SOURDOUGH:
 
 
 
 
 
 
HOW TO MAKE BREAD AT HOME
USING WHOLE MEAL FLOUR AND AN
EXCELLENT SOURDOUGH STARTER IN
2 WEEKS. BREAD RECIPES.
A COMPLETE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE IN
THE KITCHEN. [A Cookbook]
 
 
 
 
 
By
 
Courtney May
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
INTRODUCTION
1 - WHAT IS SOURDOUGH
CHEMISTRY
2 - TOOLS FOR MAKING BREAD
3 - CREATE YOUR SOURDOUGH IN TWO WEEKS
HOW TO MAKE SOURDOUGH STARTER
WHAT IS A STARTER?
A LITTLE CHECKLIST BEFORE WE START.
DAY 1 – EVENING. MIX THE INGREDIENTS
WHAT IS LUKEWARM WATER?
HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE PROPORTIONS?
DAY 2 – A QUICK STOP BY
DAY 3 – EVENING. FEEDING TIME
DAY 4 – MORNING. THE LAST MEAL
DAY 4 – EVENING
FOLLOWING DAYS – FEEDING
A HEALTHY AND ACTIVE STARTER
4 - TAKE CARE OF YOUR YEAST, HOW TO KEEP IT HEALTHY.
STORAGE
BEFORE + DURING FERMENTATION
AFTER FERMENTATION
5 - MAKE YOUR FIRST WHOLE MEAL LOAF
APPLE BREAD
BLUEBERRY BANANA BREAD
CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD
ZESTY CRANBERRY BREAD
PUMPKIN BREAD
BEER BREAD
COCONUT, CARROT, ZUCCHINI BREAD
6 - FOUR SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
 FLOUR
SALT
YEAST
WATER
FLAVOR INGREDIENTS
7 - STONE MILLED WHOLE MEAL FLOUR
BAKE SPICES FOR BREAD
8 - LONG-TERM STORAGE
DRYING:
FREEZING:
10 - DRYING AND REACTIVATING THE SOURDOUGH STARTER
DRYING STEP-BY-STEP
11 - GLUTEN-FREE SOURDOUGH
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE SOURDOUGH?
WHICH TYPES OF FLOUR DO YOU USE TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE SOURDOUGH?
12 - GLUTEN-FREE RECIPES
RECIPE 1: GLUTEN-FREE SOURDOUGH WITH OATMEAL
RECIPE 2: GLUTEN-FREE SOURDOUGH FROM OATMEAL AND APPLE
RECIPE 3: GLUTEN-FREE SOURDOUGH FROM TEFF FLOUR AND CORN FLOUR
THE THICKNESS OF THE SOURDOUGH
THREE METHODS:
13 - BREAD SHAPING
BREAD FORMATION
SPECIALTY FLOUR
SWEETENERS
YEAST
14 - BREAD DECORATING
DECORATIVE BREAD RECIPE
BASIC WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
OLD FASHION PEASANTS RYE LOAF
MARBLE LOAF
LOAF MOLDING TECHNIQUE
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
15 - HOME BAKING
LEAVENING OF BREAD
16 - BREAD-MAKING TECHNIQUES
WHAT IS KNEADING?
HOW TO KNEAD
PROOFING
FORMING LOAVES
TYPES OF LOAVES
BAKING
THE ROLE OF STEAM
EQUIPMENT
16 - SOURDOUGH RECIPES
RYE BREAD
RUSTIC SPANISH BREAD
17 - WHOLE MEAL BREAD RECIPES
ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL BREAD
CINNAMON SWIRL APPLE BREAD
BANANA AND RAISIN BREAD
BASIL PESTO BREAD
BROWN SODA BREAD
FIG, DATE, AND WALNUT BREAD
HAZELNUT WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
BREAD  HONEY WHEAT BREAD
18 - HOW TO CONVERT YEAST TO SOURDOUGH
BAKER’S TO-DO LIST
YEAST’S TO-DO LIST
TYPES AND PROFILES
ACTIVE DRY VS. INSTANT RAPID RISE
TYPES OF PRE-FERMENTS
BAKER’S RECIPES
YEAST AT WORK
19 - COMMON MISTAKES IN BAKING
COOKING CONVERSION CHART
CONCLUSION
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Introduction
 

S ourdough bread is produced from three simple ingredients: flour,

water and salt. It does not require the addition of commercial yeast
as the sourdough process forms its own naturally occurring yeast in
the sourdough culture. This has two consequences: first the bread is pure
and natural and second, due to the acidity of the sourdough culture, the
bread has a distinctive sour dough taste.

Once people have tasted proper sourdough bread there is often no going
back to commercial yeast-raised bread. However, because of the time it
takes to make, it is more expensive in shops than commercially-produced
yeast bread and consequently not so widely available. This has led to a
growing number of people opting to produce their own sourdough bread.
Although it takes a bit more time overall, there is very little extra work
involved than in baking ordinary yeast bread, so if planned properly it can
require little or no additional effort.

I began making my own bread a few years back, first using a bread machine
and then by hand. I produced whole meal and mixed grain bread along with
French baguettes and pizzas. All produced using dried yeast with good
results but I always had a yearning to try sourdough bread. Two things put
me off: the many conflicting methods and the need to produce a sourdough
starter before being able to make sourdough bread. It all sounded a bit
tricky and time consuming but I was wrong, it turned out to be simplicity
itself!
But before I discovered that I read a lot of books and on-line reference
material, which only made matters worse. Everyone had their own methods
and recipes and they then confused the issue by talking about hydration and
all sorts of other technical jargon. Which brings me to the purpose of this
guide. My background is project management consultancy and over the past
fifteen or so years I have written a number of technical guides for the In
Easy Steps series. The whole purpose of that series is to make complicated
subjects easy to follow and that, I realized, was what was missing from
sourdough bread making, hence in this guide I have tried to keep everything
as simple and easy to follow as possible.

With that in mind, the parts in this guide are quite short and each one
focuses on a single topic, which is then covered in simple steps.

There are two options: cheat and add some dried yeast to the sourdough
bread mix to give it a helping hand; or use baking soda to make soda bread
instead, it makes a nice change. I have included a recipe for quick
sourdough bread (with the addition of dried yeast) which doesn’t taste bad
but is not as good as the real thing. My own preferred solution is to make
soda bread. It not only tastes great but it takes less than an hour from start to
finish. So, I have also included a basic soda bread recipe as well.

The first part of the book covers the sourdough methods, processes, tools
and techniques. The second part of the book features a series of recipes
using different methods and ingredients, followed by an ingredient
calculator in both metric and imperial to allow you to pick the size of loaf
you want to make and a series of references and links to other sourdough
bread resources and suppliers.
 1 - What is Sourdough
 

S
 
ourdough is in fact a type of bread or “bread product” that has been
around for thousands of years!  As a matter of fact, sourdough has
actually been around for much longer than most of the various
types of breads that you see in your local supermarket or bakery. 
While both sourdough and other types of breads have the same basic
ingredients (which are flour and dough,) the big difference is the source of
the yeast that you use.
 
Before we get into the differences of yeasts that are used in various types of
bread baking, you should probably have a basic understanding of what
yeast is exactly.  Although there are over 1,500 species of the fungal
microorganisms known as yeast - only a few of these species are typically
used in consumables. 
 
The species that is most commonly used in bread is called “Saccharomyces
cerevisiae” which converts carbohydrates to carbon dioxide and alcohol
leading to gasses being released after fermentation.  In other words - the
yeast is what makes the bread “inflate” or rise. 
 
You see, most of the bread that is made today, is baked with yeast fungi
that’s been frozen in suspended animation and actually comes in a package. 
 
The yeast manufacturer’s do this by drying and preserving the organisms,
then forming them into a powder.  Once you add the other ingredients and
pour some water into the mix, the yeast re-activates or is “woken up” and
starts eating the sugar and starch, which is converted into carbon-dioxide
which in turn makes the bread rise.
 
Sourdough on the other hand deals with yeast in a completely different
fashion.  The yeast fungi that’s used in a sourdough mix is kept alive (and
never suspended) through a liquid medium called a  starter
culture (commonly called the “starter”). 
The starter culture is a symbiotic culture (or a place where two or more
organisms co-exist) of yeast and lactic acid bacteria that grows in a mixture
of water and flour.  It’s this lactic acid that creates the sour-tangy taste in the
bread. 
Some people do indeed say that the sour taste is an acquired one, but that
isn’t to say that tons of others love the taste the second that they try it. 
 
 Chemistry
 
Someone once said that bread production, constantly the making of
sourdough, was one of the mankind’s first successful biochemical
experiments. Humans had learned to control natural chemical processes.
The fermentation process can be activated by bacteria as well as yeast. This
is how it works: Everywhere around us, there are bacteria that are useful in
different ways, in fact, every person’s body contains few pounds of bacteria.
We would never be able to cope with life on Earth without it. In short, one
can say that bacteria are primarily beneficial to human. Actually, there are
many more beneficial bacteria than harmful ones.
 
Lactobacillus is the bacteria family that plays the role in the process of
creating a good sourdough.These bacteria can produce both lactic and acetic
acid. There are many variations of lactobacillus. However, they aren’t all
suitable for sourdough baking; some are better for making yogurt,
buttermilk, or even salami and smoked sausage. Sourdough bread also taste
different in every part of the world; it can even vary within the space of a
city, as each variety lactobacillus makes for a unique rate.
 
Yeast is all over as well. You can find wild yeast on fruits, vegetable, and
grains. The more carbohydrates, the higher concentrate of the yeast.
Nature provides numerous varieties of yeasts, but the most common in
sourdough is Saccharomyces Exiguus. What distinguishes conventional
baking yeast to survive in an acidic environment? By contrast, S. Exiguus
thrives there. Ann acidic environment has several advantages. One is that
sourdough bread keeps fresher for longer without any added preservatives.
Thus, sourdough is a preservative in itself.
  
What bacteria and yeast have common is that they survive on
carbohydrates? There are plenty of carbohydrates in flour. One single gram
of flour can contain tens of thousands of yeast cells. In order to be able to
use the carbohydrates for nutrition so the yeast cell ca grow and multiply,
it’s necessary to add water so the flour starch can break down into sugars.
So, when we’re mixing the water and flour, we start “feeding” the bacteria
and yeast.
 2 - Tools for Making Bread
 

F
 
irst come ingredients, and then come tools, and finally comes the
baker. Your sourdough bread depends just as much on your skill
and flair as a baker as on the quality of your ingredients and the
crafty tools available at your disposal. This does not mean that you need the
most expensive tools to create great artisan loaves. Still, it does pay to
spend some money and effort to do the best you can, especially because
they last a lifetime and you can use them for many different baking and
cooking needs.
 
Below you will find a list of tools that will be useful. Many of these you
will likely already have in your kitchen:
 
Baker's scale – if you have ever baked, you know how vital
accuracy with your ingredients is. A digital scale will be the most
accurate.
Thick oven mitts for removing your decadent sourdough from your
oven.
Silicone spatula for easy mixing and cleaning.
Measuring cups – for dry and wet ingredients.
Glass or ceramic jar for easy and clean storage for the coming
weeks.
Bench knife to cut and lift your dough to perfection.
Oven thermometer – to monitor the temperature while baking.
Lame – can be made at home, with a razor and a coffee stirrer to
score your bread to give it that individual, artisan texture. You can
also use a pairing or serrated knife.
Rice flour – to dust on your pans/bannetons for easy removal.
Wide mixing bowl.
Banneton (for boule loaves) – a basket, usually made of cane, to
hold proofing dough. Can be substituted with a colander lined with
a clean tea towel dusted with flour.
Dutch oven – a cast iron baking dish set that lasts a lifetime and
encourages decent dough rise by trapping large quantities of steam
within
Flour sifter – sieves can be used to get bran/germ out of certain
types of flour
Baking steel (this is an alternative cooking method to using a
combo cooker, and usually a bit more difficult to get right)
Proofing Liners
Cheesecloth/tea towels
Bread knife
9x4 inch loaf tin
Glass/plastic storage boxes for flour (make sure it’s airtight!)
Bread box
Grain mill or grinder – this is by no means needed for a beginner.
Still, many bakers like to mill their own high extraction, ultrafine
flour and grain mills are perfect for this kind of job. The benefits of
milling at home include longer shelf life of whole grains and a
more nutritious whole grain flour with a sweeter taste. You can also
change the settings to vary the texture of the flour and so
experiment baking with finer or coarser flours.
 Pizza peel or similar wide egg lift to move your bread in and out of
the oven.
Please note that while you do not need all of these items to make
sourdough bread, having them is handy for the baking process and will
make your life much easier. Build up your collection over time.
 
Dutch Oven
 
A cast iron Dutch Oven (or casserole dish) will be your most important
baking tool. Pricey, I know, but overwhelmingly versatile (you can also use
it for braising, soups, pasta dishes and more) and it saves you space instead
of having an enormous bread maker on your kitchen countertop. The Dutch
Oven is essential because it traps the steam while your loaf is baking. So, it
must have a tight-fitting lid.
 
The Dutch Oven also produces that distinct artisan-looking sourdough loaf
by supporting the shape as the dough rises. You can try baking straight onto
an oven tray, but the loaf will flatten and the characteristic slashes in the
crust won’t fill out (you would also need to use a baking steel tray, which is
getting into advanced sourdough territory). You can also use a baking La
Cloche, which has a shallow base and high domed lid.
Dutch Ovens come in any size from 4L up to 10L. You can use a smaller
one for most cases, but you are welcome to go larger if you can afford it
and it strikes your fancy. Dutch ovens are usually heatproof to 260°C/500°
F. Look for the highest heat resistance you can find within your budget and
avoid plastic parts.
 
Thermometer
 
It’s a good idea to have an oven thermometer, but in addition you will need
a digital internal thermometer, also called a meat thermometer or probe.
With some baking you can’t open the oven or touch the food, but that’s not
the case for sourdough. You’ll be taking the lid off the Dutch Oven mid-
way, and some bakers transfer the loaf to baking racks to finish browning
the crust. As a beginner, testing the internal temperature of the loaf will help
you work out how your oven performs compared to the recipe, and if your
loaf is ready.
 
Usually, wheat dough should be baked until the center of the bread reaches
95°C (203°F). In contrast, if it is mainly rye, then it needs to bake until the
center reaches 98°C (209°F). Most sandwich loaves, buns and rolls –
usually enhanced with egg, milk, or sugar, and meant to be more tender –
are typically done when their internal temperature reaches 85°C to 90°C
(185–194°F). If you like a stronger crust on your sandwich bread, let the
temperature rise to 96°C (205°F). Hearth bread varieties, on the other hand,
should always be baked to an internal temperature of at least 96°C (205°F)
for that rustic appeal.
 
