Kids Dish

After several overly dense loaves, loaves that did not rise, loaves that were raw on the inside, loaves that tasted cardboard, and rock hard balls of dough I just had to throw out, I’ve finally become confident in my ability to bake bread. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t so much practice that made it happen as it was advice from others. Here’s the advice that has worked for me.

1. Use good flour. If you can’t get freshly milled flour use King Arthur Flour. There’s something about the protein content that makes it far superior to the generic supermarket brand or Gold’s.

2. If your house is freezing cold like mine is, preheat your oven to 175, turn it off and let the bread rise (tightly covered in plastic wrap, not just covered by a kitchen towel) in the warm oven. It will rise.

3. If you want to make 100% whole wheat bread buy some vital wheat gluten. A teaspoon to a teaspoon and a half added to each cup of flour will help your bread’s texture and height.

4. Make sure you’re using the correct yeast and make the necessary changes if you don’t. If a recipe calls for instant yeast and all you have is active dry make sure you mix the yeast with some of the liquid the recipe calls for and let it dissolve before adding the rest of the ingredients. I always add a pinch of sugar so it gets bubbly and I can make sure it’s active.

5. Use the least amount of flour the recipe calls for, adding a little at a time. If a recipe calls for 5-6 cups of flour start with 4 1/2 and work your way up. It’s better to add more flour than it is to end up with a dry dough that’s hard to knead.

6. Skip the stand mixer and knead by hand. It was only when I started kneading with my hands that I figured out I’d been over-kneading with the mixer. When you use your hands you learn what dough should feel like and you can start to really understand the terminology, for example what a “shaggy” dough is, or “puffy but not doubled in bulk.”

It really is easy for me now. Aside from last week when I accidentally used a tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon, I haven’t had any casualties. Good luck!