Bread
is baked at a high temperature to kill the yeast and stop the dough from
over proofing and collapsing. The dough goes through three stages when baking.
- "Oven
Spring" the gas bubbles in the dough expand and it rises rapidly.
- The
dough solidifies and turn into bread
- The
crust forms and browns - either soft or crisp crust.
Make
sure that there is an even circulation of oven heat so that the bread
rises (oven spring) and browns evenly.
Set
the oven shelf one third up from the oven floor. Leave plenty of space
for the bread to rise without touching the shelf above,
Do
not open the oven until the dough has risen completely to avoid collapse.
Oven
temperature vary depending on the size of the bread or rolls and on the
degree of "firing" desired somewhere between 200ºC, 400ºF gas
6 and 180ºC, 350ºF gas 5 is normally called for.
Bread
Stones help retain an even heat in an oven and simulate the conditions
in a brick said to be ideal for bread baking!
Steamy
heat developes the best crust and can be achieved by placing a shallow
tin of boiling water in the base of the oven. Alternativelt once the loaf
has started to brown spray it with water from an atomiser.
Testing
Bread
The
traditional method to test whether bread or rolls are cooked is to tap
the base of the loaf. If it sounds hollow it is done and the sides should
feel crips and firm.
Bread
should be well browned on all sides.
Internal
temperature check should be around 195ºF or 100ºC
Dough Recipes