At the end of the day, your ingredients are king in your baking journey, so
it's recommended that you focus and spend money and effort on them and
then your tools as you see fit. Luckily, the ingredients are few and easy to
access – other than what you needed for the starter, you might just need
some olive oil, rice flour and sea salt, and then just watch as the magic
happens!
 3 - Create Your Sourdough in Two Weeks
 
 
How to Make Sourdough Starter

T
 
he sourdough starter (the sourdough culture) is the foundation and
the key to a successful sourdough bread. Therefore, it’s very
important that you not only learn to make the starter but also learn
to recognize the characteristics for a healthy starter. There is not only "one"
method/recipe to follow to make a starter.
 
 What is a starter?
 
We refer to “starter” as the raw active mix of flour and water.
In recipes when referring to a starter one always refers to an active
sourdough starter in its peak state. A starter is a pre-fermented dough or
batter which in most recipes is called nothing but just a “starter”.
Sometimes however the starter might be called seed culture, desem
(Belgian), chef, mother, madre bianca.
 
There are probably some other strange names, but they are all referring to
our starter. Hence, the “sourdough bread” is the final result in all recipes.
The starter is what makes the bread grow and rise and what gives the bread
its special character.”

Once you have an active starter then you can bake the most delicious bread
world has ever seen. Yet it is a mystery and there are many pitfalls on the
path, those that we are going to learn to master. To make a starter takes at
best about 4-5 days. Yet it is not uncommon that a starter needs a week or
even longer time to get fully active, so it doesn’t hurt to have some patience
when you cultivate your first starter. Remember that you can keep your
starter for the rest of your life as long as you take care of it in a good way.
  
There are many different starters, but the most common ones are those
made on wheat or rye flour. In this learning example we are making one of
organic rye flour since it’s a bit easier to make a starter on rye flour
compared to wheat flour. Rye flour is often sold as a whole grain flour, thus
a flour which with comes shells and everything. Wheat flour is sifted,
which means that the shell is filtered away. Microorganisms and yeast arts
that will kick the sourdough starter alive are primarily found in the shell and
it is therefore usually easier to make a sourdough starter active when it’s
made from rye flour.
 
Some people like to add a bit of honey, sugar, apple, yoghurt and other
sweet stuff into their starters in order to help them to get active. Personally,
I like to play it simple and it works perfectly fine with just water and flour.
Besides when it works fine without additives then we know for sure that the
flour is good and that we have an environment where the starter can
flourish.
 
 A little checklist before we start.
 
The rye flour should preferably be organic and stone grinded.
Organic flour contains more yeast spores and minerals that
facilitate the process. Don’t use old flour. We are cultivating the
starter with help from microorganisms in the flour. These small
creatures should be young and healthy, not retired and half dead.
Cold temperature will make it harder to awaken the starter.
Around 71-77°F is quite perfect in my opinion. Above the fridge
or near a heater is usually a good place.
The container in which you mix the starter is preferably made out
of glass and not too big, somewhere around 1-2 cups in size is
fine. Make sure that your container is clean without any traces of
dish soap or some kind of old food residues. Your container can
of course be made out of plastic or metal, but it´s practical with
glass since you can see clearly what’s going on with your starter.
 
 Day 1 – evening. Mix the ingredients
 
Ingredients day 1:
 
2 table spoon of rye flour
4 table spoons of lukewarm water
 

 
 What is lukewarm water?
 
It’s not super important but aim for like 85-95°F. And preferably heat up
cold tap water and let it cool down. Rather than taking warm water directly
from the tap.
 
 How important are the proportions?
 
Not that important. You’re fine as long as you twice as much water as flour.
But there is no point in using large amounts of flour and water for our
starter.
Tip! Flour absorbs a certain amount of water depending on if it’s finely or
coarsely grained. Coarse flour absorbs more water than fine flour, but the
time needed to absorb the water is also longer for course flour. Hence you
might need a little less water for a coarsely grained flour and vice versa.
Mix the water and the rye flour in a glass jar (or whatever container you can
find), mix it well with a spoon. Put on the lid, but don’t tighten it. Place the
jar somewhere on a cozy place. The mix is now very loose, like it should
be. Read on and you´ll understand why. Rye flour, water and patience is all
you need.
 
 
 Day 2 – a quick stop by
 
You might wonder what the heck is going on with the starter. Without going
into chemical details one can say that what’s happening right now is that the
microorganisms in the rye flour are brought to life in their new
environment. Lactic and acetic acids are being formed as well as different
kinds of yeast arts. One thing that can go wrong in this early state is the
formation of mold. Later on, the starter will be too sour for eventual mold
spores to survive. But the starter is sensitive these first days and one thing
one can do to prevent the formation of mold is to make the mix quite
watery. The mold simply finds it hard to gain foothold on the surface.
So, our mix has been standing here for 24 hours in 85-95°F. We’re not
going to do anything with the mix today, but take a little a look at it. The
mix may have layered itself which is normal, but you might also see that the
surface is a bit frothy with small bubbles. The mix usually first layer itself
to shortly after start become a bit frothy. The smell of the mix is warm and
sweet, almost like honey.
We don’t have to do anything with our mix today. It doesn’t hurt to shake
the container a bit, to wake up eventually slacker microorganisms and to
make the ones already awake even more awake.
Now it’s time to leave the starter in peace for another 24 hours. Day 2 – the
starter has layered itself which is fully normal
 
 Day 3 – evening. Feeding time
 
A starter can look and smell in different ways, but don’t worry if your
starter doesn’t look exactly like on the photos here. When in doubt just hang
in there and see what happens when you feed it. Just be observant on
eventual mold formations. If you get mold in your starter then throw it! It’s
more or less impossible to get rid of mold once it has it grips in your starter.
To start a new, one is however easy :)
So, it is time to feed our little baby and it won’t take long after the feeding
to tell whether or not we are successful with our starter.
 
Ingredients day 3:
 
1 table spoon of rye flour
 
Mix the new rye flour properly with the starter. The mix will become
thicker. Now let it rest for another night. Tomorrow morning day 4 we will
feed the starter one last time.
 
 Day 4 – morning. The last meal
 
It’s time to feed our starter one last time. Your starter may not have risen so
much at this point, but small bubbles are probably visible both on the
surface and inside the mix when you look from the side. One thing to be
aware of is that your starter might have peaked and then collapsed a bit. In
other words, you might have missed the bubbles. But that’s nothing to
worry about. The time for feeding is not that precise and the way your
starter grows depends on the temperature, the quality of the flour etc. Stir
your mix and smell it. Bubbles in the mix and a sourer smell indicate that
the starter is becoming active.
 Ingredients day 4
 
2 table spoons of rye flour
2 table spoons of water 
 
Mix everything and let it rest until evening.
 
 Day 4 – evening
 
So, what’s next, are we done or what? Well, almost! The last meal was
actually not the last meal. We want our starter to be in top performance
before we start baking with it or if we choose to store it for later use. As one
may think a healthy starter shouldn’t be sour but rather fresh and potent. In
order to keep our starter in top shape we want to feed it regularly and make
it active. Before feeding an already active starter you are better of removing
a major part of your starter and then adding new flour and water in order to
make it both active and fresh. The amount of food you feed the starter with
should be in proportion to what you have in your container. Of course, you
can feed your starter with more and more food but don’t blame me when
your swimming pool just isn’t big enough to hold your starter.
So, before we put away our starter let’s feed it again. Remove most of the
mix from the jar and leave about a centimeter-high layer at the bottom.
 
Now add:
 
2 table spoons of rye flour
2 table spoons of water
 
 Following days – Feeding
 
Repeat the feeding about every 12 hours or so. If you’ve been successful
with your starter it should then look something like the photo below. You
can almost see that the starter is alive by shaking the jar a bit. It will tremble
a bit and bubbles will rise to the bubbly surface.
the consistency of your sourdough to the thickness that you prefer.
 
The image below is a new sourdough starter using rye flour. It rose to the
top of the glass jar during the night. It is ready for proofing to increase its
volume for pancakes. I like to test new starter with a batch or two of
pancakes before I use it for bread making projects.
 
 
 A Healthy and Active Starter
 
Now you can use your starter for baking or you can store it in the fridge for
later use. When the starter is kept in the fridge then it’s enough to feed it
about once per week to keep it in good shape. Remember that once you
have a healthy starter then you can keep it for your entire life as long as you
feed it once in a while.
How can I be sure that my starter is fully active and ready to use?
The ultimate question. There are two things your starter should fulfil before
used for baking.
 
1. Don’t use a starter that is less than one week old. A starter gains
in potency and flavor over time. A certain maturity is essential
since those youngsters can be unstable, unreliable and not
perform as good as one can expect.
2. A healthy starter can easily double in size between two feedings.
If your starter doesn’t possess enough power to double in size
after a feeding then it won’t have the power to rise your bread
either. Note, that this measurement only can be applied on thick
starters. Thin and watery starters tend to rise and fall much more
rapidly than thicker starters so it can be hard to read its potency
by just watching how much it grows between two feedings. In
general, thicker starters is recommended since they allow you to
easily see what’s going on and gives you an honest chance to
correct eventual matters.
 4 - Take Care of Your Yeast, How to Keep It
Healthy.
 
 
Storage

B
 
rewing cultures, or pitches, should be kept cold in an airtight
container that has been sanitized. This is the opposite of bread
making where you are encouraged to get your hands dirty and
deep inside the dough. A brewer must take precautions that no foreign
cultures or bacteria will infiltrate and ruin or change the desired culture for
use.
A brewer keeps yeast cold to prevent the yeast from being active in a
nutrient-deficient environment. Warm active yeast, without the proper
nutrient environment, will stress out and autolysis (programmed cell death).
A brewer keeps the container airtight to prevent oxygen from oxidizing the
yeast environment and allow the air to bring in contaminants.
 
 Before + During Fermentation
 
Once a brewer decides to use a culture pitch, he will remove the container
from the fridge and allow the yeast to rise to the temperature of a cooled
wort. The wort has had yeast nutrients—such as fatty acids, zinc, and free
aminos—added to it in the boil kettle already. After cooling through a heat
exchanger, oxygen gas dissolves into the wort, either via an oxygen stone or
through aerating the wort for 10 to 30 minutes. The wort then settles to 64.4
to 69.8°F (18 to 21°C) for ales or 50 to 57.2°F (10 to 14°C) for a lager. At
this point, the yeast culture should be pitched. (As always, be sure to use
sanitizer on all open surfaces, as contaminants are able to hitch a ride from
yeast container to fermenter.)
 
Once in fermentation, it’s critical to keep Saccharomyces at a cool
temperature. Using an airlock or blow off tube will prevent oxygen ingress
back into the fermenter, which would stifle fermentation and oxidize the
wort. As fermentation progresses, it’s important to free-rise the temperature
of the beer to 75.2°F (24°C) for a diacetyl (slow increase in temperature)
rest. This will allow the yeast to fully metabolize all of its by-products.
 
When bakers bring it home from the store, dry active yeast or instant dry
rapid rise yeast should also be stored cold to make sure the yeast is not
thrust into activity prematurely. Check the use-by date on the package (it
typically reflects two years into the future from the packaging date). A
baker can keep these yeasts in the freezer or refrigerator in a sealed package
or airtight container for three or four months.
 
As long as outside contaminants don’t get in and temperature is maintained,
the yeast should stay latent yet ready to get to work. At room temperature or
on a shelf in the supermarket, dry active yeast or instant dry rapid rise yeast
will lose activity over time. When the package is opened and yeast is
exposed to air, moisture, or heat, yeast will be susceptible to outside
contaminants.
Finally, when it’s time to use active dry yeast or instant rapid rise yeast,
bring it to room temperature before using. Active dry yeast needs to be
dissolved in warm water to wake it up from dormancy. Instant dry or rapid
rise yeast can be added straight to the flour. Unlike sourdough, you won’t
be able to reuse these yeasts in the next batch of dough. An old dough
starter, however, is an excellent addition for flavor and texture—but not to
leaven the bread.
 
 After Fermentation
 
When you’re ready to store the yeast, you must assure the condition of the
yeast. Fermentation history will allow you to know how many generations
the cultures have grown, what beers they fermented, and if the beers were
healthy. The more beers a culture ferments, the more generations it
undergoes. Generally speaking, you don’t want to use more than 10
generations for a Saccharomyces yeast strain.
 
If a yeast culture has just fermented a high-alcohol beer, it may not be a
good candidate for reuse since it’s already been through a stressed
fermentation environment and is likely to be sluggish and produce off-
flavors. That’s because alcohol concentrations of 10% or more can offset
the osmolarity of the yeast environment, and the yeast will be challenged to
maintain a homeostatic state. Another thing to consider is that with every
pitch and re-pitch, the likelihood of bacterial contamination overtaking the
culture increases.
 
Likewise, sourdough cultures should be kept in a cool environment. If a
baker is not baking every day, they’ll most likely store the starter in a closed
container in the refrigerator. Unlike beer starters, it’s not important to
sanitize your storage container, but the container should be clean and free of
dried starter or other contaminants that may ruin a dormant starter. A cold
environment will help it to remain inactive in long periods between bakes.
(Otherwise, a warm place and no feedings can stress a starter out, causing it
to become sick or even die.)
 
Once you’re ready to use the sourdough to bake with, take it out of the cold
and feed it flour and water. The amount of flour and water depends on the
desired hydration and volume of the final culture. At this point, the
sourdough starter can be stored at room temperature indefinitely, with
feedings every 12 to 24 hours, so long as the temperature is around 75.2°F
(24°C).
 5 - Make Your First Whole Meal Loaf
 
 
 
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
3 mugs flour
One 1⁄2 teaspoons cinnamon
One teaspoon preparing pop
One teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon preparing powder
3 eggs
2 mugs sugar
1 container oil
One tablespoon vanilla
2 containers diced apples (without skins)
1⁄2 container slashed walnuts
One teaspoon flour
 
Bearings:
 
1. Mix flour, cinnamon, pop, salt and preparing powder together.
2. Beat eggs and include sugar and oil.
3. Add vanilla and dry fixings.
4. Mix in apples.
5. Mix walnuts in a tsp of flour and add to hitter.
6. Fill two lubed daydream containers.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes.
 
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
2 mugs whole wheat flour
One teaspoon preparing pop
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 container spread, mellowed
1 container white sugar
2 eggs
Two teaspoons vanilla concentrate
Two ready bananas, squashed
1 container new blueberry
 
Cooking Instructions
 
1. Preheat stove to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Oil 3 little roll
container.
2. Mix flour, preparing pop, and salt together in a bowl.
3. Beat spread and sugar with an electric blender in a huge bowl
until light and feathery. The blend ought to be observably
lighter in shading.
4. Add one egg and permit to mix into the spread blend before
including the second egg alongside vanilla concentrate.
5. Beat crushed bananas altogether in with the general mishmash.
Include flour blend in little additions while beating until the
point that simply joined into a thick hitter.
 6. Fold blueberries into the player; fill arranged chunk container.
7. Bake in the preheated broiler until the point that a toothpick
embedded into the middle tells the truth, 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Cool in the prospects minutes before expelling to cool totally
on a wire rack.
 
