How to Make Bread

Baking bread is science. Getting that perfect loaf of bread is a matter of careful chemical reactions. You don’t need to be a food scientist to bake delicious bread, but having a general understanding of how bread works can help you bake perfect sandwich loaves, garlic bread, banana bread, and more.

The Science of Bread

At its core, bread is a simple mixture of water and milled flour. Matzo, which is a large part of Jewish culture, is literally water and flour that’s mixed and baked until crisp. It falls into the family of unleavened breads.

• Tortillas (flour and corn)
• Arepa
• Roti
• Bannock
• Rieska
• Chapati
• Pancakes

Unleavened bread is one of two categories of bread. The other category is leavened bread which includes a leavening agent. The most common leavening agents are yeast, baking powder, and baking soda. Baking powder and soda are chemical agents that create carbon dioxide and causes the bread to rise.

Yeast is a living fungus that springs to life when it comes in contact with warm water. It creates carbon dioxide by eating some of the sugar and flour in the bread mixture.

The other fun chemical reaction in bread involves gluten. Of course, not everyone can eat gluten (we’ll share some tips on that soon) but when you knead flour that has gluten, the gluten stretches and forms gas bubbles. These gas bubbles work with the yeast, baking soda, or baking powder to make risen bread light and airy.

What Is Bread Made Of?

At a minimum, bread is made with water and milled flour. Those two things are the core ingredients of any bread recipe. For leavened (and quick) breads, yeast or baking powder/soda is added. Salt is typically added as well.

However, bread can have many different ingredients depending on the type of bread. Other common ingredients in bread include:

• Fruit, juice, or sugar
• Eggs
• Dairy such as milk or yogurt
• Butter, oil, and lard
• Nuts and hearty grains
• Herbs and spices

What Is the Difference Between Bread Flour and All-Purpose Flour?

The biggest difference between all-purpose flour and bread flour is protein. Bread flour tends to have more protein, usually 11% to 13% protein by volume. The additional protein content helps the dough produce more gluten, and results in airier bread.

How to Make Bread Flour

If you can’t find bread flour in the grocery store, you can make your own with all-purpose flour and some wheat gluten. Start with 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Then remove 1.5 teaspoons of the flour and replace it with 1.5 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten, and whisk it together.

How to Make Bread Without Yeast

If you don’t have yeast, you can still make leavened bread with a combination of baking soda and acid. Examples of acid include lemon juice, buttermilk, and vinegar. You could also simply substitute baking powder or a sourdough starter if you don’t have yeast.

How to Make Gluten-Free Bread

Gluten is a key ingredient in making bread light and airy. You can still make delicious bread without it; you’ll just need some extra ingredients. Instead of standard bread flour, gluten-free bread relies on grains that don’t have gluten: almond flour, cornstarch, rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato flour. You’ll also need xanthan gum to act as a binding agent since gluten is the binding agent in standard loaves of bread.

How Long to Bake Bread

The time it takes to bake bread depends on the size of the loaf, the temperature of the oven, and the ingredients. For example, fruit can add moisture to your bread, so it will require more baking time. Typically, bread should be baked until a wooden skewer inserted into it comes out clean and dry. See below for recipes with specifics on how long to bake bread.

First, you need to make your starter.

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1¼ cups unbleached white flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Mix your starter ingredients together to make a thick, pudding-like dough mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least two hours -- overnight for the best possible flavor. After your starter rests, return it to a mixing bowl and mix it by hand or with the bread hook attachment on your mixer.

To make the dough, stir down your starter with a spoon and add:

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3¼ cups unbleached white flour
• 1¾ teaspoons salt

At first, the dough will be a loose, messy mass. That’s exactly what we’re looking for at this point. Let it rest for 12 to 15 minutes, then stir again. This time, it should become smoother and more cohesive.

Now, transfer your dough to a flat surface and begin kneading and adding more flour as necessary. You should knead for 10 to 12 minutes. After kneading, put the dough in a lightly greased bowl, covering lightly with plastic wrap. Set aside and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours or until it doubles in size.

After the dough rises, deflate it gently, but try to not lose all of the air. You can make either one large loaf or two small loaves with this recipe. Form the entire dough into one large ball or two balls of equal size.

Place them on a baking sheet covered with a piece of parchment paper that has been dusted with cornmeal. Make sure to place the loaves seam side down. Cover the loaf or loaves with lightly greased plastic wrap and let sit for 45 to 90 minutes. It should grow 40% to 50% larger.

This video about baking dinner rolls has more good information about the doughmaking process.

Preheat your Traeger to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. In the meantime, vent your dough by slashing or cross-hatching with a sharp knife. This will prevent unsightly bursts in your bread as it bakes. Dust the top with flour.

Reduce the heat of your Traeger to 425 degrees and start baking. Spritz your bread with water every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of your bake. Your bread should take about 25 to 30 to bake to a rich golden-brown color, and reach an ideal internal temperature of 190 degrees.

Focaccia is most famous in Italian dishes, but it’s more versatile than some folks think. Our pro tip is to grab two slabs of this herby flatbread, pack them with barbecue, and slather with sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water (110° F to 115° F)
• 1/2 ounce yeast, active
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½ teaspoons Italian herbs, dried
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Coarse sea salt as needed

Serves: 4

Cooking time: 40 minutes