Bread Hints

~ Water or milk (whole, skimmed, evaporated, or reconstituted nonfat
dry) are most often used for bread. Water makes the crust crisp
while miok produces a soft crust and a creamy-white crumb. The
liquid must be at the correct temperature, if it is too hot, it will
kill the yeast, if it is too cold, the dough will take longer to
rise. – Many different kinds of fat (butter, margarine, shortening,
salad oil or lard) can be added to bread dough to improve flavor and
make the dough stretch more easily. The bread will have a tender
crumb and stays soft longer.

~ Eggs added to a yeast dough add flavor, color and nutrition. They
soften the crust and give the interior a fine crumb. – Do not try to
speed up the yeast in bread dough by increasing the amount of flour,
sweetner, or salt, or by adding ingredients. These will only make
the bread heavier. – To test the rising of yeast dough; The dough is
doubled when two fingertips pressed 1/2 inch into it leaves dents
that remain. If dents fill in quickly, let rise 15 minutes longer
and test again. – Ways to glaze bread before baking are; for a dark,
shiny glaze, brush on 1 beaten egg yolk. For a light shiny glaze,
beat the whole egg or brush on melted butter or margarine. For shine
with no color, brush on 1 egg white beaten with 1 tbsp water. – How
can I test the vitality of yeast? Just before using the yeast, mix
some into 1/4 cup of lukewarm water that has been enriched with 1/4
tsp of sugar, the food for the yeast. If the yeast mixture does not
start to bubble within five minutes, your yeast is dead and will not
leaven your dough or batter. – When baking bread, it tops brown too
quickly, cover loosely with foil. To test for doneness – tap top of
loaf lightly with your fingertips. If it sounds hollow and is well
browned on top, the bread is ready. Remove loaves from pans
immediately so bottoms don’t become soggy, cool on wire racks. – If
you roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, dab some water
under the bottom sheet and it won’t skid away. – All ingredients for
bread making should be at room temperature. It’s important to use
the right size pan. – Bread stores in a cool, dry place best. It may
be kept in the refrigerator but will go stale more quickly. Bread
keeps in the freezer for 3 months if tightly wrapped and you make
sure to press out as much air as possible. Origin: Cooking with Love,
compiled by Baptist Church in Oregon. Shared by: Sharon Stevens,
Aug/95.