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
1 glass margarine, mellowed
2 mugs white sugar
4 eggs
Six bananas, squashed
Two teaspoons vanilla concentrate
3 mugs whole wheat flour
Two teaspoons heating pop
1/4 glass unsweetened cocoa powder
1 glass light sharp cream
1 glass semisweet chocolate chips
 
Cooking Instructions
 
1. Preheat broiler to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Daintily oil two
9x5 inch lounge skillet.
2. In an extensive bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and eggs.
Blend in bananas and vanilla. Filter flour, heating pop, and cocoa;
blend well. Mix in acrid cream and chocolate chips. Empty player
into arranged skillet.
3. Bake in preheated broiler for an hour, or until the point when a
toothpick embedded into the focal point of a roll tells the truth.
 
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
2 cups all-purpose flour  
½ teaspoon baking soda 
1 egg 
1½ teaspoon baking powder 
Salt, to taste 
¾ cup white sugar 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil     
¾ cup fresh orange juice 
1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped        
½ cup walnuts, chopped         
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest, grated 
 
Cooking Instructions
 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9-inch bread
pan. 
2. In a large bowl, place the flour, baking powder, baking soda
and salt and mix well. In another bowl, add egg, sugar, oil and
orange juice and beat until well blended. Add egg mixture into
the bowl of flour mixture and mix until just blended. Fold in
cranberries, walnuts and orange zest. 
3. Place the mixture in prepared loaf pan evenly. 
 4. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the
center of loaf comes out clean 
5. Remove from the oven and transfer onto a wire rack to cool for
about 10 minutes. Carefully invert the loaf onto the wire rack to
cool completely before slicing. Cut the bread loaf into desired-
sized slices and serve.  
 
  
INGREDIENTS:
 
3½ cups all-purpose flour 
½ teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon ground cloves 
1 teaspoon ground allspice 
2 teaspoons baking soda 
2 teaspoons ground ginger 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1 teaspoon salt 
4 eggs, beaten                                                      
3 cups sugar 
2/3 cup water                                                        
1 cup canola oil                                                      
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree 
 
  Cooking Instructions 
 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously, grease 2 (9x5-inch)
loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, place the flour, baking soda, baking powder,
spices and salt and mix.
3. In another bowl, add eggs, sugar, oil and water and beat until
well blended.
4. Add pumpkin puree and beat until well blended.
 5. Add egg mixture into the bowl of flour mixture and mix until
just blended. 
6. Divide the mixture in both prepared loaf pans evenly.  
7. Bake for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the center
of loaf comes out clean
8. Remove from the oven and place the pans onto wire racks to
cool for about 10 minutes. Carefully invert the loaf onto wire
rack to cool completely before slicing.
 
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
3 cups self-rising flour 
1 (12 fluid ounces) bottle beer 
3 tablespoons white sugar 
 
Cooking Instructions
 
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. 
2. In a large bowl, add the flour and sugar and mix. Add beer and
mix until sticky dough forms.  
3. Place the mixture into prepared pan evenly. 
4. Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until top becomes crunchy. 
5. Remove from the oven and place the pan onto a wire rack to
cool for about 15 minutes. Carefully invert the loaf onto wire
rack to cool completely before slicing. With a sharp knife, cut
the loaf into desired-sized slices and serve. 
 
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
2 cups all-purpose flour 
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, beaten 
½ cup granulated sugar 
½ teaspoon baking soda 
¾ teaspoon salt 
¾ cup light brown sugar 
½ cup canola oil 
1 cup zucchini, grated                                           
1 cup carrots, grated  
1¼ cups sweetened coconut, shredded and divided 
 
Cooking Instructions
 
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8x4-inch loaf pan. 
2. In a bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and
mix well. In another large bowl, add eggs, sugars and canola
oil and beat until smooth. Add zucchini, carrots and ¾ cup of
coconut and stir to combine.  Add flour mixture and mix until
just blended. 
3. Place the mixture into prepared loaf pan evenly and top with
remaining coconut. With a piece of foil, cover the loaf pan
loosely. 
 4. Bake for about 1½ hours or until a skewer inserted in the
center of loaf comes out clean. 
5. Remove from the oven and place the pan onto a wire rack to
cool for about 30 minutes. Carefully invert the loaf onto wire
rack to cool completely before slicing. With a sharp knife, cut
the loaf into desired-sized slices and serve.   
 
 6 - Four special ingredients
 

I
 
t only takes four ingredients to make bread... flour, salt, yeast and
water.
 
 Flour
 
Flour is the base ingredient of bread and there are four basic types of flour...
(1)  Bread Flour is designed for yeast bread. It has a higher percentage of
gluten which gives artisan bread its airy crumb.
(2)  All-Purpose Flour has less gluten than bread flour. I use all-purpose
flour for biscuits, flatbreads, etc. In other words, I use it when I don’t want
an airy crumb.
(3)  Self-Rising Flour is all-purpose flour with baking soda and baking
powder added as leavening agents. It’s intended for quick breads...
premixed and ready to go. Do not use self-rising flour to make yeast bread.
(4)  And there are a variety of Specialty Flours... whole wheat, rye, and a
host of others. Each has its unique flavor and characteristics. In some cases,
you can substitute specialty flour for bread flour, but you may need to
tweak the recipe because most specialty flours have less gluten. I frequently
blend specialty flour with bread flour.
 
Flour is the primary ingredient... if you don’t use the correct flour you
won’t get the desired results.
 
Note:
To know how many cups of flour there are in a specific bag… it’s
typically on the side in “Nutritional Facts”. For example, this bag reads,
“Serving Size 1/4 cup… Serving Per Container about 75”. In other words,
18.75 (75 times 1/4). That’s the technical answer, but in the real world
(measuring cup versus weight) a bag of flour will measure differently based
on density (sifted versus unshifted), type of flour (wheat is more dense than
bread flour), humidity (flour weighs more on humid days), and all the other
variables life and nature have to offer. Thus, there is no single correct
answer, but for practical purposes… figure a 5 lb. bag of bread flour is 17 to
18 cups.
 Salt
 
While it is possible to make bread without salt... you would be
disappointed. There are three basics types of salt...
(1)  Most baking recipes are designed to use everyday table salt unless
specified otherwise. Unless you’re experienced, it is probably smartest to
use table salt for your baking needs.
(2)  Kosher salt is excellent. I use it when I cook, but a tablespoon of kosher
salt does not equal a tablespoon of table salt because kosher salt crystals are
larger.
(3)  And, I use specialty salt as a garnish... for appearance and taste. For
example, I use sea salt to garnish pretzels.
 
Generally speaking, when salt is added as an ingredient and baked it
is difficult to taste the difference between table, kosher and sea salt. When
salt is added as a garnish and comes in contact with the taste buds... kosher
or specialty salt is an excellent choice.
 
 Yeast
 
Yeast is the “magic” ingredient which transforms flour and water
into dough. My traditional no-knead recipes use 1/4 tsp yeast… I want the
dough to rise slowly which allows the dough to develop flavor. My “Turbo”
recipes use 1-1/4 tsp yeast. I want a faster rise like traditional bread recipes.
There are three basic types of yeast...
(1)  The most common is active dry yeast which needs to be proof in warm
water prior to being added to flour.
(2)  I use instant dry yeast (a.k.a. “instant yeast”, “bread machine yeast”,
“quick rise”, “rapid rise”, “fast rising”, etc.) which does not need to be
proofed in warm water. It is a more recent development which is more
potent and reliable... and why worry about proofing yeast if you don’t have
too.
(3)  Some older recipes call for cake yeast (a.k.a. “compressed yeast” or
“fresh yeast”), but it’s perishable. Most bakers substitute active and instant
dry yeast for cake yeast when using older recipes.
The names on the bottles can be confusing. When in doubt, read the
instructions and look for one that does not require soaking the yeast in
warm water prior to use.
 Water
 
Water hydrates the ingredients and activates the yeast. The no-knead
method uses a little more water than the typical recipe... and that’s a good
thing. It makes it easier to combine the wet and dry ingredients and
contributes to its airy crumb.
(1)  I use tap water. It’s convenient and easy, but sometimes city water has
too much chlorine (chlorine kills yeast).
(2)  If your dough does not rise during first proofing you may want to use
bottled drinking water.
(3)  But, do not use distilled water because the minerals have been removed.
Water is a flavor ingredient, if your water doesn’t taste good... use bottled
drinking water.
 
 Flavor Ingredients
 
It only takes four ingredients to make bread... flour, salt, yeast and
water, to which a variety of flavor ingredients can be added to make
specialty breads such as... honey whole wheat, multi-grain white, rosemary,
Mediterranean olive, cinnamon raisin, honey oatmeal, and a host of others.
 7 - Stone Milled Whole Meal Flour
 
 

I
Flour
s one of the main ingredients in baking bread. It is only ever combined
again and again. Which type of flour or cereal you choose does not
just change the taste of the bread.
 
Wheat Flours
 
Different types of wheat make different types of flour. Not every kind of
flour can make quality bread dough. Protein content is the most influential
factor in determining if a type of flour should be used for bread. The protein
content of most flours is directly related to the available gluten that flour
can create. 
 
Gluten is a large protein molecule that, when hydrated, forms protein chains
that tangle together and give dough the structure that holds it together. This
structure then captures the gas bubbles created by yeast, steam, or chemical
leavening agents that cause the bread to rise.
 
Cake Flour
 
Cake flour has very low protein content, averaging around 7 to 9 percent.
As a result, it has a very low amount of available gluten. While this makes
for soft, tender cakes, and pastries, it has little of the structure required for
making bread. Cake flour is also treated with chlorine dioxide or chlorine
gas to help whiten it. This chemical change makes cake flour more acidic
and less hospitable for yeast.
 
Whole Wheat Flour
 
Whole wheat flour has high protein content, averaging between 11 and 15
percent. Unfortunately, not all of this protein is available as gluten. A large
amount of the protein in whole wheat flour is locked up in the germ and
bran coating that is ground into the flour. While wheat germ and bran
contribute healthy nutrients as well as fiber, they ultimately interfere with
gluten formation. 
Bread dough made completely from whole wheat flour will not have
enough gluten to maintain a significant rise. As a result, unless you like
very dense, heavy bread, it can be a good idea to add a little all-purpose or
bread flour to whole wheat bread.
 
All-Purpose Flour
 
All-purpose flour has modest protein content averaging between 11 and 12
percent. This amount of available gluten works well with breads that use
chemical leavening agents. While all-purpose flour can be used to make a
yeast-leavened bread, it doesn’t usually have the same rise as dough made
from bread flour. It is also worth noting that because all-purpose flour
comes from regional blends of ground wheat, the protein content can be
inconsistent from one bag of flour to the next.
Bread Flour
 
Bread flour averages between 12 and 13 percent protein content. As a
result, it has enough available gluten to make dough that will be sturdy
enough to trap the gasses released by yeast. 
 
Self-Rising Flour
 
Self-rising flour is actually a blend of all-purpose flour combined with the
chemical leavening agent baking powder. It is often used for quick breads
and pastries; however, it should not be used for yeast-raised bread dough.
Self-rising flour often requires sifting, or whisking, to break up any small
clumps before being incorporated with the wet ingredients. Self-rising flour
should be stored in a sealed container, and kept
 
Rye
Is a popular bread grain. It binds well the moisture, making rye bread stay
fresh longer. However, rye has substances that prevent the loosening of
bread during baking. Therefore, the rye must be processed with sourdough.
 
Oats
It mostly consists of flakes. These can both be mixed in the dough and
sprinkled on the finished bread. Oat flour has a very low gluten content,
which is why it is usually mixed with wheat when baking bread.
Corn
It has lots of valuable ingredients, a full flavor and a beautiful golden color.
To bake bread, however, corn must be mixed with gluten-rich flours, so that
the dough rises well.
 
Barley
It is an ancient crop that has a high content of B vitamins and minerals.
Barley flour should be processed with bread when baking with sourdough.
 
Millet
It has a high content of iron and other minerals and is very healthy. Baking
bread most often uses millet grains.
 
Spelt
It is closely related to wheat and can often replace wheat flour. It has a fine
taste. The sticky protein from the spelt is very sensitive, which is why the
dough when baking bread must be done carefully and not kneaded too long.
 
Buckwheat
It is not a grain, but a knotweed plant. Buckwheat does not contain gluten
and can only be used with bread or wheat when baking bread.
 
Grains for Crisp bread.
Sunflower- seeds provide aroma and bite.
Flax Seeds- contain a lot of omega-3 fatty acids and should always soak in
the water for a few hours before they get into the dough.
Poppy Seeds- are often sprinkled with light wheat bread or bread rolls but
can also be kneaded well into the dough.
Hemp- makes bread, whole or broken, crispy.
Pumpkin Seeds- bring a lot of flavor in your bread.
Sesame- still enhances its taste when the seeds are lightly roasted in a pan.
When sprinkling, however, this is not necessary. The oven does it by itself.
 Bake spices for bread
 
Salt - is the most important bread spice; the baker's formula is 2% of the
amount of salt.
Anise - coriander, caraway, fennel are the classic bread spices in sourdough
and ensure digestibility.
Chili - brings warmth to the bread - dried, fresh pods or as a spice powder.
 8 - Long-Term Storage
 
 
Long-Term Storing Sourdough

E
 
ven the most enthusiastic sourdough lover needs a break from
sourdough. If you find that you need a break, storing the
sourdough in the refrigerator is about as easy as it can get. If you
want to keep it active, pull it out once a week or so and proof it.
Leave it at room temperature for at least four hours when you proof it.
When you have too much starter, give the extra to a friend, make a quick
batch of pancakes, or discard the extra sourdough so that you don’t wind up
with too much in your container.
You may need to store sourdough long-term. Here is how:
 
 Drying:
 
Dry the sourdough starter at temperatures, between 75 and 86 degrees. If
the temperature increases above 90 degrees, the heat will kill the
sourdough. Spread some sourdough starter onto wax paper or a non-stick
silicone baking mat. Spread it as thin as possible. Leave it uncovered in a
warm place.
Once it is dry, it will be brittle with no moisture. Store it in a container or
zip-style bag where no moisture will enter. If you discover mold or a foul
smell, you must discard it.
 
 Freezing:
 
Freezing is the riskiest method of sourdough starter preservation. If it stays
too long in the freezer, the wild yeasts may not survive. Slide the sourdough
starter into a freezer safe container or zip-type bag. Squeeze out all of the
air before placing the starter in the freezer.
Keep the starter in the freezer for less than three months.
Frozen sourdough is very sluggish. When you are ready to use the frozen
starter, thaw it slowly in a glass container on the counter. You will need to
proof it several times before it is active and up to the task of bread baking.
Traveling with Sourdough
 
Portable Sourdough
 
If you travel, you can add enough flour to a 1/8 cup of your starter until it is
a crumbly ball. Place it into a 1/2-pint canning jar with a tight lid. When
you arrive at your destination, add water to the starter consistency that you
like. Proof it, and it will be ready to use again.
 
