Whether rustic, cereal or gluten-free, baking bread is decisive for achieving a perfect result. Except that, to succeed in having it soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, it is sometimes quite an art. Need a little help? In this article, you will discover the main steps to follow in order to successfully bake bread without any false notes according to the advice of Roger Le Fur, a baker in Chamonix.
Baking bread in the oven – Source: spm
What is the secret to perfectly baking bread in the oven?
It is one of the most consumed foods in the world. Spread, au gratin, bruschetta, plain or grilled, bread is a big star in the culinary world. It proudly imposes itself on all tables and accompanies most of our dishes, although nutritionists recommend that we consume it in moderation. Precisely, to limit calories, many people prefer homemade bread that contains only natural ingredients. It also turns out fresher and tastier.
Want to know the secret to making delicious homemade bread in the oven? In concrete terms, the main factors to take into account are the composition of the bread and the baking temperature. If you want to reduce the purchase of commercial bread and gladly opt to prepare it in your kitchen, the experts draw your attention to the optimal baking time.
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What is the ideal temperature for baking bread?
If you want your homemade bread to have a good texture, a slightly golden color and a crispy crust, experts advise you to set the oven temperature to between 160 and 200°C. But, if you want it to be a little softer, it is necessary to lower the temperature a little. Another important aspect: follow the preparation of the recipe to the letter and choose the ingredients carefully. For example, specialists advise once morest adding too much yeast to the manufacturing process, as you risk spoiling the dough.
Baking bread at home – Source: spm
Here are the preparation steps:
Baking bread at home is not that complicated. It is still necessary not to make mistakes and follow the following path.
Ingredients (for 2 classic white breads in the oven)
- 500g flour
- 30 cl of slightly warm water
- 10 g of sel fin
- 2 packets of baker’s yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- The first thing to do is hydrate the yeast. Put a little water in a bowl: pour the yeast and sugar. Stir for regarding 2 minutes with a wooden spoon until the yeast is completely dissolved.
- In the bowl of the mixer, pour the lukewarm water, the hydrated yeast, the olive oil and 5 tablespoons of flour. Knead well for a few minutes and form the dough into a ball. Cover it with a clean tea towel and let it rise in a warm place at room temperature for regarding 1 hour 30 minutes. After this time, you will see that the dough has risen and is filled with bubbles. It’s time to incorporate the rest of the flour.
- Knead once more manually to obtain a thick and homogeneous ball, quite elastic when you touch it with your fingers. Add the salt at this point. Once it has doubled in size and is compact, place it on a well-floured work surface.
- Knead for a few more minutes. If you rub your hands with a little olive oil, it won’t stick to you. Let the dough rest for half an hour, covered with a kitchen towel, on a floured work surface. Then, cut it into two pieces in the shape you want. Cover them with the towel.
- Spread a little oil on the baking paper as well as the inside of the mold that will be used for cooking. After 30 minutes, the dough is ready to bake. Grease your hands with oil and squeeze the air out of the bread. On the baking sheet, using a knife, make a few cuts to facilitate the growth of the loaves. Sprinkle with a little flour to give the bread a rustic look.
- Cover the dough with the mold so that the moisture from the bread does not escape. Preheat the oven to 210°C. Give the bread the desired shape (baguette or ball) Bake for regarding 35 minutes with rotating heat from top to bottom.
- Then take the loaves out of the oven, remove the Pyrex mold and place them on the rack to cool slightly before serving them at the table.
Good to know: wondering how much water to use for 500g of flour? For the dough to have a smooth, flexible and non-sticky structure, it largely depends on the balance between water and flour. A lack of water will make the dough rough, dry and not bendable. Ideally, a flour/water ratio of 2:1 makes it possible to obtain a dough of homogeneous consistency. Therefore, for 500g of flour, use regarding 250ml of water.
The safest technique is as follows: it consists of piercing the bread with a toothpick and removing it. If it is dry, the bread is perfectly cooked. If, on the other hand, it comes out with lumps and it is moist, it means that the bread is still raw.
Why is my bread not baking inside?
As you salivate over the beautiful browning of the bread that is baking in the oven, you can’t wait to finally get it out of the appliance to be able to taste it. But once out, at the first cut, frustration suddenly invades you: you are very disappointed to find that it has not been sufficiently cooked inside. But why does this setback often happen to you?
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Here are the reasons that may explain it:
- Your oven may have been too hot, so the crust of the bread cooked faster than the inside
- You probably took the bread out of the oven a little too soon.
- You didn’t let the dough come to room temperature before baking.
- You haven’t checked the ideal internal temperature of your bread.
It is important to follow a few golden rules! Preheat the oven to 175°C, this is the ideal temperature for heating the bread. Once introduced inside, leave it for 5-10 minutes. To get the perfect consistency, there’s a little trick to try: you have to soak the bread you want to reheat. Just moisten it with a little water on both sides before putting it in the oven. It is also possible to season it with salt, butter, oregano or garlic.
Read also: My baker’s trick for storing bread: it’s the only way to keep it fresh for a long time
