CHAPTER 38: MORE WATER MAKES CHEWIER BREAD

Question 1

In many cases, the ingredient list of bread contains what?

Answer 1

Flour, water, yeast and salt.

Question 2

Is yeast a living organism?

Answer 2

Yes

Question 3

What is yeast’s function in bread?

Answer 3

Consume sugars and starches present in the flour and then convert them into carbon dioxide and alcohol.

Question 4

What does yeast gives to a loaf of bread after devouring it’s sugar and starches (fermentation)?

Answer 4

Lift and flavor.

Question 5

Two most common forms of yeast.

Answer 5

Active dry and instant.

Question 6

Are active dry and instant yeast processed differently? Explain.

Answer 6

Yes, active dry yeast is dried at high temperatures, which kills more of the exterior yeast cells (this is why it requires an initial activation in warm water), whereas instant, or rapid-rise, yeast is dried at more gentle temperatures so it can be added directly to the ingredients.

Question 7

Will substituting equal amounts of instant yeast for active dry produce similar results?

Answer 7

No

Question 8

What complex substance is made mostly of starch and lesser amounts of protein?

Answer 8

Flour

Question 9

What two ingredients provide the structure and texture for breads of all kinds?

Answer 9

Water and flour.

Question 10

Wheat proteins in flour are unmoving and lifeless when dry but begin to change shape when they come in contact with water; what is this called?

Answer 10

A process called hydration.

Question 11

What happens to protein molecules during hydration?

Answer 11

The individual protein molecules, which consist of the loosely coiled gluten in and the more tightly wound gliadin, begin to link up and form long, elastic chains called gluten - the strands of gluten combine to form a membrane-like network.

Question 12

What does the network of gluten do to starches and gas bubbles?

Answer 12

It engulfs swollen starch granules and gas bubbles, stretching as the dough rises and then bakes, giving the finished loaf a lot of structure and chew.

Question 13

What is the relationship between flour and water in your bread?

Answer 13

The more water in a dough, the stronger and more extensible the gluten strands.

Question 14

Why is adding enough water important?

Answer 14

If gluten strands are strong and extensible, they can support the starch granules and gas bubbles that hydrate and swell as the dough rises and bakes, giving you airier bread with good chew.

Question 15

What happens to what in dough during baking? What does extra or too little water do (besides gluten)?

Answer 15

The water turns to steam, creating hollow pockets as moisture rushes to escape. Extra water also creates a looser dough, which allows the steam bubbles to expand more easily.In a drier dough, gas bubbles have a harder time forming and are more likely to collapse.

Question 16

What is key to creating an open, airy crumb?

Answer 16

Getting the gas bubbles to hold their shape until the dough has risen and set.

Question 17

How to imagine protein strands and starch granules.

Answer 17

A ball surround by many rubber bands.

Question 18

TEST KITCHEN: DIFFERENCES IN BREAD MADE WITH VARYING QUANTITIES OF WATER: 50, 60, 75 AND 80%.

Answer 18

50% featured a tight, fine crumb with small air pockets. 80% had large, irregular holes with a loose, open crumb; it baked up very flat and wide. 60 and 75 showed significant differences but the extremes were most illustrative - flavor of each was identical since all other ingredients were the same.

Question 19

What happens with too little water in bread?

Answer 19

A strong gluten network won’t form, and gas bubbles created within the dough cannot hold and rise, making a finished loaf with too tight a crumb.

Question 20

What happens when too much water is added?

Answer 20

It can dilute and weaken the gluten, likewise hindering breads ability to rise.

Question 21

What is a typical hydration ratio for bread?

Answer 21

68%

Question 22

Typical hydration percentage for average pizza dough.

Answer 22

About 60%

Question 23

What is autolyse?

Answer 23

An essential dough process. It refers to a period of rest after the initial mixing of flour and water, a rest period that occurs sequentially before the addition of yeast and other ingredients. This rest period allows for better absorption of water and helps the gluten and starches to align. Breads made with autolysed dough are easier to shape and have more volume and improved structure.

Question 24

Does autylose cut down kneading time drastically?

Answer 24

Yes

Question 25

When resting pizza dough, how far should you press it down?

Answer 25

Until you feel it resisting.

Question 26

What does resting the pizza dough do for gluten?

Answer 26

Allows the large gluten molecules to relax (like straightening curly hair) and stretch more easily.

Question 27

Why should you use a baking stone for pizza?

Answer 27

It supplies a steady, dry, intense heat necessary to make pizzas with crisp, cracker-like crusts.

Question 28

Baking stones are also called what?

Answer 28

Pizza stones.

Question 29

What are ovens made more pizza usually lined with?

Answer 29

Tile

Question 30

Is an oven’s temperature constant? What does a pizza stone do for an ovens temperature fluctuations?

Answer 30

No, electric and gas ovens are furnished with thermostats that switch on and off to maintain the oven’s internal temp - opening and closing also causes fluctuations. Preheating with a baking stone for an hour evens out the heat and the stone’s ability to absorb, retain and radiate heat, insulating it from major temperature swings (just add mass).

Question 31

Baking stones for home use are usually made of what?

Answer 31

Terra cotta or clay.

Question 32

What does terra cotta mean in Italian?

Answer 32

Baked earth

Question 33

Is terra cotta a type of earthenware?

Answer 33

Yes

Question 34

Is earthenware a common ceramic?

Answer 34

Yes

Question 35

What method do professional bakers rely on to quantify water to flour ratio?