Road Warriors
 
We travel with our sourdough when out on RV road trips. The sourdough
lives in a canning jar with a metal flip lid. Take out the rubber gasket if it
lives on the counter so that it does not explode. If it lives in the fridge, it
will not expand as much. The gasket can be left in place. Sourdough travels
very well. We have had no mishaps.
 
Flour Options
When it comes to sourdough starter, you do not have to use any one type of
flour. Mix it up. If you like rye or whole wheat, you can make your starter
with those different flours. If whole wheat is a bit too dense for your taste,
you can mix white flour into your starter to lighten it up. The beautiful thing
about sourdough is that it is happy with any of these combinations. That’s
it. Experiment with the wide variety of flours on the market.
 
Tip: Working With Whole Wheat Flour Without Losing Out On A
Light, Fluffy Texture.
If your bread seems too heavy, you can add one or two tablespoons of vital
wheat gluten to your dough. You can also cut in a bit of white flour as well.
My family prefers wheat bread to be one half to 2/3 whole wheat rather
than the 100%. If the sourdough seems too sluggish for whole wheat, try
adding a teaspoon of yeast to your recipe. Experiment and you will find the
“sweet spot” that works best for you and your family.
 Secret Tip From The Pros:
 
If you want consistent results, be sure to keep a journal with your
ingredients and the results so that you can either replicate the recipe or
scrap it for next time.
 
10 - Drying and Reactivating the Sourdough Starter
 
 

Y
ou’ve invested your time and mental energy into nurturing this
ode to deliciousness, but what happens when you can’t continue
to maintain it? You don’t want to lose it—but what if work is
keeping you away or you want to go on vacation? Who will manage your
sourdough starter’s upkeep? Have out-of-town friends asked you to share
your starter?              
How do you get it to them? There is one easy answer to all these
questions: dehydration. Don’t worry, it is simpler to accomplish than you
think.
 
 Drying Step-by-Step
 
Step 1: Feed The Starter
Early in the day, feed 4¾ ounces (½ cup) of starter with 4 ounces (1 cup) of
flour along with 4 ounces (½ cup) of lukewarm (90°F to 100°F) pure
filtered or bottled water. Mix thoroughly. Loosely cover the container and
put it in its normal (warm, draft-free) resting place. Depending on the
kitchen and the starter’s resting place, it should be bubbling nicely by
afternoon. If it isn’t, let it rest a little longer.
 
Step 2: Dry The Starter
Lay two pieces of parchment paper, the size of baking sheets, on a flat
surface. Divide at least 9½ ounces (1 cup), or all, of the starter, depending
on how much you want to dry, between the parchment sheets. Use a rubber
or metal spatula, a dough scraper, or a pastry brush to spread out the starter
as thinly as possible. The thinner the layer, the quicker it will dry.
Turn on the interior oven light. Carefully place the starter-covered sheets on
separate racks in the oven. Depending on the humidity, the kitchen
temperature, and the oven temperature, dehydration may take half a day or
a couple of days. Leave the starter there until it is completely dry.
 
Step 3: Handling The Brittle Starter
Remove the dried starter from the oven. It should almost peel off the paper
in whole pieces. Add the dried pieces of starter to a resealable plastic bag.
Don’t overfill the bag before sealing it. Once sealed, crush the starter with
your hands or a rolling pin. It is fine if the pieces end up the size of small
flakes. This is where you decide what to do with the flakes.
They should be stored in an airtight container either in the freezer or in a
dark, cool, dry place for later use. If kept properly, the starter can be stored
indefinitely. For gifts, divide the starter by putting 2 teaspoons of dried
starter into 2-quart glass canning jars. Along with the jar and any recipe
instructions, give your friends enough flour and bottled water to
successfully begin the sourdough starter process.
 
Reactivating the Dry Sourdough Starter
 
Day 1: Begin The Reactivation Process
 
In a 2-quart glass or plastic container combine 2 teaspoons of dried
sourdough starter and 2½ ounces ( ⅓ cup) of lukewarm (90°F to 100°F)
pure filtered or bottled water. Stir and let the flakes sit for a few hours.
At the 2-hour mark check to see if the flakes have dissolved. If necessary,
let them sit a bit longer.
Once completely dissolved, add 2 ounces (½ cup) of unbleached white all-
purpose flour to the container and stir. Cover the container loosely. Let the
sourdough starter rest in the oven with the light on for 24 hours. Stir the
mixture two or three times during this time period.             
 
Day 2: Second Feeding
 
Completely stir in another 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of lukewarm (90°F to
100°F) pure filtered or bottled water and 1 ounce (scant ¼ cup) of
unbleached white all-purpose flour. Check the sourdough starter in 12 hours
for active bubbling. If the culture is not as bubbly as it should be, repeat this
step. If it is at a good place in reactivation, continue on to the next day’s
schedule.
 Day 3: Back To The Regular Feeding Schedule
 
Twelve hours after the last feeding, discard all but 4¾ ounces (½ cup) of the
starter. Completely stir in 4 ounces (½ cup) of lukewarm (90°F to 100°F)
pure filtered or bottled water and 4 ounces (1 cup) of flour. Repeat this step
every 24 hours to maintain a healthy sourdough starter, or refrigerate the
starter and maintain it with weekly feedings
 11 - Gluten-Free Sourdough
 

M
 
aking a gluten-free sourdough bread takes more time and
attention, but there is something to compensate for that.
A significant advantage is an intense taste. The gases that
form the microorganisms cause the sourdough dough to rise slowly and
gradually. Precisely because of this slow ripening, the gluten-free
sourdough bread will soon get a lot more flavor. You can compare this with
cheese preparation; old cheese is spicier than young cheese.
 
The flavors and ingredients that you add to the sourdough dough are
enhanced by the sourdough. Lemon and orange zest and dried fruits such as
raisins go well with it. But it is not necessary, even without these additives,
the taste is delicious.
Less salt is needed in gluten-free sourdough bread than in yeast bread, also
due to the flavor enhancement of the sourdough.
 
You need fewer toppings because sourdough bread already tastes great; it is
not that neutral.
Sourdough bread saturates more, and you have to eat less of it so that your
diet is under control.
The structure of gluten-free sourdough bread is also stronger than that of
yeast bread. Irregular holes might appear in this bread, but it looks a lot like
regular sourdough bread.
 
The gluten-free dough always stays softer due to the absence of elasticity,
so you still have the fine fibers of an auxiliary substance such as fiber husk
needed to replace gluten.
Gluten-free sourdough bread does not crumble and stays fresh and tender
for longer. Plus, it has a better basic structure due to the long rise. Gluten-
free sourdough and the wet gluten-free bread dough are practically the same
thickness, which is a coincidence.
Proper mixing is important, but kneading is not necessary for this bread
preparation, as gluten does not have to be stretched. 
 
Phytic acid is found in the bran and germ of whole grains. This substance
prevents complete absorption of vitamins and minerals from whole meal
flour. We lack an excipient in our body that can break down phytic acid.
Fortunately, due to the longer ripening time, the long contact with the water,
and the higher acid content of sourdough bread, this phytic acid is largely
broken down.
 
This allows us to benefit much more from the vitamins and minerals from
fiber-rich flour types. For gluten-free flours, this applies to oatmeal; all
other gluten-free flours do not contain any phytic acid anyway.
 
 What Do You Need to Make Gluten-Free
Sourdough?
 
       A clean glass preserving jar with a separate lid
       silicone spatula,

       a few spoons

       gluten-free flour,

       lukewarm water

 
If your tap water is purified with chlorine, choose spring water because
chlorine can destroy the microorganisms in your sourdough.
Furthermore,
       a thermometer and a scale

       a notepad are useful.

 
Take a ½ to ¾ liter glass preserving jar that you wash thoroughly before use
and rinse with warm water so that detergent residues disappear. A
preserving jar is suitable because it has a sturdy but loose lid that you can
clean thoroughly. Furthermore, surplus gases can escape that arise during
fermentation or conversion.
 
You can stick a label on the pot with the start date and flour of the gluten-
free sourdough.
Make notes every day of what you have done and how the sourdough
develops. This way, you will not forget anything, and you will learn from
your experiences. Metal spoons for stirring are no problem. Use the spatula
to keep the wall of the pot clean after stirring.
The scale ensures accuracy when following the recipe, and a thermometer is
useful when looking for a warm place in the house for the sourdough to
grow.
 
 Which types of flour do you use to make
gluten-free sourdough?
 
To start up and maintain a gluten-free sourdough, I opted for gluten-free
flour types with many dietary fibers and which are coarse in structure,
thereby promoting the sourdough process. Oatmeal, with its large particles
and bran, gave the best results, deliciously scented themes. 
Organic, gluten-free flours also promote starting fermentation and
maintaining your gluten-free sourdough, so these are preferred if you can
get them from.
 
Another gluten-free flour can replace oatmeal with preferably a lot of fiber
if you have already mastered baking. Buckwheat flour and corn flour of fine
polenta quality are a bit finer in structure but can also be used well. Rice
flour blossom remains fairly flat and will not give much effect.
 
Making a combination of different gluten-free flours seems to me to be a
good option for making sourdough. Just like with flour mixtures for gluten-
free bread and pastries, you can experiment with this. For your flour
mixture to leaven, some coarser make, and thereby improving efficacy can
also be a part Add crushed fine gluten-free oatmeal.
The oatmeal, gluten-free, is suitable for porridge but is also available for
this and everywhere. Grind this oatmeal finer with a hand blender in the
accompanying mixing bowl, and you will get a coarser flour. You can, of
course, also add this self-milled flour to your bread.
Making sourdough from pure millet flour did not work well for me, millet
flour has little ability to retain water. It worked better with a combination of
other better water-absorbing flour types. Here you see a gluten-free
sourdough with the same amount of millet flour, rice flour, and oatmeal.
 
 12 - Gluten-Free Recipes
 

S
 
tart making the starter about 5 to 6 days before you begin baking;
this is the start of the sourdough. 
Starting gluten-free sourdough with oatmeal
 
 Recipe 1: gluten-free sourdough with oatmeal
 
With this recipe, you get over 300 grams of sourdough that smells like
yogurt.
On the first day, mix 50 grams of gluten-free oatmeal and 75 grams of
lukewarm water in a clean glass preserving jar.
 
Stir these ingredients into a thick paste. Put the loose lid on the pot and
place it in a warm place, between 68 and 86 degrees F (20 and 30 degrees
Celsius). Stir the sourdough in the morning and the evening.
 
On the second day, the mixture should start to ferment and form bubbles.
Then you can top up. Do this for 4 days and feed 25 grams of oatmeal and
30 grams of lukewarm water once a day.
Stir the sourdough twice a day and add 10 grams of lukewarm water during
the second stirring, it usually gets thicker during the day.
You can bake on the sixth day.
 
 Recipe 2: gluten-free sourdough from oatmeal
and apple
 
With this recipe, you get around 400 grams of sourdough that smells like
fruity beer.
On the first day, you mix 90 grams of ground gluten-free oatmeal, 65 grams
of lukewarm water, and 100 grams of finely grated, preferably non-sprayed,
organic peeled apple in a preserving jar with separate lid.
Stir these ingredients into a thick paste. Put the loose lid on the pot and
place it in a warm place, between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. Stir the
sourdough in the morning and the evening.
After 2 to 4 days, the mixture should start to ferment and form bubbles. It
takes longer than the previous recipe with only oatmeal for your activity,
and this sourdough is a bit firmer.
Then increase the amount of sourdough by adding 50 grams of gluten-free
oatmeal and 60 to 70 grams of water once a day. Stir twice a day, in the
morning and the evening.
If the mixture is active after about 5 to 6 days, you can start baking the next
day with a recipe for gluten-free bread dough.
You do not have to add any more apple to maintain this oat-apple blossom;
the fruit flavor is retained.
 
 
 
 Recipe 3: Gluten-free sourdough from teff
flour and corn flour
 
With teff flour, you get a quick fermentation, and you can start baking on
the 5th day. The extra cornmeal ensures a more stable and firm dough due
to the coarser structure. With this combination of gluten-free flour types,
you can now get started as follows:
On the first day: mix 25 grams of teff and 25 grams of corn flour and 60
grams of lukewarm water in a preserving jar with a separate lid. Stir the
sourdough two times a day and place the preserving jar in a warm place
between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius.
The second day: add 10 grams of teff and 10 grams of corn flour and 20
grams of lukewarm water and stir.
The third day: add 10 grams of teff and 10 grams of corn flour and 20
grams of lukewarm water and stir.
The fourth day: add 10 grams of teff and 10 grams of corn flour and 15
grams of lukewarm water and stir.
You can start baking on the fifth day. You end up with 225 grams of
sourdough with a wonderful scent. 
Tips for Assessing an Active Gluten-Free Sourdough
The gluten-free sourdough changes through fermentation or conversion of a
simple stiff, light brown flour porridge into an ever-lighter supple mass. It
gets an airy structure with very small air bubbles.
.
This may make it a bit more challenging to assess whether the sourdough is
active, but the following indications give you a guide.
 
 Odor
The scent is an important indication to see if your sourdough becomes
active. This changes from a strong oat or buckwheat scent to an
increasingly fruity and yeast and yogurt-scented mass. The scent varies
depending on what you use as a culture medium so that you can play with it
as a seasoning. A sourdough with grated apple in it is very fruity. A
sourdough with only gluten-free flour and water is more neutral but always
much more powerful and better tasting than pure beer yeast.
 The Thickness Of The Sourdough
 
The ratio of gluten-free flour and water in the gluten-free sourdough is
approximately 50:75. The basic recipe is a portion of gluten-free flour with
a slightly more significant portion of water. It is essential to know that the
amount of water you need to add to the flour for the gluten-free sourdough
can vary and is approximate. This can be due to the degree of extraction,
the fiber content, and the moisture content of gluten-free flour, and this
again varies per harvest and flour.
Particularly more gluten-free sourdough with oatmeal may be added with
water. Otherwise, it will become too stiff and dry. As an indication of the
thickness, you can state that the sourdough is a thick liquid porridge or
batter that you can stir well with a spoon.
 
If a gluten-free sourdough becomes too thin, then add a little extra flour. It
seems each has their character due to the type of flour you choose and
sometimes require more or less water or flour due to circumstances. You
can play with that, and the effect of the sourdough will improve.
 
First Aid for Gluten-Free Sourdough
 
After five to six days of fermentation, a sourdough is often already active. It
is then much lighter in color, airy, and the pot sounds hollow when you tap
it. It rustles when you stir it, and it smells fresh or slightly acidic, depending
on the ingredients.
 
