14. Bread
YEAST MIXTURES
Bread
Yeast is a form of plant life. Fermentation takes place when bread, etc., is raised with yeast under certain conditions. Yeast cells
require gentle heat and moisture and sugar to enable them “to grow”. If the temperature is allowed to differ during fermentation, the
mixture rises unevenly. Great heat kills the growth, cold hinders it. Therefore, everything should be kept warm in bread making.
Test For Fresh Yeast
1. It should have a fresh smell.
2. It should be firm and crumble easily.
3. It should be fawn in colour.
4. It should become liquid if creamed with a little sugar.
Proportion: 12.5g yeast to 450g flour. 25g yeast to 1.35kg to 3.15kg flour. 37.5g yeast to 37.5g to 6.3kg flour.
BASIC RECIPE
Yeast : 12.5g
Flour : 450g
Salt: 1 tsp
Sugar : ½ tsp
Tepid Water: 300ml approx
Method
1. Put the flour and salt in a warm bowl in a warm place.
2. Cream the yeast with the sugar until it becomes liquid.
3. Pour some of the tepid water on to the yeast and mix well.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour into the liquid.
5. Mix together with a wooden spoon, or the hand, adding as much tepid water as the flour will take to form a soft dough.
6. Knead the dough by drawing the outside to the centre, turning the bowl continuously, until the mixture is well kneaded.
7. Continue until the dough is smooth, the sides of the bowl are clean and the fingers are free from dough.
8. Cut across with a knife.
9. Cover with a clean, damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise or “prove” until the dough is twice its original size - approx ½ hr for
450g flour.
10. Turn onto a floured board and knead again very lightly this time or all the air will be forced out.
11. Shape into loaves, batch cakes, rolls, etc.
12. Put onto a greased bread tin or on floured baking tray.
13. Put into warm place to rise again - until the dough almost reaches the top of the tin or until it is about twice its size.
14. Put into a very hot oven.
15. Reduce heat to moderately hot after 5 mins for rolls and bake for 10 - 15 mins in all. Reduce heat to moderately hot after 5 mins for
loaves and bake 30 - 45 mins in all.
Note: Use good household flour for breadmaking. Tepid liquid is made by mixing one part of boiling liquid to two parts of cold.
APPLICATION OF BASIC RECIPE
| Kind of Bread | Additions or variations of Basic Recipe | Additional Directions |
| Brown | Use 350g wholemeal to 125g white flour. | Make as basic recipe, but make dough rather more moist. |
| Dinner Rolls | 50g margarine or lard.
300ml milk instead of water. |
Rub in fat. Proceed as for bread and make into rolls and fancy shapes, e.g. horseshoe, plait, miniature Coburg, etc. |
| Vienna | 1 egg, 300ml milk (approx), 50g margarine or lard. | Rub in fat, add beaten egg and then mix with yeast and tepid milk. |
| Currant | As Vienna bread plus 50g currants, 12.5g chopped peel. | Make as Vienna Bread. Add currants at second kneading. |
| Date | As Vienna Bread, plus 50g dates. | Make as Vienna Bread. Add dates (stoned and chopped) at second kneading. |
| Walnut | As Vienna Bread, plus 50g walnuts. | Cut up walnuts roughly and make as Currant Bread. |
| Tea Cakes | 1 egg, 50g margarine or lard, 50g currants or sultanas, ½ tsp mixed spice (optional), 25g sugar. | Make as Vienna Bread. Knead in fruit, sugar and spice at second kneading. |
| Sally Lunn | 50g margarine or lard, 1 egg, 300ml tepid milk. | Make as Vienna Bread, but use 300ml milk. Beat thoroughly until bubbles rise and break at the surface. Pour into well-greased tins. Half fill tin and put to rise until almost level with top of tin. Bake in very hot oven. Reduce heat to moderately hot after 10 mins. Bake in all about 20 mins. Brush over with milk and sugar. |
Baking Powder Bread
450g Flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
Cold milk or water and milk and water to mix (approx 300ml)
Method
1. Mix together the dry ingredients.
2. Pour in the liquid and mix to a soft dough.
3. Divide into three or four portions and knead quickly into desired shape and put onto a greased tin.
4. Bake immediately in a hot oven. Reduce to moderately after 10 mins and bake 15