Basic Breadmaking (1981)

foreign [Music] bread making skills have been a  common denominator of all peoples foreign [Music] nature of this Century we may feel pretty far  removed from that fact but there are still a lot of Home bread Bakers who are discovering  the individual creativity of the process Master a few basic techniques and you'll  be able to tackle any of these variations the rewards of such an  Enterprise are well indescribable we'll just show you how to do it but you'll  only discover what I mean by trying it yourself right we're going to cover three kinds of basic  breads yeast bread and rolls biscuits and muffins let's start with yeast dough we're using a recipe  that has been adapted for refrigeration this means that the dough can be left in the refrigerator to  rise it can also rise in the conventional manner in a warm place until doubled in bulk read your  recipe carefully for ingredients and directions milk or water may be used in bread recipes this  recipe calls for dry milk which may be added with the dry ingredients so we begin by using two  cups of water at 105 to 115 degrees if you don't have a thermometer test a few drops on your  wrist it should feel comfortably warm not hot now add the dry yeast to the water and dissolve  yeast is actually a microscopic living plant in the dormant stage it needs food heat and  moisture to grow however temperatures in excess of 140 degrees can destroy it also never  waste good ingredients on yeast which is past the expiration date on the package it will  have lost its power to make the bread rise the food that yeast grows on is sugar which is  added when the yeast is dissolved add the salt it acts like a Time release capsule to control  the growth of the yeast and contributes flavor add the oil the eggs and the dry milk mix all these ingredients thoroughly you can use an electric mixer at this  point or do the next few steps by hand [Music] add half the flour in this case about three to  four cups we're using an all-purpose enriched flour it is not necessary to sift and measure the  flour exactly for yeast breads because the amount required will vary with weather conditions wheat  flour has a protein in it called gluten when mixed with liquids the gluten forms the elastic Network  that stretches during the rising of the dough gluten forms tiny Pockets that hold the carbon  dioxide gas produced by the yeast as it ferments the beating action helps develop the gluten now just add the rest of  the flour one cup at a time you'll have to stop using the mixer when the motor slows down and the dough  begins to climb up the Beaters just keep adding flour and combining until the  softball forms and very little clings to the sides foreign part this is where you can really get into it  literally notice that the dough is a sticky lumpy Mass it's time to knead it kneading is the process  of manipulating dough it is unique to bread making the technique of kneading has a natural Rhythm to  it fold the opposite side toward you push firmly but lightly away from you with the heels of your  hands turn one quarter turn pushing flour under the dough until it no longer sticks to the counter  and your hands fold push turn fold push turn kneading incorporates air into the dough and  pushing and stretching develops the gluten continue for five to ten minutes until the ball of dough begins holding a shape  of its own becomes more elastic brings back by itself you can begin sing  stretch marks on the dough and tiny air pockets it will start feeling as if it has personality now  a life of its own as it pushes back when you push the dough should feel soft smooth and satiny  you'll see Tiny blisters just under the surface it's ready to rise place the dough in a  lightly greased Bowl turning it over once to grease the top this prevents a dry  crust forming which impedes the rising cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel now it  should rise in a warm place about 85 degrees inside a gas oven or on top of the  refrigerator are sometimes warm enough or put steaming hot water from the faucet in a  cake pan set it in the oven and put the bowl on the rack above it leave the oven off don't worry  about the condensation forming inside the oven it should take about an hour for the bread  to double in size or if it is indicated on your recipe you could put the dough in the  refrigerator and let it rise overnight when the dough has doubled and is ready for the next  stage it will retain the indent of your finger then punch the dough down  to release the gas bubbles look at the extent of the gluten Network now since this recipe makes two loaves  at this point the dough can be divided and left to rest for five  to ten minutes for easier handling thank you then it's ready for shaping now to form a loaf of bread roll out  the dough on a lightly floured surface you can hear the air bubbles  crackle as the gas is forced out if the bubbles were left in there  would be large holes in the bread shape it into a rectangle the width of which  is slightly less than the length of the pan roll the short side toward you  seal the edge as you go by pinching foreign to seal the ends punch them  down and tuck them under then put the loaf seam side down  into the lightly greased loaf pan non-stick coated pans do not require greasing also lightly oil the top of the loaf let it rise in a warm place until doubled it will  take slightly less time than the first Rising dough that oberises becomes coarse and crumbly and may collapse while baking because  the gluten has been overstretched with the other half of the dough  we'll show you how to make rolls for Twist