Role Of Ingredients In Bread Making

ROLE OF INGREDIENTS IN BREAD MAKING

The best baked goods, including light cakes, tender cookies, fine-textured breads, and high popovers, depend on the precise combination of flour, liquid, leavening agents, fats, sugars, and flavors. Learn a bit about each ingredient and the function it performs in the finished product.

Flour :Flour provides the structure for the product. The gluten, or protein, in flour, combines to form a web that traps air bubbles and sets. Starch in flour sets as it heats to add to and support the structure. In cakes, cookies, and quick breads, we want little gluten formation, which makes products tough. Fats and sugars help prevent gluten formation. In most baked goods, all-purpose flour is a good choice; it has less gluten than bread flour.

Fat :Fat coats gluten molecules so they can't combine as easily, contributing to the finished product's tenderness. In many cakes, fat also contributes to the fluffiness of the final product. When sugar is creamed with fat, small pockets of air form from the sharp edges of the crystals interacting with the fat. These pockets form a finer grain in the finished product. Fats also carry flavors and add to a tender mouth-feel.

Sugar :Sugar adds sweetness, as well as contributing to the product's browning. Sugar tenderizes a cake by preventing the gluten from forming. Sugar also holds moisture in the finished product. Sugar crystals cutting into solid fats like butter help form the structure of the product by making small holes which are filled with CO2 when the leavening agents react.

Eggs :Eggs are a leavening agent and the yolks add fat for a tender and light texture. The yolks also act as an emulsifier for a smooth and even texture in the finished product. And the proteins contribute to the structure of the baked good.

Liquid :Liquid helps carry flavorings throughout the product, forms gluten bonds, and reacts with the starch in the protein for a strong but light structure. Liquids also act as steam during baking, acting as a leavening agent and contributing to the tenderness of the product.

Salt :Salt strengthens gluten and adds flavor. Salt enhances flavors. In yeast breads, salt helps moderate the effect of the yeast so the bread doesn't rise too quickly.

Leavening Agents :Baking soda and baking powder form CO2, that is held by fat pockets, gluten and starch, which makes the baked product rise. Baking soda and powder are not interchangeable; be sure that you have the product the recipe calls for. To much leavening agent will make the bubbles too big, then they combine and burst, leading to a flat cake or bread. Too little leavening agent will result in a heavy product, with soggy or damp layers.

BREAD FAULTS

Yeast Bread Baking Tips
Common Bread Problems and Cures

• External Bread Appearance Tips
• Internal Bread Appearance Tips
• General Bread Faults
• Bread Baking Hints

External Bread Appearance

Symptom	Causes
Crust too dark	- Oven temperature too high or wrong bread machine setting. - Excessive milk or sugar. - Excessive baking time. - Over proofing.
Crust too light	- Oven temperature too low or wrong bread machine setting. - Insufficient milk or sugar. - Insufficient baking time. - Insufficient proofing. - Insufficient mixing.
Crust broken	- Insufficient proofing or wrong bread machine setting. - Insufficient liquid.
Crust too hard	- Oven temperature too high or wrong bread machine setting. - Insufficient proofing. - Insufficient sugar or shortening. - Excessive steam. - Insufficient liquid. - Baking time too long.
Crust too soft	- Oven temperature too low or wrong bread machine setting. - Excessive sugar/egg yolks/shortening. - Excessive oil/margarine as a wash. - Insufficient steam during baking. - Baking time too short or wrong bread machine setting.

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Internal Bread Appearance

Symptom	Causes
Coarse and irregular grain	- Improper mixing procedures. - Stiff batter. - Careless or poor depositing in the pans. - Oven too cool, (baked too slowly).
Dense grain	- Excessive liquid in the batter. - Improper mixing procedure.
Off-color breads	- Improper mixing procedure. - Oven too cool, (baked too slowly). - Unclean equipment.
If raisins, nuts or dried fruit sunk to the bottom	- Pieces of fruit were too large and too heavy. - Sugary syrup on the outside of the fruit was not washed off- causing the pieces of fruit to slide through the mixture as it heated. - Washed and dried fruit was not dusted with flour before being added to the mixture. - Bread mixture was over beaten or was too wet so it could not hold the fruit in place. - Oven temperature was too low, causing the mixture to melt before it set to hold the fruit in place.

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General Bread Faults

Symptom	Causes
Batter over-flowed the pans	- Wrong adjustments to recipes (too much liquid, flour etc.) - Wrong size pan used. Mixture should fill 2/3 of pan.
Poor flavor	- Improper mixing procedure. - Improper cleaning and greasing of the pans. - Faulty baking conditions. - Improper cleaning of the equipment.
Breads too tough	- Excessive mixing. - Batter too stiff (insufficient water). - Batter too thin (excessive water).
Lacks body/structure	- Excessive mixing - Insufficient liquid.
Dries out too soon	- Excessive baking time. - Insufficient liquid. - Improper mixing procedures. - Cooled in a drafty location.

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Baking Hints for Breads

Symptom	Causes
Baking	- Set your ovens about 20 minutes before baking. Use an oven thermometer to test the temperature inside. - When you use a spray release agent on your bread pans, be sure the spray contains flour, or if it doesn’t, light dust your own flour over the sprayed pan. - Bake breads at 350 to 360 degrees in regular oven. - Bake breads at 330 to 335 degrees in convection oven. - Handle the breads carefully when removing from the oven. - Place breads on the center rack in the middle of the oven. - Pans should not touch the sides of the oven. - If your oven bakes unevenly on one side, do not pick up the pan, but rotate it about 2/3 into the baking time. - Make sure the batter is level in the pans. - Breads will spring back when touched, when they are done. The sides will shrink slightly away from the pan and a bread tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. - Baking times will vary with pan size and batter weight.
Mixing	- Batter temperature should be 70 to 75 degrees. - ALL equipment should be clean and grease free. - Make sure your measuring cups and spoons actually hold the same volume if you are using them from different sets. - Measure all ingredients as accurately as possible. - Pans should be greased properly. - When using a stand-up kitten mixer, use a paddle (not a wire whip) to mix the batter. - Use a rubber or soft plastic spatula to scrape the sides of the mixing bowl after each addition of ingredients. (Scraping ensures proper ingredient distribution.) - Follow the formula exactly as to mixing times. - Always use fresh, high quality ingredients. - Follow the formula exactly as to method. Use precise mixing times. If not, disaster may result!
Handling	- Cool bread in pan 10-15 minutes before loosening the edge and turning it onto a wire rack.Hint: To easily remove a bread form the pan, place a double thickness paper towel over the wire rack. The towel prevents the wire bars from breaking the crust or leaving imprints on the top of the bread - Turn hot breads out gently. - Cool bread at least 1 hour before decorating. Hint: When frosting a bread, chill the bread before spreading filling and/or frosting. (Bread will be much easier to work with.) Also, apply a thin layer of frosting to the bread and then refrigerate until it is set before applying the final, heavier layer of frosting. This will seal in the crumbs and ensure a clean final appearance. - Make only enough to last 3 or 4 days.