Baking Artisan-Style Bread

There’s something about freshly-baked bread spreading its delicious aroma throughout the home. It’s welcoming, and it’s homey. While we’re not great bread-lovers at home, we won’t hesitate digging in when presented with a well-baked artisan-style loaf.

Lynne Sampson says that baking good bread takes time. With practice and the following tips from professional baker Oran Rankin, anyone can bake bread at home just like a pro.

Use a good quality bread flour, not all-purpose. If using yeast, make sure it’s fresh. If adding fiber with whole wheat, bran or other grains, soak first in the same amount of water to soften. If possible, measure by weight, which is more accurate, than by the cup. Allow for the weight of the bowl, when measuring.

Make sure dough is well kneaded so it becomes elastic. Test by taking a small ball of dough, pull it and stretch it until thin, with your fingers. Hold up to the light, and if you can see translucent light through it, it’s kneaded enough.

Let dough rise at least twice, once in the bowl and again once loaves are formed. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.

Use a thick baking stone for the bread, not a cookie sheet. Rankin advises using a slab of unglazed granite at least 1-inch thick. Preheat the baking stone at 450 degrees for 2-3 hours before placing the dough on it.

After forming the loaf, place on baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal before placing in the oven. Mist the bread lightly with water from a spray bottle, then score the bread to allow the dough to expand. The steam from the misting will keep the surface of the bread from drying out or cracking.

Transfer the bread to the oven from the baking sheet. Open the oven door slightly, and spray the inside of the oven with water. Close the door quickly, turn heat down to proper recipe temperature.

Bake until bread has a golden color and sounds hollow when tapped. To make the loaf shiny, spray with water again, and bake an additional 2-3 minutes.

Try these tips the next time you bake bread. I think it’s time for me to take my breadmaker out of storage. Happy baking, and happy homemaking!

[Source: Mlive.com]

Tags: bread-making, baking, cooking, housekeeping, homemaking