If your design does not become active according to the build-up schedule,
continue. Keep stirring and add flour and lukewarm water until you get
activity.
A slightly longer ripened sourdough can only become tastier, so keep
waiting patiently and continue feeding and stirring.
 
If the sourdough smells dirty or has a dark color or fungi, throw it away and
start again.
A dirty sourdough has never occurred to me, but I bake a lot. However, it
sometimes takes a few days longer than the example schedule, and that was
often due to the cold ambient temperature.
Sourdough storage, maintenance of gluten-free sourdough
Starter, mother dough, and dough are different stages in the development of
a gluten-free sourdough (bread).
 
The starter is the start of the fermentation process when you spend a few
days preparing the recipe for sourdough. It is under development and not
yet ready to bake.
The mother dough is the ripe stage of the sourdough after you have
completed the schedule of the sourdough recipe. You can keep this in the
fridge and increase it.
There are various methods for maintaining your gluten-free sourdough.
 
Three methods:
 
1. To continue baking with your cultivated sourdough, now called
mother dough, you can use part of the benefit of the gluten-free
sourdough bread. You don't always have to start with a
sourdough. Moreover, the taste of this mother dough develops
even more and only gets better. You can compare it with the
ripening of cheese. Record the date, content, and composition
of the sourdough on a label.
You can store this sourdough in the fridge, which you also call
mother dough, for months and even years if you bake regularly.
You feed this sourdough once a week with 1 scoop of gluten-free
flour and about 1 scoop of water. Pay attention to the thickness and
note what you have added and when, so you won't forget anything.
Note further on your weekly calendar or in your (telephone) agenda
when your sourdough needs to be fed.
 
If you want to bake, take it out of the cooling and place it in warm
room temperature.
Feed the sourdough for a few days with 50 grams of gluten-free
flour and about 75 grams of lukewarm water per day until you have
enough sourdough. Stir twice a day.
If you need a larger amount of gluten-free sourdough for several
loaves, you can supplement the mother dough a little more the
evening before you start baking at warm room temperature.
 
You then add flour and water to the required amount.
 A feed with no more than half of the total weight of flour and water
from the sourdough, then it goes well.
If you only have a small amount of mother dough, it is better to
take several days to increase.
You can, therefore, increase a larger amount of sourdough faster.
In the process, you learn to deal with this more easily.
2. You can also keep 50 grams of your mother dough as a
sourdough at the start of the baking and maintain it just as
above (see method 1.) when the dough is mentioned, which is
more convenient for you.
You can sometimes forget to take something away from your
advantage, which sometimes happens to me.
Feed this mother dough blossom just before you put it in the fridge
and then once a week with 1 spoon of gluten-free flour and about 1
spoon of water. Pay attention to the thickness.
 
You call this stage of the sourdough mother dough because there
are already many microorganisms active in it, and you only need to
increase the amount. The mother dough is quicker to work than a
starter.
 
3. Have you forgotten something left, or do you find this
difficult? That doesn't have to be a big problem. You can
always start again with the start-up of a gluten-free sourdough.
 
You can process the sourdough that you have too much in gluten-free yeast
bread as a seasoning. A big spoon per recipe gives a lot more flavor to your
bread. Use the normal amount of yeast.
 
 13 - Bread Shaping
 
 
Bread Formation

T
 
he basic composition of the flour you use to make your bread
dough will vary in protein content, depending on what kind of
bread you are making. In this guide, I use a variety of flours—not
all flour is the same in terms of how it will bake and how it will act when
manipulated and sculpted. For the base of your breads—meaning the main
body of the loaf—I will often refer to the use of bread flour or high-protein
flours.
This is because the protein needed to form magnificent bread must be high
enough for the gas that is produced during the fermentation process to be
captured in the bread. This is often what will set apart a beautifully shaped
loaf from a flat or squatty loaf.
 
 Specialty Flour
 
The decorative bread used throughout this guide is generally based with
part all-purpose wheat flour and part rye or oat flour. The addition of the rye
or oat flour will make for lower protein content. The shape of the decorative
embellishments will be retained during baking when this lower protein flour
is used. Some of the decorative dough is sweetened or flavored. You’ll find
the one you prefer in your personal baking.
 
 Sweeteners
 
Notice as you study the recipes throughout this guide that some of the bread
is sweet dough while others are less sweet and can be used for savory
applications. I’ve tried as much as possible to make sure that the flavors
will be complementary in each loaf. You’ll find that your personal taste may
require more or less sweetness. In most cases I tend to under-sweeten my
loaves. Adding additional sugar may slow down how quickly the yeast
works, which sounds crazy; though yeast “eats” sugar, it will not do well
with a large addition of sugar. Stick to the recipe as closely as possible.
 Yeast
Yeast is a single-celled organism that feeds on sugar and, by so doing,
expels carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. The process by which it works in
conjunction with sugars and liquid is called fermentation. In most cases I
prefer a long and slow fermentation with much lower yeast content in the
dough than most standard recipes.
This will give you the most complex and delightful texture and flavor.
Adding more yeast will generally cause your bread to be coarse and have a
less-refined characteristic. Of all the ingredients in breadmaking, the one
most integral in its measurement is yeast. Use measuring spoons and tools
that are designed for baking and not for the dinner table. When I refer to a
specific measurement in a recipe, it is because I know that that
measurement will work.
 
WHEN WORKING WITH YEAST, HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO
REMEMBER:
Because yeast is a living organism, always use lukewarm water
(less than 110°F) to active the yeast. Higher temperatures will
usually kill the yeast and your bread will not rise.
When yeast is active, never add salt directly to the water and
yeast combination because it greatly inhibits yeast activity and
can potentially kill the yeast. To keep this from happening, I
always combine the salt with the flour.
If you use a stronger yeast, such as a SAF or bread machine
yeast, you will need less yeast in recipes. These super yeasts will
cause the bread to rise about 30 percent faster than standard
active dry yeast.
 As a general rule, use about half the amount of yeast you would
use in a regular recipe if you are living over 3000 feet above sea
level. Higher altitude baking requires less yeast to achieve
success.
Allow your dough to rise at a medium temperature, no higher
than 85–90°F. This will allow the yeast to work at its optimum.
Some recipes specify to raise the bread at room temperature,
while others are put in the fridge to slow down the fermentation
of the dough. If you keep your home cold or live in a colder
climate, the bread will rise slower and may need to be put in a
slightly warmed oven. I don’t recommend putting loaves in the
oven often or for the full amount of time since this method
generally results in an overly yeasty flavor in the bread.
 
Salt
Salt is not merely for added flavor enhancement in bread, though it does
that job rather well.
Salt has a natural ability to kill bacteria and organisms when it comes in
contact with them. The small quantity of salt used in conjunction with the
yeast in these bread recipes is designed to help regulate how quickly the
bread will rise as well as how outstanding the bread will taste.
If you need low-sodium bread, you may use a natural sea salt or potassium
chloride in place of the regular salt. The flavor will remain the same, and
you should still have a fairly well-regulated fermentation time
 
Shortening
 
Any fat that I use will shorten the connection of the proteins in the dough.
The addition of fat to dough is generally for two purposes: First, for added
tenderness to the finished product you bake. The fat will help the dough
remain moist even a few days after baking. Second, fat will help to
condition the proteins in the dough, adding to the elasticity of the loaf. Fat
is not always necessary in the base loaves, but will be necessary for the
decorative embellishment dough on
 
  14 - Bread Decorating
 
 
Decorative Bread Recipe
 

 
INGREDIENTS:
 
Basic 2 tsp. active dry yeast
½ cup cool water
6 cups whole wheat bread flour
2 tsp. salt
2½ cups lukewarm water
2 Tbsp. honey
¼ cup oil
 
Directions:
 
1. Dissolve yeast in ½ cup cool water. Mix flour and salt in a
large bowl and make a well in the mixture.
2. Dissolve honey in the 2½ cups water and add oil. Pour this
liquid and yeast mixture into well of flour. Stirring from the
center, first combine ingredients to make a smooth batter. Then
 fold in the remaining flour from sides of bowl, mixing them
together into a soft dough.
3. Wait 10 minutes—then evaluate dough. Dough should be
supple and not overly dry.
4. Add more water or flour if required and knead dough about
600 strokes without adding any more flour. (This takes about 6
minutes on medium speed in a KitchenAid mixer.) Dough
should remain soft and should become elastic and smooth.
5. Form dough into a ball and put in an ungreased crock. Cover
tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and allow fermenting—at
about 80 degrees, this will take 1½–2 hours.
 
Baking Standard Loaves:
From the dough into 2 sandwich loaves, using the loaf-molding tips
below, in two 8×4 greased bread pans. When formed, lightly mist
with water and allow to rise for 45–60 minutes. Mist with water
again and sprinkle with caraway seeds or apply decorative dough.
Preheat oven to 425°F the last few minutes of rising. Bake for 15
minutes and then lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake for
20–25 more minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of
175°F.
 
Baking Dinner Rolls:
Divide dough into 24 rolls and form according to the roll-molding
tips below Place rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet, 2 inches
apart, and allow to rise until doubled, 1–1½ hours. Lightly mist
with water and bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 20–25
minutes.
 

 
INGREDIENTS:
 
2 tsp. active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (max 110 degrees)
1¼ cups buttermilk
¾ cup water
1 Tbsp. caraway seeds, toasted
¼ cup unsweetened powdered cocoa
2 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. apple balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. molasses
5½ cups whole wheat bread flour, divided
2½ tsp. salt
1 cup 100 percent whole grain rye flour
1–2 large shallots, pressed
 
Directions:
 
1. In a small dish, combine the yeast and warm water. Let it rest
until it bubbles, about 5 minutes.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, ¾ cup water, caraway
seeds, cocoa, oil, and apple balsamic vinegar.
3. Add the yeast/water combination to the bowl. Add the molasses.
Add 5 cups whole wheat bread flour and the salt. Knead dough in
your mixer on medium-low speed for 5 minutes. Turn off mixer
 and add the rye flour and pressed shallots. Continue to knead the
dough on medium-low speed for 5 more minutes. Turn off the
mixer and allow the dough to sit for 10 minutes.
4. After the dough rests, mix for 2-3 more minutes, adding just
enough flour for the dough to really climb up the dough hook.
Turn off the machine and dump the dough onto a light water–
misted countertop and form dough into a ball. Clean out the
mixing bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic
and allow to rise for 1½–2 hours.
5. Expel excess gas by pressing down on the dough. Form the dough
into a ball again, and cover with plastic for a second rise, 45–60
minutes. You can use this dough in any decorative bread recipe
that calls for dark dough.
 
Baking Standard Loaves:
From the dough into 2 sandwich loaves, using the loaf-molding tips
below, in two 8×4 greased bread pans. When formed, lightly mist with
water and allow to rise for 45–60 minutes. Mist with water again and
sprinkle with caraway seeds or apply decorative dough. Preheat oven
to 425°F the last few minutes of rising. Bake for 15 minutes and then
lower oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 20–25 more minutes
until it reaches an internal temperature of 175°F.
 
Baking Dinner Rolls:
Divide dough into 24 rolls and form according to the roll-molding tips
below Place rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet, 2 inches apart, and
allow to rise until doubled, 1–1½ hours. Lightly mist with water and
bake in a preheated 425-degree oven for 20–25 minutes.
 
Marble Loaf
Technique:
1. Make 2 different types of dough at the same time so they rise
at the same rate. For 2 loaves, you will have 2 pieces of light
dough and 2 pieces of dark dough. I suggest Basic White
Bread and the dark rye bread. Each piece of dough should
weigh 8 ounces. The finished loaf should weigh approximately
1 pound. I recommend the use of a kitchen scale to weigh each
piece of dough. Make sure you use an equal weight of each
kind of dough to make your loaves the same size. This will
ease the baking processes.
2. Lightly flour your work surface. Form each piece of dough
into a rectangle, about 1 foot by 8 inches.
3. Pat the pieces of dough on a lightly floured surface until they
are about the same length and width. Place one dough color on
top of the opposite dough color. Press together firmly. Then
fold into thirds. Form dough into a log. Place the dough log
seam side down onto a lightly oiled sheet pan or into a greased
9×5 loaf pan.
4. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, 1–1½ hours. Cover
the loaf with a very fine mist of oil. This will keep the surface
from getting too dry. If you intend to decorate the loaf with
embellishments, use a light hand when applying oil (if you use
too much oil, the dough embellishments will not stick to loaf
correctly).
5. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mist the tops of the loaf with water and
slash lightly with a very sharp serrated knife, no deeper than ¼
inch into the surface. Cut several 3-inch slits across the top of
the loaf (about 2 inches apart). The opposite-colored dough
inside the loaf will peek through the holes, creating a
decorative effect when baked.
6. Bake for 35–45 minutes, until loaf reaches an internal
temperature of 165°F or higher. The bread is now baked
through and can be eaten or used for decorative loaves.
 Loaf Molding Technique
The basics on how to fold and mold the structure on a perfect loaf of bread
is something that I learned when I first attended a pastry class in culinary
school, and it is something I use almost every single day. Master this
technique and your bread will suddenly be well-rounded and hold its
structure when baked, and you’ll find consistency in the overall quality of
your bread.
 
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
Use very little flour on your work surface when forming
loaves. For whole grain bread, I generally use a light mist of
water on the surface instead of flour because this tends to
make the bread more moist and supple when baked.
I don’t recommend using oil on your hands or work surfaces.
Oil acts to shorten gluten strands, but it will also stop bread
dough from connecting to its internal structures correctly. If
you have ever sliced into a loaf of bread and found that there
was a spiral in your loaf (and it wasn’t a cinnamon swirl
bread), then you may have already experienced this
phenomenon.
Clean your work surfaces between loaves, especially when
switching between savory and sweet loaves. This will prevent
unwanted savory flavors from showing up in your sweet
breads and vice versa.
Work quickly, using a light hand, but don’t be afraid to really
press the dough together tightly.
When adding large chopped nuts, chocolate, and bulky fruits,
press them into the dough inside the loaf. This will prevent any
burning or off-flavors from occurring when the ingredients are
baked.
 15 - Home Baking
 

I
 
t is a combination of water, flour, yeast, salt and other ingredients that
are baked.  The exact procedure includes combining ingredients until
the mixture becomes a hard dough or paste, accompanied by shaping
the dough into a loaf. 
 
The goals of New Zealand's bread-making processes (mechanical dough
growth, bulk fermentation, and no-time doughs) are to develop dough that
will arise quickly and have the characteristics needed to make good bread
for the customer. 
 
Dough made by any Directions: must be sufficiently extensible to make
good bread to expand and relax as it grows. A good dough can be expanded
if it expands when pulled. It must also be stretchy, that is, it must have the
power to carry the gases produced as they arise, and it must be robust
enough to hold its shape and cell structure. 
 
