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KNOW YOUR
INGREDIENTS
Understanding baking
It is often said that cooking is an art
relying on the creativity of the chef,
while baking bread is much more of
a science. This means that the
process of combining flour, water
and yeast results in a reaction that
produces bread. You have to
remember that when the ingredients
combine with each other they
produce a specific result. Read the
following information carefully to
gain a better understanding of the
importance each ingredient plays in
the bread making process.
Important note on flours
Flours, while visibly similar, can be
very different by virtue of how they
were grown, milled, stored, etc. You
may find that you will have to
experiment with different brands of
flour to help you make that perfect
loaf. Storage is also very important,
as all flours should be kept in an
airtight container.
All-purpose flour/plain flour
All-purpose flour is a blend of
refined hard and soft wheat flours
especially suitable for making cake.
This type of flour should be used for
recipes in the cake/speciality bread
section.
Strong white flour/bread flour
Bread flour is high gluten/ protein
flour that has been treated with
conditioners that give dough a
greater suitability for kneading.
Bread flour typically has a higher
gluten concentration than All-
purpose flour; however, depending
on different milling practices, this
may vary. Strong plain flour or bread
flour is recommended for use with
this breadmaker.
Wholewheat flour/wholemeal
flour
Wholewheat flour/wholemeal flour is
milled from the entire wheat kernel,
which contains the bran and germ
and makes it heavier and richer in
nutrients than white flour. Breads
made with this flour are usually
smaller and heavier than white
loaves. To overcome this
wholewheat flour/wholemeal flour
can be mixed with Bread flour or
strong plain flour to produce a high
light textured bread.
Self-raising flour
Self-raising flour contains
unnecessary leavening ingredients
that will interfere with bread and
cake making. It is not recommended
for use.
Bran
Bran (unprocessed) & Wheat Germ
are the coarse outer portions of the
wheat or rye grains separated from
flour by sifting or bolting. They are
often added in small quantities to
bread for nutritional enrichment,
heartiness and flavour. They are also
used to enhance the texture of
bread.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal comes from rolled or steel-
cut oats. They are used primarily to
enhance flavour and texture.
Other ingredients
Yeasts (active dry yeast)
Yeast through a fermentation
process produces gas (carbon
dioxide) necessary to make the
bread rise. Yeast must be able to
feed on sugar and flour
carbohydrates in order to produce
this gas.
Fast action granular yeast is used in
all recipes that call for yeast. There
are basically three different types of
yeast available, fresh, traditional dry
active and fast action. It is
recommended that fast action
yeast be used. Fresh or
compressed cake yeast is not
recommended, as they will produce
poor results. Store yeast according
to manufacturers instructions.
Ensure your yeast is fresh by
checking its expiration date. Once a
package or can of yeast is opened it
is important that the remaining
contents be immediately resealed
and refrigerated as soon as possible
for future use. Often bread or
dough, which fails to rise, is due to
stale yeast being used. The
following test can be used to
determine whether your yeast is
stale and inactive:
1 Place half a cup of lukewarm water
into a small bowl or cup.
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