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Questions tagged [bread]

Questions about kneading, baking, storing, and culinary use of any kind of bread.

This tag covers the traditional loaf of bread in addition to flatbreads, sourdough, pita, and anything else that one might reasonably call "bread".

Tips for effectively tagging questions, in order of preference:

  • If your question is specifically about preparing/baking bread, also tag it
  • Include the sub-type of bread if possible (, , etc.)
  • If asking for advice on a specific bread technique, include the technique (e.g. )
  • For questions concerning the raw, unbaked bread dough, use the tag
  • Consider adding a cuisine tag for localized styles of bread (e.g. for Naan)
  • When the question concerns specific ingredients in bread-making, try to include tags for those ingredients (e.g. , )
1345 questions
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Why stretch and fold vs traditional kneading of bread dough?

Many recent recipes I'm seeing for bread, this one for example, are using a strech and fold technique rather than a traditional knead. Whats the advantage here? It sure seems to work, but I'm not sure why it works well with so much less work.
rfusca
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Why should I let bread cool before slicing and eating?

Many recipes for bread and such suggest that bread should be fully cooled (like 2 hours or so) before eating. It's sooooo tasty right out of the oven - why wait? Does something important happen in the cooling time that's worth waiting for?
rfusca
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What is the ideal hydration for bread dough?

I made a bread that called for 1kg of flour and 700ml of water. That is a 70% hydration. The problem was that the dough became absolutely soaked, so in the end I added more than 500g more flour. Which meant that my salt ratio was off... The…
BaffledCook
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Milk instead of water in bread

I was looking at mantou recipes (mantou is a fluffy Chinese bun), and the recipes were remarkably similar to bread except less proofing and using milk instead of water. If I were to make regular bread with milk instead of water, what would happen?
cfire19045
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What is the purpose of sugar in baking plain bread?

My recipe says 1 tablespoon of sugar per loaf. This seems like too small an amount for flavor. The recipe is as follows: 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons active-dry yeast 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons oil 1 cup water knead, wait 1 hr,…
Brian Webster
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9 answers

How can I create steam in a normal oven to promote bread oven spring?

Oven spring and a crisp crust on bread are largely due to high heat and high humidity. Commercial bakery ovens have steam injectors. How can I replicate this high humidity environment in my home oven? I've tried spritzing and ice cubes and…
rfusca
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6 answers

How to make bread with plain flour?

So... Since the lock-down everybody turned baker (can't understand why, since there is plenty of bread in the shops) and I can't find bread flour anymore. Is there a way to use plain flour instead? I have 1.5kg of strong flour left, can I mix it…
algiogia
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7 answers

How do I make my bread/buns super soft?

I have recently started making bread (up to my sixth batch). All I am trying to do is make super soft, plain, white bread/buns. I have tried a different recipe each time, but none of them have even come close to the softness that I want. Am I…
Petah
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2 answers

What effect do different slash patterns have on bread oven spring?

Slashes in bread loaves are designed to promote oven spring but there are many different patterns. Some running the length of a loaf, some in a checkered pattern. I've been told this is to promote oven spring in different directions. What patterns…
rfusca
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I want to duplicate my bread mistake!

I make all of my own bread. For just everyday use my go-to recipe is as follows: Honey-Oat Pain de Mie 255g lukewarm water 361g AP Flour 85g old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 64g honey 57g melted butter 2 1/4 teaspoons…
Jolenealaska
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How does commercial whole grain bread stay fresh for so long?

Every recipe for whole grain bread I have tried has the end result that the bread turns very hard within an hour of baking. I'd like something I could eat over the course of a couple days (breakfast toast and such). The 100% whole wheat bread from…
Superman
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Why does my bread keep 'blowing out'?

Instead of swelling as a whole loaf, my loaf will often expand in the oven off to the side or the bottom - looking 'blown out', a big tear. This results in a loaf that leans to one side, doesn't rise well, or generally doesn't look good. Why is…
rfusca
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Why do you need to refrigerate bread dough overnight?

I'm making a no-knead bread (actually my very first time making bread!) and right after mixing the dry ingredients with water, it's supposed to sit for a couple hours to rise and then be placed in the refrigerator for some long period of time. Well…
Ricket
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13
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2 answers

Devising a first-scratch bread recipe

I have some cracked wheat, some bran flakes, wheat germ, bread flour, and whole wheat flour (among other various things). How could I, using those ingredients and whatever basic principles (what I'm looking for here) apply, invent a new recipe that…
Edward Strange
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Bread for the very beginner

First of all, thank you for reading this absolute beginner topic :) I want to make bread at home. To be specific, I used to live in Germany and ate a lot of this type of bread: It's called Zwiebelbrot in Germany. I also have something like…
Herr
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