Once mixed with water, two proteins in flour (gliadin and glutenin) form
gluten. Gluten is what brings such special characteristics to flour. Gluten is
necessary for the production of bread and affects the properties of dough
stirring, kneading and baking. It is very necessary to know  to mix the
ingredients when you first start baking bread. 
The following key stages were involved in the process of bread making: 
 
Mix the ingredients: 
Disseminate the different ingredients uniformly and enable the creation of a
protein (gluten) network to provide the absolute best bread. 
Based on the flour and mixing Directions: in use, every dough has an ideal
mixing time. 
Too much intermingling creates a dough with diminished elastic properties
that is very expandable. Though, under mixing can cause big unmixed
patches that remain unresolved in the bread. 
 Fermentation (rising): 
It is then left to rise (ferment) when the bread is infused.  When
fermentation occurs, the dough progressively transitions from a rough dense
mass lacking extensibility to a smooth, expandable dough with strong gas
holding qualities. 
 
The yeast cells are rising, the parts of gluten protein stick together to form
networks, and the bread is forming carbon dioxide and alcohol. In very
much the same manner as we do, the yeast utilizes glucose, e.g. it starts to
break down sugar into water and carbon dioxide. Flour and yeast enzymes
both tend to intensify this reaction. 
 
The preceding reaction occurs when there is plenty of oxygen present: the
energy released is used for development and growth by the yeast.  The yeast
uses the energy that is released for activity and growth. In a bread dough
where the supply of oxygen is reduced, the fermentation can break down
the sugar only slightly. This Directions: known as alcoholic fermentation,
generates carbon dioxide and alcohol. The carbon dioxide created in these
reactions induces the dough to rise (prove or ferment), and throughout the
process of baking, the alcohol generated mostly evaporates from the dough.
 
Every other yeast cell forms a center along which carbon dioxide bubbles
form during fermentation. Thousands of small bubbles form cells within the
dough piece, each surrounded by a thin film of gluten. As these cells fill
with energy, the rise in the size of dough occurs.
 
Kneading: 
Kneading removes any massive gas spaces that might have emerged while
rising. This also outcomes in a much more uniform  distribution of gas
bubbles and also temperature. The dough is then expected to rise again and
is kneaded by the specific process of production being used when
necessary.
 
Second Rising: 
The dough fills once again with more gas bubbles during most of the final
rising (proving), and when this has gone much further, the doughs are
moved for baking to the oven. 
 Baking: 
The baking process tends to turn an unpleasant dough into a flavorful
product that is readily digestible, light and porous. 
As the extreme heat of the oven disperses the dough, the gasses inside the
dough grow hence increasing the dough's volume exponentially. With the
heat, gas pressure rises within the thousands of tiny gas cells, and the cells
grow larger. 
 
In the dough, there is a significant ratio of the carbon dioxide generated by
the yeast. As the temperature of the dough increases to about 40 ° C, the
CO2 in solution becomes a gas and passes into existing gas cells.  The heat
of the oven transforms liquids into gases through the evaporation cycle,
thereby evaporating the alcohol generated. 
 
Temperature also influences the fermentation activity level. As the
temperature increases, the fermentation rate increases, as does gas cell
output, till the dough hits the temperature at which the yeast dies (about 46
° C). 
 
Cooling: 
When the bakery leaves the oven, the bread is rapidly cooled. The temp of
the crust is above 200 ° C and the crumb's internal temperature is around 98
° C. The loaf is filled with saturated steam that also needs time to dissipate. 
Before wrapping and slicing occur, the entire loaf is cooled to about 35 ° C
without affecting the loaf.
 
 Leavening of Bread
 
What Is Leavening?
 
In the science of Baking, leavening is the air that causes bread, cakes, and
other baked goodies to rise in the oven. The air (or gas, actually) is
produced in various ways, based on what form of leavening agent you are
using. This varies depending on what you bake. 
But the best way to think about it is that the gas is created by the leavening
agent and the gas triggers the batter or dough to rise. 
 
Leavening is what makes a light, fluffy loaf of bread. In other words, it
makes the bread rise. Bread without leavening, recognized as flatbread, is
the closest to the first loaves of bread of humanity. Examples include naan
from India, pita from the Middle East and tortillas from Central America. 
. 
 16 - Bread-Making Techniques
 
 
What Is Kneading?

K neading is essential for bread dough that is leavened by yeast.

By folding the dough over in successive layers, you increase the
density of the tangled protein chains. The more these protein
chains tangle together, the more gas they will be able to retain from the
active yeast, and as a result you will get a better rise during the proofing
stage.
 
Often times when people think of kneading dough, they picture a kindly old
grandmother rocking her hands back in forth in a massive dough ball. While
this technically is kneading and will indeed increase the number of tangled
protein chains, it is not the best technique you can use.
 
 How To Knead
The best technique for kneading begins by spreading the dough out on a
lightly floured work surface and folding it over on itself. Each time, before
you fold, you should sprinkle a little salt on half of the dough. This way
when you fold it, the salt is now buried in the center of the dough, where it
can form a stronger relationship with the gluten chains.
 
I find it is best to think of the folding technique in terms of the compass
rose. You sprinkle a little salt on the east half of the dough, then fold the
west half over top of it. Press down firmly to spread the dough out flat.
Then sprinkle salt on the south half of the dough, before folding the north
half over top of it and press it flat. This process is repeated until all of the
salt is incorporated into the dough.
 
The act of folding the dough over itself increases the density of the tangled
protein chains better than simply manipulating the dough ball randomly
with your hands.
Eventually enough gluten chains will form in the dough and it will start to
resist folding. At this point you can begin rocking it back and forth or
simply massaging it in your hands. In general, it will require 8 to 10
minutes of kneading by hand. If you are using a dough hook in a stand
mixer, the dough will climb the hook after 7 or 8 minutes indicating that it
is sufficiently kneaded.
 
If you are not sure whether the dough has been sufficiently kneaded, you
can pull off a golf-ball-sized piece and stretch it into a thin sheet. The sheet
should be thin enough that if you hold it up to a light you can see the light
glow throw. If the gluten chains are strong enough, the dough will stretch
without breaking. If it breaks continue kneading.
 
 Proofing
Proofing is the process by which the gasses given off by active yeast cause
the dough to rise. The gas suspended in the dough causes it to increase in
volume as well as develop flavor.
After your dough has been properly kneaded, you have several options for
proofing. These options are going to be influenced by the type of yeast you
are using as well as the type of bread you are making. Yeast reproduces
faster at warm temperatures. The ideal location is an oven that has been
warmed to 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Be mindful that yeast dies at 140
degrees, so make sure the oven isn’t too hot!
 
If you live in a warm climate, you can simply leave your bread to proof
anywhere that’s draft-free. Leaving it in the microwave or oven – turned off
– are sure options, but if you have a corner or nook where it won’t be
disturbed, that’s fine too.
 
There are some types of bread, such as ciabatta, that call for slow proofing.
Letting the dough sit out in a covered bowl at room temperature for up to a
day allows the yeast to contribute a lot of flavor to the dough.
 
When the dough has proofed long enough to double in volume, it is time to
punch it down and begin forming the loaf. Once you have formed the loaf,
there will be a second, shorter proofing period where the dough rises again
to the size desired for baking.
 
 Forming loaves
Once your dough has proofed and risen to double its original volume, it is
time to punch it down and form the loaf shape you choose. The term
“punching down” is somewhat of a misnomer. What you are really doing is
gently suggesting it into a dough ball that can be shaped to the loaf style of
your choice.
 Types Of Loaves
Many bread recipes call for their own style and shape of loaf.
The classic sandwich loaf calls for the dough ball to be flattened into a
rectangle and rolled into a length that matches a 9-inch loaf pan. It is then
placed into the loaf pan and put back in the oven to proof again to rise again
to its final volume.              
 
If you prefer to make buns, you will roll the dough ball out into a tube. Use
a board scraper to cut the tube in half, then cut those halves into quarters for
large buns or cut the quarters into eighths for small buns.
Some more rustic types of bread are simply shaped with the hands into a
rough oval or circle and then baked on a tray.
 
These are just general guidelines for forming loaves for basic bread. The
special recipes to follow will discuss how each particular loaf is formed.
Once you have the loaf shape you prefer, you should lightly dampen the
surface of the dough by running a wet hand over it. Then take a knife and
score the top of the bread with either a single slash down the middle or
three diagonal slashes.
 
 
 Baking
Bread is baked at different times and temperatures depending on the type of
bread, the type of pan, and the shape of the loaf. All breads should be baked
to an internal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You can check the
temperature with a basic probe thermometer inserted into the side or bottom
of the loaf. Unless the pan you are using prevents it, you should avoid
inserting the thermometer into the top of the loaf as it will release the
bread’s internal steam, potentially collapsing the crust.
 
 The role of steam
Steam is an important element in baking yeast-raised bread. If a formed loaf
is allowed to dry out on top during the final proof, it will limit the final
volume. The gas bubbles in the dough expand early in the baking process. If
the loaf has a soft top from the presence of steam, this added lift can expand
it by up to 10 percent.
Later in the baking process as the crust is starting to form, the presence of
steam will aid in browning and make the crust thicker. Many bakers
develop their own method for providing steam in the oven. Opening the
oven periodically and using a spray bottle, pointed up and away from the
heating element, is a common method.
A shallow pan of water placed in the oven away from the main loaf is an
easy option that doesn’t require you to open the oven door, which can cause
problems because it lets the heat out.
 
 Equipment
 
Bread Machines
The world of bread making has exploded in recent years with a plethora of
bread making machines. While each manufacturer has their own recipe and
procedures for their particular machine, they all essentially based on the
same core idea. You add ingredients to the machine as per the instructions,
and a few minutes later a wad of dough is ready to be formed into a loaf.
 
The bread you get in the end product will indeed be serviceable. When you
bake it, the bread will give off that characteristic toasted wheat smell that
fills the house with memories of visits to grandmas. It will be free of the
additives and dough conditioners of store-bought bread.
 
However, at the end of the day, dough made from a bread machine tends to
lack character. Most bread machines use rapid rise yeast, which leaves little
time for flavor to develop. Rapid rise yeast also has a tendency to make
bread that has a soft and spongy texture.
 
The biggest problem with bread machines is that you get what you pay for.
This means to get a good one you are going to have to invest a serious
amount of money. Most quality bread machines are over two hundred U.S.
dollars. A few of the high-end bread machines can cost over five hundred
U.S. dollars.
This means a bread machine will take a long time to pay for itself. You lose
most of the cost savings benefits that come from baking your own bread to
buy a machine that essentially has only one function in the household.
 Stand Mixers
Most households have stand mixers, and most stand mixers come with
multiple attachments. While a quality stand mixer is around the same price
as a bread machine, the stand mixer is a multitasking appliance. You can
use it for cookies, cakes, and pies. It can whip cream, stir batter, and some
attachments even allow you to roll out pasta and grind meat. Even though
you spend the same amount of money, the stand mixer pays for itself sooner
because it can do so many other things in the kitchen.
 
One of the most common attachments for a stand mixer is the dough hook.
A dough hook is a thick metal hook that attaches to the stand mixer’s
planetary assembly. You add the ingredients to the locking work bowl and
start the mixer on a slow setting until the flour completely incorporates. The
dough hook will move the dough around in the work bowl mixing,
effectively kneading it.
 
Eventually enough gluten structure forms in the dough to hold it firmly to
the hook. It then begins to climb the hook, and you know it is ready for
proofing. Simply remove the hook from the machine and carefully separate
the hook from the dough. Return the dough to the work bowl, cover it, and
allow it to proof until it doubles in volume.
 
Upfront cost aside, there are only two drawbacks to using a stand mixer to
make bread. The first drawback is the noise. Even the highest quality stand
mixer is still loud. The second drawback is that since you have to add the
salt at the beginning of the process. The gluten structure formed by dough
hook kneading is a little less than if you added the salt in small batches
while kneading by hand.
  
The end result is a slightly longer proofing time and a little less rise in the
final loaf. Admittedly, these are minor drawbacks. If you are preparing a
single loaf, I would still advocate kneading by hand. If you had to bake
multiple loaves in a day it is probably more efficient to use the dough hook
attachment of a stand mixer.
 
Loaf Pans
While there are many interpretations of the loaf pan, the general standard is
a metal pan that is 9 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 3 inches deep. Glass
and Pyrex loaf pans are gaining in popularity.
While the materials do not affect the crown of the bread, they do influence
the body of the loaf. Metal loaf pans tend to make a crispier crust on the
body of the loaf, while glass creates a softer, more tender crust on the lower
portion of the loaf. This is due to the fact that metal conducts heat faster,
and thus cooks the water vapor out of the lower crust faster.
Usually this is just a matter of taste. People who don’t like the crust on a
sandwich tend to prefer homemade bread from a glass pan. However, this
softer bottom means it takes longer for the crust to set after it is turned out
from the pan. Since a metal loaf pan has a firmer lower crust, you can cut
into it sooner without crushing the loaf.
People who want to cut into the loaf quickly to see butter melt into a warm
slice of bread will probably prefer a metal loaf pan.
 
Pizza Stones
These tend to be stone composites in a round shape. Pizza stones mimic the
attributes of a classic Italian wood fired pizza oven better than mental trays.
Pizza stones are also used for breads that need high heat.
 Whenever possible, a pizza stone should be placed in a preheated
oven for 10 to 15 minutes before the bread or pizza is put on it. This will
allow the stone to build a heat load which can quickly transfer to the loaf,
giving it a crispy bottom.
 
The easiest way to transfer breads directly to a pizza stone is to first
assemble them on a sheet of parchment paper that has been laid down on a
pizza peel or wooden cutting board.
Once the bread has been assembled on the parchment paper, you can simply
open the oven door, bring the cutting board to the pizza stone, and slide the
bread from the cutting board to the stone by pulling the parchment paper
over.
A pizza stone should always be allowed to cool down in the oven. A hot
stone should never be exposed to water as thermal shock and injury could
result.
 
