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Getting Your Bread To Rise For Light, Airy Loaves
by
Dennis Weaver
Homemade
shouldn’t be dense. You can make light airy loaves
that are every bit as good as the
from the local bakery. The secret is in using
quality ingredients and getting your
to rise properly. In this article, we’ll examine
the factors that make your
rise.
There are five important factors that make the
difference between light, airy
and a dense flop. None is difficult to manage—in
fact, yeast is quite forgiving—but you’ll be a
better
baker if you understand these factors.
Yeast is a living organism. As with any other
living organism, it needs an acceptable environment
in which to grow and multiply. As the yeast grows,
it produces carbon dioxide gas that lifts the
dough and creates an airy structure.
There are five factors that affect how fast yeast
will grow.
Factor 1: Temperature
Yeast is extremely sensitive to temperature. Ten
degrees difference in the temperature of the dough
profoundly affects the growth rate of yeast.
The temperature where yeast grows best is around
78 degrees. The temperature of the dough is the
result of the temperature of the water that you
use, the flour temperature, the temperature in
your kitchen, and how long you mix the dough in
your mixer. (The mixing of the dough creates friction
which can raise the dough temperature.) Water
that is 105 to 115 degrees mixed with cooler flour
is intended to create a dough temperature close
to 78 degrees. In a
machine, we use cooler water because of the warm,
closed environment of the
machine.
If you want to be a great
baker, use a thermometer. Carefully measure the
water temperature. In all of our recipe and mix
development work, we measure water temperature
to one degree accuracy. You will also want to
use your thermometer to check the temperature
of the dough and the temperature of the baked
loaf to assure that it is baked properly.
Factor 2: Time
The longer the yeast is allowed to work, the more gas is created. In the right environment, yeast doubles and doubles again.
Bread is ready for the oven when it has doubled in volume, become soft, and is full of gas--not when the timer goes off. In a cooler kitchen, that might take a while.
With a machine, the begins to bake when the timer goes off whether it has risen or not. Since we can’t manipulate time when using a machine, we control yeast growth with other factors so that has risen optimally when the begins to bake.
Factor 3: Quantity of Yeast
The quantity of yeast in the recipe makes a difference. Usually, a baker controls the rise with other factors and does not change the quantity of yeast. However, in a very cool environment you may want to increase the yeast slightly and in a very warm environment, reduce the yeast.
Factor 4: Quantity of Water
Dough must be soft and flexible in order to rise properly--a factor of how much water is in the dough. If the dough is stiff, it is difficult for the expanding gases to lift the dough and create volume. After your dough is kneaded, it should be soft and nearly sticky. As a general rule when mixing bread, error on the side of too much water.
A softer dough will rise much more quickly than a stiff dough and so in your machine, a stiff dough will not rise properly before the baking begins. One of the easiest adjustments that you can make to a machine recipe or mix that doesn’t perform quite right is adjust the water by a tablespoon.
Factor 5: Salt
Salt kills yeast and a too salty dough will impede yeast growth. One-half teaspoon of salt in a recipe makes quite a difference.
Always measure salt carefully. If you want to speed up the rise, reduce the salt by 1/2 teaspoon. Add a similar amount to slow the rise.
Why do we care how fast the rises? In a machine, it is critical. On the counter, within reasonable bounds, it probably doesn’t make a difference. In fact, the flavors trapped in dough improve with age. A long, slow age creates terrific bread. Still, you are a more competent baker if you understand what is going on inside that ball of dough.
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Dennis
Weaver is a baker, a recipe designer, and a writer.
He has written many baking guides and How
to Bake, a comprehensive baking and reference
e-book--available free at The
Prepared Pantry which sells baking supplies
and mixes and has a free online baking library.
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