MODULE 3 - It's all about the bread
I can't believe we're already half way through the end of the course.
Module 3 is all about bread and all other fermented goods.
Bread is prepared by baking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients such as butter or salt to improve the taste.
Dough is usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed, fried or baked on an unrolled frying pan (e.g. tortillas). It may be leavened or unleavened.
Bread is one of the oldest prepared food. Evidence from 30,000 years ago in Europe revealed starch residue on rocks used for pounding plants.
Around 10,000 BC, with the dawn of the Neolithic age and the spread of agriculture, grains became the mainstay of making bread. Yeast spores area ubiquitous, including the surface of cereal grains, so any dough left to rest will become naturally leavened.
Fresh bread is prized for its taste, aroma, quality, appearance and texture. Retaining its freshness is important to keep it appetising.
Bread that has stiffened or dried past its prime is said to be stale.
Modern bread is sometimes wrapped in paper or plastic film or stored in a container such as a breadbox to reduce drying.
Bread that is kept in warm, moist environment is prone to the growth of mould.
Bread kept at low temperatures, in a refrigerator for example, will develop mould growth more slowly than bread kept at room temperature, but will turn stale quickly due to retrogradetion.
STEPS FOR BREAD PREPARATION
Module 3 is all about bread and all other fermented goods.
Bread is prepared by baking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients such as butter or salt to improve the taste.
Dough is usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed, fried or baked on an unrolled frying pan (e.g. tortillas). It may be leavened or unleavened.
Bread is one of the oldest prepared food. Evidence from 30,000 years ago in Europe revealed starch residue on rocks used for pounding plants.
Around 10,000 BC, with the dawn of the Neolithic age and the spread of agriculture, grains became the mainstay of making bread. Yeast spores area ubiquitous, including the surface of cereal grains, so any dough left to rest will become naturally leavened.
Fresh bread is prized for its taste, aroma, quality, appearance and texture. Retaining its freshness is important to keep it appetising.
Bread that has stiffened or dried past its prime is said to be stale.
Modern bread is sometimes wrapped in paper or plastic film or stored in a container such as a breadbox to reduce drying.
Bread that is kept in warm, moist environment is prone to the growth of mould.
Bread kept at low temperatures, in a refrigerator for example, will develop mould growth more slowly than bread kept at room temperature, but will turn stale quickly due to retrogradetion.
STEPS FOR BREAD PREPARATION
- STAGE 1 - Making the dough
- STAGE 2 - BFT* (Bulk Fermentation Time) 1st prove
- STAGE 3 - Knocking back (this helps stabilise the temperature of the loaf)
- STAGE 4 - Scaling and shaping
- STAGE 5 - Final prove
- STAGE 6 - Baking
* BFT is a traditional method. Ingredients are mixed together to form a dough and left to ferment to up to three hours. During fermentation the dough changes from a short dense mass into an elastic dough.
The time taken to reach this state largely depends on the amount of yeast and dough temperature.
Remember, salt is a key ingredients in the bread making. It helps manage the fermentation of the dough. If too much salt is added to the dough, this won't raise much. If not much salt is added, your dough will grow like a monster.
Always follow the bread recipe carefully.
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