Parchment Paper
Parchment paper is a type of paper especially created for baking. It can
withstand high temperatures and even bread made from very sticky dough
will slide right off after baking.
A good way to save money on parchment paper is to buy it in large rolls.
Since it can be used for many other baked goods, such as cookies, it pays
for itself faster by serving other roles.
 Kneading Surfaces
If you don’t have a butcher block counter top, a large wooden cutting board
is convenient for hand kneading. Bread dough loves to be kneaded on a
lightly floured wood surface. The texture of the wood surface tends to give
the dough just enough to stick to, while still being able to pull it away. Also,
being able to remove the cutting board after kneading speeds clean-up.
16 - Sourdough Recipes
 
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
175ml full-fat milk
175ml water
2 tbsp dark soft brown sugar
1x7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
259 gr rye flour
200 g strong white and extra for dusting
1tbsp fine sea salt
2tsp caraway seeds
Sunflower oil, for greasing
 
Direction:
 
1. Put the milk water and sugar in a small saucepan and heat very
gently, stirring constantly for a few seconds until the liquid is
lukewarm and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the
heat and pour the mixture into a bowl.
2. Stir the warm liquid into the yeast and leave for 10 minutes until
there is a light froth floating on the surface.
3. Put all the flour, rye and white flour in a large bowl and stir it in
the salt and caraway seeds. Make a well in the center and pour the
warm yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon and then your
hands to form a soft, spongy dough.
 4. Turn the dough out on to well-floured surface and knead for 10
minutes or until it is smooth and elastic. Kneading this dough can
be hard work so you’ll need to roll up your sleeve and give it
some welly.
5. Put the dough in a large lightly oiled bowl and cover loosely with
oiled film. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 ½ hours or
until it has doubled in size.
6. Put the dough on a floured work surface and knock it back with
your knuckles, then knead for another minute.
7. Shape the dough into a fat oval or round loaf, pulling the dough
from the top and sides and tucking it underneath to make a neat
shape.
8. Place the loaf on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and
score the surface 4 times with a sharp knife. Cover it loosely with
the oiled cling film and leave to prove for another 40-50 minutes
until it has doubled in size once more.
9. Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Bake the loaf in the center of
the oven for 40 minutes or until is well risen and the base sounds
hollow when tapped sharply. Cool for at least 20 minutes before
serving
10.                       

 
INGREDIENTS:
 
For the starter dough
 
 150ml/5fl oz/ ¼ -pint warm water
1 tsp caster sugar
3 tsp fast-action dried yeast
125g/4 ¼ oz strong white flour
 
For the bread dough
 
200ml/ 7fl oz/ 1/3-pint warm water
1tsp caster sugar
1 tsp fast action dried yeast
225g/8oz strong white flour and extra for dusting
100g strong whole meal flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
 Direction:
1. For the starter, pour the water into a medium bowl and stir int the
sugar. Lightly stir in the yeast and leave in a warm place for about
10 minutes or until beige foam floats on the surface. Stir in the
flour to make a thick paste, then cover with cling film and leave
at room temperature for 24hrs. the paste will smell yeasty and
slightly fermented – bit like beer.
2. For the bread dough, pour the water into a jug and stir in the
sugar. Lightly stir in the yeast and leave in a warm place for 10
minutes or until beige foam floats on the surface.
3. Stir the flour and salt together in a large bowl, then make a well
in the center and add the yeast and water mixture, the starter
dough and the oil.
4. Mix with a wooden spoon and then with your hands until mixture
comes together and forms a slightly lumpy and sticky dough. If
the dough feels dry, add a another tbs or two of water.
5. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead for good 10
minutes until smooth and elastic. As you knead, push the dough
away from you with the heel of your hand to stretch it as long as
possible, the fold it back toward you. This will help strengthen
the flour and trap air bubbles inside the loaf. Resist the temptation
to add too much flour as it could make the dough dry. You shoul
fee the dough change in texture as you work, so don’t be afraid to
be fairly robust with your stretching and folding. Put the dough in
oiled mixing bowl, cover it loosely with oiled cling
6. Line a baking tray with parchment and dust with flour.
7. Loosen the dough with a spatula and tip ir on the baking tray.
Stretch the dough very gently until it’s about 30com long, then
 fold it in half and stretch again. Do the same thing twice more.
This should help to give the dough holier texture.
8. After the third stretch, shape the dough into a long loaf shape and
slash the top a few times with a sharp knife. Dust with a little
flour and leave to prove in a warm place for 40-60 mins. Or until
it has risen again and feels lightly and puffy.
9. Pre-heat oven to 240C/450F
10.                      Bake the loaf for 20 minutes or until golden-brown and
crusty. The base should sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a
wire rack.
17 - Whole Meal Bread Recipes
 
 
Your family will rush to get home from work, school or college to
savor this tasty and fragrant bread.
 
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup water (warm)
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tbsp wheat gluten
2 tbsp fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp black pepper
1 egg
1 tbsp water
dried rosemary

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the water with the sugar and active dry yeast.
Set aside to proof, for 10 minutes. Stir in the oil.
 2. In a second bowl, sift the whole wheat white flour with the
gluten.
3. Stir in the rosemary along with the salt, garlic, oregano, basil, and
black pepper.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the bowl containing the yeast
and stir to form a ball.
5. On a lightly floured clean work surface, knead until smooth, for 5
minutes. You may need to add more flour to prevent any sticking.
Ideally, the dough will be tacky rather than stick.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl, cover and
allow it to rise in a draft-free environment until doubled in size,
for 60 minutes.
7. Once the dough has sufficiently risen, punch it down and form it
into a round-shape loaf.
8. Place the loaf on a flour-dusted sheet of parchment paper, cover
and allow to rise for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
9. In the meantime, preheat the main oven to 400 degrees F.
10.                      Combine the egg with the water to create a wash.
11.                                         Brush the risen dough with the egg wash and sprinkle
with rosemary.
12.                      Using a knife, cut a (¼”) deep X into the top of the loaf.
This will allow any steam to escape.
13.                                         Bake the dough in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until it
registers 190 degrees F when using an internal thermometer. It
should be golden on the top and have a hollow sound when gently
tapped.
14.                      Allow to cool, slice and enjoy.
 
 
Who doesn’t like Cinnamon Swirl Apple Bread? But this homemade
version takes this sweet bread to a whole new level.
 
INGREDIENTS:
Nonstick baking spray

Bread:
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup white whole wheat flour
¼ tsp nutmeg
⅛ tsp ginger
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 medium-size egg
⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
1½ cups apples (cored, chopped)

Swirl:
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
 ⅛ tsp ginger
⅛ tsp allspice

Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk

Directions:
 
1. Preheat the main oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5” loaf pan
with nonstick baking spray.
2. In a bowl, whisk the whole wheat flour with the white whole
wheat flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, salt,
cinnamon nutmeg, and ginger.
3. In a larger size bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the egg and
applesauce. Add the dry to the wet ingredients and stir well until
just beginning to combine.
4. Fold in the apples.
5. Prepare the swirl: In a small size bowl, stir the two sugars with
the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.
6. Pour one-third of the batter into the bottom of the loaf pan.
7. Sprinkle with approximately one-third of the cinnamon-sugar
mixture.
8. Repeat with the remaining batter and cinnamon sugar mixture.
9. With a knife, swirl through the batter, crosswise.
10.                                         Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until
cooked through.
11.                      Set the bread aside to cool for 15-20 minutes.
12.                      Turn the bread out onto a wire cooking rack.
 13.                      For the swirl: In a bowl, stir the powdered sugar with the
milk and drizzle over the bread.
 

 
Both butter and sugar-free, this moist banana bread is perfect for the
little ones.
 
INGREDIENTS:
1¾ cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 medium-size eggs
½ cup coconut oil (melted)
⅓ cup honey
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 medium-size bananas (mashed)
½ cup raisins
Ground cinnamon (to dust)
1 banana (peeled, sliced)

Directions:
 
1. Preheat the main oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5”
loaf pan and put to one side.
 2. In a bowl, whisk the flour with the cinnamon, baking soda,
and salt.
3. In a second larger bowl, beat the eggs with the coconut oil,
honey, Greek yogurt, and vanilla essence for a couple of
minutes.
4. Stir in the mashed bananas followed by the flour mixture and
raisins.
5. In a second larger bowl, beat the eggs with the coconut oil,
honey, Greek yogurt, and vanilla essence for a couple of
minutes.
6. Stir in the mashed bananas followed by the flour mixture and
raisins.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, sprinkle with
additional cinnamon, and fresh slices of banana.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for between 50-55 minutes, until
springy to the touch.
9. Allow to cool for several minutes before slicing.
 

 
A taste of Italy in every slice! Serve this tasty bread with pasta, or
soup or salad.
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1-2 tsp instant yeast
½ cup water (warm)
1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 tbsp store-bought basil pesto

Directions:
 
1. In a bowl, combine the whole wheat flour with the all-purpose
flour, salt, and sugar.
2. Add the instant yeast.
3. Make a well in the middle of the mixture, and add the warm
water, while beginning to combine the mixture. Once the flour
is just combined, set it aside for 5 minutes, before you begin
kneading.
4. Place the dough on a clean work surface, dust with flour, and
knead to a soft and smooth dough. Avoid using too much flour
as this can dry the dough out.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with a
damp tea towel and put aside to proof. The dough is ready
when it bounces back when poked with your finger.
6. Return the dough to the working surface, spread a little olive
oil onto the dough along with a little pesto and knead into the
flour until both ingredients are fully incorporated.
7. Set the dough aside for half an hour, for second proofing.
8. Preheat the main oven to 375 degrees F.
 9. Once sufficient proofed, lightly brush with milk and oil and
bake in the preheated oven for between 45-50 minutes.
10.           When 45 minutes have elapsed check the baking progress.
The bread should be crusty, brown and sound hollow when its
bottom is gently knocked.
11.       Set to one side to cool slightly and serve.
 

 
Bread-making isn't as daunting as you may at first think, and what's
more, you don't need any special equipment either.
 
INGREDIENTS:
Nonstick baking spray
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp caraway seeds
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp butter (chilled, cut into small pieces)
1¼ cups low-fat buttermilk

Directions:
 
1. Preheat the main oven to 350 degrees F. Spritz a cookie sheet
with non-stick baking spray.
 2. Spoon the whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour into dry
measuring cups, and using a blunt kitchen knife, level.
3. Combine the whole wheat flour with the all-purpose flour,
brown sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, caraway
seeds, and finally the salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry
blender, until a coarse meal like consistency.
4. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the
buttermilk, stirring until just moist.
5. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface
and gently knead 5-6 times.
6. Pat the dough into an 8” circle on the prepared cookie sheet.
7. With a sharp knife, score the dough by making 2 (¼“) deep,
lengthwise cuts across the surface of the loaf to create an X.
8. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F, for 30-35 minutes, until a
stick inserted into the middle of the load pulls out clean.
9. Set aside to cool on a wire baking rack before slicing into 12
wedges.
 

 
The perfect tea-time treat, enjoy this fruit and nut bread, as a snack,
with morning coffee or afternoon tea.
 
INGREDIENTS:
Nonstick cooking spray
¾ cup low-fat buttermilk
½ tsp lemon rind (finely grated)
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground cloves
⅔ cup dried figs (chopped)
⅓ cup pitted dates (pitted, chopped)
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
2 large eggs
¾ cup whole wheat flour 
¾ cup all-purpose flour 
1½ tsp baking soda
⅛ tsp salt
⅓ cup walnuts (chopped)
Directions:
 
1. Preheat the main oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x4” loaf
pan with non-stick baking spray.
2. In a bowl, over moderate heat, in a pan heat the buttermilk
with the lemon rind, ground nutmeg, and cloves. Cook, until
bubbles, start to form around the edges but do not allow to
come to boil.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the figs along with
the dates. Allow to stand until the fruit, softens for
approximately 20 minutes.
4. In a bowl, combine the sugar with the oil, and eggs while
stirring with a whisk until incorporated. Stir in the buttermilk
mixture. 
5. Lightly spoon the whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour into
dry measuring cups, and level with a blunt knife.
 6. In a large-size bowl, combine the whole wheat flour with the
all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
7. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture.
8. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until
just moist.
9. Transfer the batter into the prepared 8x4” loaf pan.
10.           Evenly scatter the walnuts over the batter and bake in the
preheated oven for 40 minutes, until a cocktail stick inserted
into the middle pulls out clean.
11.           Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the loaf pan, before
removing from the pan and allowing to completely cool on a
wire baking rack.
 11.

 
A delicious seeded loaf featuring hazelnuts is perfect sliced and
served with either pate or hummus.
 
INGREDIENTS:
1 (¼) ounce package active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 pound whole wheat flour
2½ cups warm water
4 tbsp hazelnuts (halved)
2 tbsp flax seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
½ pound unbleached all-purpose flour
Directions:
 
1. In a bowl, combine the yeast with the sugar, salt, and whole
wheat flour. Add the water and stir until incorporated and the
consistency of porridge.
2. Add the hazelnuts along with the flax seeds and sunflower seeds,
stirring well.
3. Using a spoon, stir in the all-purpose flour.
4. Knead the dough for 60 seconds, using clean hands. You may
need to add a little all-purpose flour if the mixture is too sticky. 
 5. Return the dough to the bowl, cover and allow to rise at room
temperature for 45 minutes.
6. Preheat the main oven to 420 degrees F.
7. Knead the dough for an additional 3 minutes and add the white
flour if the mixture is too sticky.
8. Divide the dough into two portions and form two large oval
loaves of bread.
9. Place the dough in floured (12x4½“) loaf pans.
10.                      Lightly dust the loaves with flour, cover and allow to rise
for half an hour.
11.                      Sprinkle once again with flour and make some diagonal
(½“) deep incisions on the surface of the bread.
12.                      Place the pans in the centre of the oven.
13.                      Position another pan filled with water on the lowest oven
rack and bake in the preheated oven for between 40-45 minutes,
until golden.
 
 
Why not spread this easy-to-bake bread with lashings of butter and
runny honey and serve as a tea or supper-time treat?
 
INGREDIENTS:
1½ tbsp yeast
3 cups water (very warm)
6 cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup shortening
¼ cup honey
1 tbsp salt

Directions:
 
1. First dissolve the yeast in the warm water, until frothy.
2. One cup at a time, add the flour to form a soft dough. Add in
the shortening, honey, and salt.
3. Knead the dough and transfer to a mixing bowl.
4. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rise at room
temperature until doubled in size, approximately 60 minutes.
5. Knead once more and transfer the bread to three floured loaf
pans and allow to rise for another 60 minutes.
6.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F until brown on top, for half
an hour.
7. Butter the top of the three loaves, while still in the oven, and
allow to cook for an additional couple of minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and allow the loaves to cool while still
in the pan for 10 minutes.
9. Turn the loaves out and allow to cool on wire baking racks
before slicing.
 18 - How to Convert Yeast to Sourdough
 
 
Baker’s To-Do List

E very recipe is different, and steps may vary. But here are the basic
steps of bread making.
Weigh out all the ingredients.
Mix room-temperature water—68 to 77°F (20 to 25°C)—with yeast, pre-
ferment, or culture.
Add any additions such as nuts, fruits, or herbs for even distribution.
Add and mix flour until it forms a dough ball.
Knead dough to incorporate oxygen and create carbon dioxide.
Leave dough to rise (for how long depends on the amount and type of yeast
used).
Fold dough between risings.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide.
Pre-shape dough and leave to rest, usually for about 30 minutes or until the
dough has relaxed.
Reshape dough and let final rise free-form or in a basket or pan.
Bake Until Dough Is Golden Brown And Ready To Eat.
 
