Thyme For Cookin: Bread Making Trail 3

Since Katie and I got a Kitchenaid for Christmas we have been experimenting with making our own bread. Experiment 1 followed the recipe in the KitchenAid book for basic white bread exactly as shown here, using a digital thermometer and everything. This bread turned out to be just good basic white bread. Very consistent small holes throughout the bread and not at all chewy in texture - like Wonderbread.

Experiment 2 had more butter than the basic recipe called for and we also worked in some olive oil as we kneaded the bread. Half of the batch this time went to make a loaf of cinnamon bread that turned out excellent (we made awesome french toast with it). The other half didn't rise to it's full potential and ended up being a little dense.

Since that time I have come to read about bread science online and have decided to take on a more rigorous approach in our bread experiments. For example see this excellent excerpt on bread chemistry, this fine tutorial on artisan breads, and this pizza fanatics blog.

Experiment 3

Make a pooling: Mix 1-1/2 cups warm water with 2 cups flour. Next add two teaspoons of active dry yeast, mixing until very smooth like pancake batter. Cover and let sit for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size as shown below.

Add 1/2 cup skim milk and 3 Tbs melted butter, mix. Add 3-1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup at a time while mixing. Knead with dough hook on speed two for 3 minutes. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to autolyse. Add 2 tsp of salt and knead at speed two for 3 minutes.

Put in greased bowl turning dough ball to coat. Cover and let rise until double about 35 minutes as shown below.

Punch down by gently pressing the dough. Knead 3 or 4 times. Separate dough into 2 pieces, one for cinnamon load and one for regular loaf. Notice the large air bubbles in the cut dough.

Knead each half 3 or 4 times and shape into a loaf. Place in greased pan, cover, and let rise until double in size about and hour. Bake at 375 for 28 minutes. The crust didn't turn out as dark as we wanted so it might be better to bake the loaves at a higher temperature or for a few minutes longer.