rolls the dough should be cut in one  half inch strips and roll to smooth the edges pick it up by the ends and twist into a knot crescent rolls are made by cutting wedge shapes  from a 12 inch circle of dough brushed with melted butter cut in quarters then cut each quarter  into thirds roll them up from the large end place with the center point down on a  grease sheet Bend into Crescent shapes Cloverleaf rolls are simple just make three  balls and place seam down in greased muffin cups if you want a glossy finish brush the top with  beaten egg we'll do that after they've risen cinnamon rolls require a filling this is two  tablespoons margarine two tablespoon sugar and one teaspoon cinnamon roll out the dough into  a rectangular shape spread the topping leaving one half inch at the edge for sealing then roll  it lengthwise pinching the seam to make it stick cut into slices about one inch thick and place  cut side up on a well greased baking sheet sweet rolls are baked at a lower temperature than other rolls because the sugar  filling Burns at higher temperatures then let the rolls rise in  a warm place until doubled use the finger indent test again to check  whether the bread and rolls have risen enough bread should fill the corners of the  pan and be above the edge of the pan bake in a preheated oven according to  the temperature and time of your recipe 25 degrees less if you are using glass  cookware the rolls bake for 12 to 15 minutes when done they should be lightly browned  look how shiny the ones brushed with agar the heat of the oven makes the bread rise quickly  during the first five to ten minutes of baking this Rising is called oven spring then  the gluten in the bread sets and the growth of the yeast stops bake it  400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes when done the loaf should have pulled away from  the sides of the pan and sound hollow when tapped remove immediately from the pan so it won't get  soggy and let it cool on a rack in a draft free place so the crust won't crack if you want  a softer crust brush the top with butter when cooled to touch it will slice more easily the texture should look even  and the crumbs tender and moist that looks great oh it is a couple of the rewards  of bread making are the aroma of freshly baked bread and the tasting of it while it's still  warm that is good what's next biscuits biscuits are a quick bread they're called quick because  they're made with quick acting leavening agents instead of yeast sift flour for biscuits  because you need an accurate measurement we're using a self-rising flour which is an  all-purpose flour with the correct proportions of salt and baking powder already added a Time  Saver for those who bake biscuits frequently shortening is what makes the biscuits  tender flaky and moist pressing the shortening into the measuring cup forces out  air bubbles so you have an accurate measure solid shortening is used because  it's cut in with the dry ingredients keep cutting in until the lumps are all  the size of small peas or crumbs in this process the flour is coated with shortening to  prevent lumps forming when the liquid is added the liquids must also be measured accurately the  only way to do that is by using an eye level test now pour in the milk and mix until it forms a  soft dough which leaves the sides of the bowl put the ball of dough on a lightly  floured surface and knead about 10 times again kneading develops the gluten in the dough roll the dough out one half inch  thick pressing lightly as you roll this dough has some spring to it also try to cut as many biscuits as possible  out of the dough the first time place on an ungreased baking sheet if you  want soft sides place with biscuits touching separate them or crisp sides bake 10 to 12  minutes in a preheated 450 degree oven biscuit dough should be baked within 30 minutes otherwise  it over expands and big air pockets form in it the baking powder is the leavening or  agent which causes the dough to expand it acts twice once when it's mixed with  liquid and again when exposed to heat the leavening produces gas which causes the dough  to double in size the same way yeast dough expands they're done just the right  golden brown on the outside they should break in half easily and the inside should be an even fluffy  layered texture with no air tunnels and the only way to serve biscuits is hot right  out of the oven my turn um perfection what are you making muffins muffins are considered a quick  bread also they're made from a drop batter instead of a dough that retains its shape a drop batter  simply has a larger proportion of liquid to flour in one bowl mix flour salt  baking powder and sugar together in a separate Bowl mix all the liquid  ingredients together until well Blended come on now notice the method of combining ingredients  the liquids are added to the dry ingredients mix just enough to moisten the dry ingredients  the batter should be slightly Lumpy if mixed until the batter is smooth the muffins will become  heavy and compact with long narrow tunnels a lumpy batter will make a tender muffin with a  slightly rounded top and even texture throughout fill greased or non-stick coated  muffin cups two-thirds full Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes looks like they pass now you've seen the basics  and once you've mastered them don't be afraid to try and experiment with all kinds of bread  making after all the only thing you've got to lose is your hunger but be careful once you  start there's always one danger overeating but I think I'll sample one watch out for over  sampling I really needed that oh you crumb