 Yeast’s To-Do List
Baker’s yeast lies dormant in their package or in a jar in the refrigerator,
waiting for the moment they’ll be awakened for bread making. The minute
the yeast culture is exposed to water, especially if the water is warmer than
where it was stored, the yeast will activate. When high-protein flour,
diastatic malt, or sugar is added to the yeast and water mixture, the cells
begin to exit dormancy and metabolize the sugars.
The water hydrates the flour, forming gluten strands. Kneading then
adds heat, and gluten builds up while the yeast produces alcohol and carbon
dioxide, trapping the gas for a voluminous rise. The highly elastic gluten
strands are then stretched and left to relax, increasing extensibility in the
dough and slowly building the gluten network, responsible for the crumb
and texture of a loaf of bread.
 
 Types and Profiles
Using different cultures can impart all kinds of flavors to your bread recipe.
Yeast cultures come in many different forms, from fresh compressed cake
yeast to dry yeast to doughy sourdough starters and pre-ferments. The
culture you end up using will determine fermentation speed as well as the
complexity of taste and overall success of your final bread. Some doughs
are meant for a slow fermentation that comes with using sourdough starter.
Others will turn out best using active dry or instant rapid rise yeast. Then
there are other recipes that use a mixture of fresh yeast and a pre-ferment—
perhaps even sourdough with a small amount of instant rapid rise yeast to
save the baker time and support fermentation.
 
 Active Dry Vs. Instant Rapid Rise
Active dry yeast is yeast that’s been dried and therefore thrust into
dormancy. It’s granular and looks and feels like cornmeal. Before you
incorporate it into a dough, you dissolve it in water.
Instant rapid rise yeast has an increased carbon dioxide production and
is dried at a gentler temperature than active dry yeast. Most yeast cells can
survive this drying process and in turn will be more viable. It’s also finer in
its consistency and can be added directly to the flour in a bread recipe.
Many times, these yeasts will be used interchangeably, but because instant
rapid rise yeast will lead to a more vigorous fermentation, caution should be
taken.
 
 Types Of Pre-Ferments
There are many different kinds of pre-ferments. Each one has its own
purpose and use. Following is a short description of the pre-ferments that
are most commonly used. Each one has a particular benefit that will work
well in different types of breads.
 
Old Dough:
Also known as pâte fermentée, old fermented dough is saved and then
added to a recipe to increase the overall quality of the dough. This dough
can be made and fermented for two to three hours to use in a recipe, or it
could be dough saved from a previous mix, as long as it’s stored in the
refrigerator at 35 to 40°F (1.6 to 4.4°C) for no more than 48 hours.
For a baker who doesn’t bake every day, it can be frozen for up to a week.
(Old dough has a limited life expectancy and will lose vigor if kept around
too long.) This technique was developed to add flavor and acidification to
doughs that lack complexity. It’s the only pre-ferment with salt in it, which
should be taken into consideration when incorporating salt into your final
mix. Pre-fermented dough is very versatile and can be used in croissants,
Danish, baguettes, and rye breads.
Poolish:
With a loose, liquidlike consistency, poolish is made with an equal amount
of flour and water plus a small amount of yeast. Poolish ferments at room
temperature for 12 to 24 hours. It was developed to give a deeper flavor to
doughs without overt acidity and is known for increasing extensibility in
dough, which makes shaping easier as well as increases volume. Poolish is
mostly used in baguettes but has a place in other breads and some pastries.
 
 Biga:
Used for all Italian pre-ferments, a classic biga is thicker and stiffer than a
traditional poolish. Unlike other pre-ferments, a biga has a constant
fermentation temperature and time. At 50% hydration, the flour and water
are mixed with a small amount of yeast, then held at 60°F (15.5°C) for 18
hours. The stiff consistency and cooler fermentation temperature provide a
lot of strength to the dough.
 
Take caution to not add too much biga to a recipe, which could limit
extensibility, and favor it in brioche or stollen recipes, which require a
stronger dough for proper texture and support. Biga can also be used in
higher-hydration doughs to give them the volume they need.
 
Sponge:
The sponge method is similar to the poolish process. A small amount of
yeast is added to aid in a quick fermentation. It is relatively stiffer than a
poolish and should only be used when it reaches full maturation (bubbles
will form on the surface of the sponge as well as some cracks, which will
create a minimal amount of collapsing). A sponge is usually used in sweet
doughs with higher fat contents. It will improve the strength of the dough
and compensate for any potential weakening of gluten caused by higher
amounts of sugar and fat.
 
 Baker’s Recipes
These recipes are all designed to do by hand with little to no extra
equipment than what you’d find in a well-stocked home kitchen. Of course,
the help of a standing mixer and a dough hook attachment will quicken the
final breads. Some doughs are better to hand-mix so they don’t heat up too
much—and besides, building gluten with your own fingers and palms will
ultimately make you a better bread maker.
It’s easier and more precise to weigh out ingredients with a digital scale.
Cup measurements have been included, just in case you don’t have a scale,
but your measurements will be less precise. However, you measure, be sure
to read each recipe carefully and set out measured ingredients before you
begin. Each recipe begins with a special Yeast at Work tutorial to give you a
deeper understanding of yeast and how it works practically in your doughs.
From commercial yeast to pre-ferments to sourdough, each will give the
dough its own unique flavors and textures.
 
 Yeast at Work
 
How Ripened Sourdough Starter Aids A Slow Rise
 
A commercial or dry yeast varietal can enrich a dough—and when you let
the dough rise at cold temperatures overnight, you’ll only further highlight
bready, yeasty flavor qualities. A small amount of sourdough starter will
also support the rapid rise yeast in a longer fermentation.
 
To make a sourdough starter and then ripen it, follow these steps:
 
1. Combine 100 grams (½ cup) high-protein bread flour with
50 grams (¼ cup) rye flour in a small container. Add 150
grams ( ⅔ cup) filtered water that’s at 68 to 77°F (20 to
25°C). Stir vigorously to aerate.
2. Cover with plastic wrap, and poke holes in the plastic wrap
to make sure there is good oxygen flow. Place in a warm
place, 75 to 85°F (23.8 to 29.4°C), and let sit 12 to 24 hours.
3. Check for the beginnings of fermentation. You should see
multiple bubbles and a clear increase in volume of the
original mixture. Remove 14 grams of starter and feed it
with 100 grams (½ cup) high-protein bread flour and 100
grams (½ cup) filtered water that’s at 68 to 77°F (20 to
25°C). Going forward, feed accordingly for your baking
needs.
4. To ripen your starter, take 3 grams (½ teaspoon) of starter
and mix it with 15 grams (1 tablespoon) bread flour and 15
grams (1 tablespoon) filtered water that’s at 68 to 77°F (20
to 25°C). Cover your mixture and let it sit at room
temperature for 12 to 24 hours, depending on how active
your starter is. You can use the float test to see if your starter
is ready to use.
 19 - Common Mistakes in Baking
Mistakes happen all the time in baking and sometimes result in the best
creations. Nobody is born with the knowledge and skills to be a great baker.
The most important thing is to learn from the mistake’s others have made.
This makes your own journey into creating great homemade bread so much
easier, less stressful, and a whole lot of fun.
 
Take Notes
Taking notes may seem old fashioned and a waste of time when you have
the recipe in front of you. Professional bakers do this all the time, so learn
from them. Jotting notes down help you improve for future use of a specific
recipe such as is the texture too crumbly, or too dense, did you have to
allow extra rising time, or you might need to add extra salt. 
 
Switching Flour
Recipes are created with specific flour in mind. Usually, recipes will
indicate what flour types can be substituted successfully. Flour can become
tricky as different types have different levels of protein and also need
different amounts of liquid. Substituting flour that is not compatible with
the recipe can result in flat and very dense bread. It is far safer to look for a
method for the specific flour you wish to use.
 
Different Forms of Yeast
The two types of yeast most often used in making artisan breads are instant
yeast and active dry yeast, and the preparation differs from each other.
Instant yeast tells you exactly what it is. There is no need for
mixing it with water and allowing it to proof. You add the dry
 granules directly to the flour mixture.

Active dry yeast must be mixed with water, according to the

instructions in the recipe and set aside to develop before being
added to the other dry ingredients.

 
Dense Bread
The two main reasons bread turns out too dense comes down to a mixing
mistake and the expiry dates of commercial yeast.
It is important to understand that when salt and yeast come into direct
contact with each other, there is a negative reaction. That is why many
recipes specifically tell you to add the yeast granules to one side of the
mixing bowl and the salt on the opposite side of the bowl. This allows the
flour in the bowl to act as a barrier when you mix the dough. Make it a rule
right from the start of your baking to never put salt directly onto yeast, and
you will eliminate this problem immediately.
The other reason for bread being too dense is not checking the expiry date
on your packets of yeasts. Never use yeast past its expiry date as this is a
recipe for disaster. Instead, buy fresh yeast as and when you need it instead
of stockpiling.
Measure and Weigh
To bake perfect bread, you must correctly measure or weigh each ingredient
according to the recipe. Making bread takes a lot of effort and time that will
be wasted if you add even a few ounces or an extra scoop of flour as the
texture of the bread can change radically.
 
Making Dough Too Dry
Dough texture differs from one recipe to another, and often the perfect
dough for that recipe is rather sticky. This is something many bakers are not
comfortable with, and they keep adding flour until the dough is, to their
way of thinking, easier to handle. Follow the recipe instructions step. If you
think the mixture is too wet or sticky the first time you make a recipe, make
notes, but keep to the recipe and see how the bread comes out. You can
always adjust the flour ratio for the next time if you are not happy with the
final result of the bread.
 
Too Impatient to Wait
Impatience is the downfall of many aspiring bakers. You want to bake and
do it in the fastest time possible. Again, recipes are created with specific
proofing time, and taking shortcuts is simply not worth it. Dough that has
not risen properly will not make delicious, puffy bread. If a recipe asks for
too long a rising period to suit your needs, instead use a recipe with a
shorter rising time.
 
Bottom Crusts Burned 
When the bottom crust of the bread is burned, and the rest of the bread isn’t
cooked thoroughly, it means the oven rack was too near the stove element.
The best position to bake any bread is on the center rack of the oven.
 Scoring 
Scoring the bread is not simply a decoration, it is essential for most artisan
loaves. The scoring creates vents for the internal gases to escape, and
forgetting to score the bread could result in the crusts on the sides of the
breast cracking open. Unscored bread does not rise fully and spoils the look
of the bread.
 
Bread Browns Too Fast
When the bread browns faster than it should according to the specified
baking time, do not be tempted to take the bread out of the oven as it needs
the full baking time to allow the bread to bake through properly. To prevent
it from burning, make a tent of foil and place it over the bread, and continue
to bake for the full baking time. 
 
Temperatures
The topic of temperatures is debated endlessly amongst professional bakers.
The temperatures of the yeast, of dough, water, the ambient temperature in
the kitchen, and the oven temperatures are questioned and calculated. When
a beginner is faced with these different calculations offered by
professionals, it can turn them off baking for good. 
The best way to start out making bread is to follow exactly the temperatures
given in a recipe. 
●    Never use boiling water; the general rule of thumb is to use water 100-
130 degrees F. 
●    Always use ingredients at room temperature, as stated in recipes. Using
ingredients straight from the refrigerator instead of allowing it to come to
room temperature can influence the texture and taste of the final product. 
●    Follow baking temperatures strictly. The recipe calculates temperature
and baking times, specifically for each recipe or optimal results. 

●    Baking at high altitudes does influence bread making. The dough tends
to rise very fast. There is no exact formula for high altitude baking as it
differs from place to place. Two things to try are to reduce the yeast
quantity by ¼ and to lower the oven temperature. Taking notes is hugely
helpful to get the exact changes needed to perfect high-altitude cooking. 
 
 Cooking Conversion Chart
 
 
Meaurement Temperature Weight

Cup Ounces Milliliters Tablespoons  Fahrenheit   Celsius   Imperial   Metric 

 1/16
½ oz   15 ml  1  100 °F    37 °C   1/2 oz   15 g 
cup 
  1/8
  1 oz   30 ml  3   150 °F    65 °C   1 oz   29 g 
cup 
  1/4
  2 oz   59 ml  4   200 °F    93 °C   2 oz   57 g 
cup 
  1/3 2.5
 79 ml  5.5   250 °F    121 °C   3 oz   85 g 
cup  oz 

  3/8
  3 oz   90 ml  6   300 °F    150 °C   4 oz   113 g 
cup 
  1/2
  4 oz   118 ml  8   325 °F    160 °C   5 oz   141 g 
cup 
  2/3
  5 oz   158 ml  11   350 °F    180 °C   6 oz   170 g 
cup 
  3/4
  6 oz   177 ml  12   375 °F    190 °C   8 oz   227 g 
cup 
  1
  8 oz   240 ml  16   400 °F    200 °C   10 oz   283 g 
cups 
  2   16
 480 ml  32   425 °F    220 °C   12 oz   340 g 
cups  oz 
  4   32  960 ml  64   450 °F    230 °C   13 oz   369 g 
cups  oz 
  5   40
1180ml  80   500 °F    260 °C   14 oz   397 g 
cups  oz 
  6   48
1420ml  96   525 °F    274 °C   15 oz   425 g 
cups  oz 
  8   64
1895ml  128   550 °F    288 °C   1 lb   453 g 
cups  oz 
 Conclusion
 

S
 
іnсе thеrе іѕ no legal definition of sourdough, dеѕріtе the Real
Brеаd Cаmраіgn’ѕ call for оnе, іt is quite роѕѕіblе tо gіvе this
nаmе tо a brеаd mаdе with a dried ѕоurdоugh роwdеr оr ‘pre-mix’
аnd rаіѕеd ԛ uісklу wіth baker’s yeast. Such bread may bе shaped іn a
wіnѕоmе ‘bоulе’. It mау even hаvе a hint of flаvоur. But іt’ѕ unlіkеlу tо
deliver оn any of thе bеnеfіtѕ lіѕtеd аbоvе unless lасtіс acid bасtеrіа have
fеrmеntеd thе dоugh fоr ѕеvеrаl hоurѕ.
It’s even possible thаt ‘ѕоurdоugh’ is bеіng uѕеd аѕ аn орроrtunіѕtіс
descriptor оf оrdіnаrу brеаd іn thе hope оf selling more, rather аѕ thе lаbеl
‘оrgаnіс’ wоuld be uѕеd bу unѕсruрulоuѕ grееngrосеrѕ іn thе dауѕ bеfоrе
thаt trade was рrореrlу rеgulаtеd. But thе bеѕt way knоwіng that your
ѕоurdоugh іѕ genuine іѕ to mаkе іt уоurѕеlf. And thе rеаllу good news іѕ
that іt’ѕ easy tо fit it іntо buѕу lives.