5 minutes, if it doesn't look like the photo below than odds are you won't be baking bread. You'll be making croutons .
- Since the proofing process only requires about a 1/2 cup of water, when you add the remaining amount required for your recipe make sure it is the same temp of around 105 degrees.
- Unless specified by the recipe you are using, the butter should be room temperature.
- Unless specified by the recipe, sift your flour
- Don't skimp on the salt to be health conscious. You'll only be hurting your bread!
- Make sure you have a large enough bowl to accommodate the rising process. It should be at least 3 times the size of your dough.
Not only was yesterday a great day in the kitchen, it was also a great day for knitting. Look what the yarn faeries from Webs sent to me.