Answer 35

“Baker’s percentage,” which presents the quantity of each ingredient as a % by weight of the amount of flour, which is always set at 100%.

Question 36

Typical hydration of sandwich bread.

Answer 36

60%

Question 37

More water generally means a more ______ crumb.

Answer 37

Open

Question 38

Explain 60% hydration in a baker’s %.

Answer 38

The weight of the liquid is 60% the weight of the flour.

Question 39

Typical hydration of ciabatta.

Answer 39

80%

Question 40

Hydration of 10oz water and 15oz flour.

Answer 40

10/15 x 100 = 67 hydration level.

Question 41

Baker’s %: pizza bianca.

Answer 41

90%

Question 42

Baker’s %: whole-wheat sandwich bread.

Answer 42

85%

Question 43

Baker’s %: rosemary Focaccia.

Answer 43

84%

Question 44

Baker’s %: rustic dinner rolls.

Answer 44

72%

Question 45

Baker’s %: Almost no-knead bread.

Answer 45

70%

Question 46

Baker’s %: olive-rosemary bread.

Answer 46

63%

Question 47

Baker’s %: New York style thin crust pizza.

Answer 47

63%

Question 48

Substituting active dry yeast for instant.

Answer 48

Use 25% more

Question 49

Substituting instant for active dry.

Answer 49

Use 25% less.

Question 50

What type of yeast should be placed in 110ºF water for 5 minutes?

Answer 50

Active dry yeast

Question 51

Fermentation of active dry yeast slows at water temp?

Answer 51

Over 120

Question 52

All yeast cells will die at what temp?

Answer 52

140ºF

Question 53

Do you need to soak instant yeast in warm water?

Answer 53

No

Question 54

What is your cast-iron dutch oven covered with?

Answer 54

Enamel

Question 55

Enamel

Answer 55

Any smooth glossy coating that resembles ceramic glaze.

Question 56

Are all knobs on Dutch oven lids safe at 500ºF?

Answer 56

No, check it first.

Question 57

Standard sandwich breads hover between what hydration %?

Answer 57

60 - 75%

Question 58

Could you put vinegar and beer in bread? Explain.

Answer 58

Bottled vinegars are generally %5 acetic acid–the same acid produced by bacteria during dough fermentation, when yeast produces alcohol, carbon dioxide, and sulfur compounds. These three elements are present together in another location–a bottle of beer.

Question 59

Why would you choose lager over other types of beer for bread? Explain.

Answer 59

Non lager beers undergo a process called “top fermentation,” whereby yeast floats to the top of the wort (mashed grain in hot water), which is exposed to oxygen and kept warm. Oxygen and warmth persuade yeast to produce spicy, astringent flavor compounds called phenols and fruity, floral compounds called esters that are desirable in beer but not breads. Lager undergo “bottom fermentation,” where yeast is kept submerged in the low-oxygen environment at the bottom of the wort at colder temperatures, which causes yeast to produce fewer phenols and esters, but more sulfur compounds, so the breadier yeast and sulfur flavors come forward.

Question 60

Phenolic black knobs are a problem for what lids?

Answer 60

Le Creuset and Tramontina suggest you don’t use their equipment in 500ºF ovens - get an all-metal drawer knob from hardware store.

Question 61

Do breads like a humid oven?

Answer 61

Yes, steam is the key to a nice, crisp crust.

Question 62

Do dutch ovens hold steam well for bread?

Answer 62

Yes

Question 63

What transfers heat more efficiently, moist or dry air?

Answer 63

Moist air.

Question 64

What does steam do to the air pockets in bread?

Answer 64

Moist air conduct heat more rapidly, causing air bubbles inside to expand much faster, leading to a more open crumb structure.

Question 65

What does steam do as it condenses on the surface of baked bread?

Answer 65

It keeps crust soft, allowing the bread to continue expanding until the crust dries; a dry crust is much harder to expand.

Question 66

What does steam do to starches?

Answer 66

Causes the starches to form a thin sheath that eventually dries out, giving the finished loaf a shiny crust that stays crisp.

Question 67

Once a breads crust dries and and gets very hot, what happens?

Answer 67

Sugar molecules caramelize and react with proteins to form the wonderful flavor and dark brown color of crusty bread.

Question 68

Does adding water or ice cubes to an oven help produce steam?

Answer 68

Yes, but many home ovens are problematic because they cannot retain moisture in the way a professional steam-injected oven can; the thick walls, small internal volume and heavy lid of a Dutch oven works well to trap steam.

Question 69

Where can you buy lava rocks?

Answer 69

Many hardware stores have them for use in grills.

Question 70

Best way to create steam (besides Dutch oven) in a home oven.

Answer 70

Place a large sheet tray with lava rocks in the bottom until heated and add boiling water. Keep oven door closed for one minute, add bread and more water to stones.

Question 71

A properly baked loaf should register between what temperature?

Answer 71

195 to 210ºF

Question 72

Why is internal temperature for bread not always a good indicator?

Answer 72

The moisture inside bread prevents its internal temp from going over boiling point, which is just above the proper temp for baked bread.

Question 73

TEST KITCHEN: TWO LOAVES BAKED TO 210ºF. ONE PULLED OUT AT 210ºF AND THE OTHER LEFT IN.

Answer 73

The loaf that was pulled exactly at 210ºF had a pale, soft crust and gummy interior. The loaf that stayed 15 minutes longer was barely over 210ºF and displayed a nicely browned, crisp crust and perfectly baked crumb.