Would you like to make homemade bread?
Making homemade bread is a skill that requires practice, however it can be done easily with a few tips and how-to techniques. I remember several years ago, well over a decade, when I made my first loaf of homemade bread. When I decided to start making bread, I had also switched over to whole wheat flour. So as you can imagine my first few loaves of bread were quite…dense. We ate them, and I was proud of them, but I couldn’t get them to be light and fluffy. Then I learned the differences between hard, red, spring, and white wheat. Wow, what a fascinating world! I tried many many and did I mention MANY homemade bread recipes each one being different. Some were good and some were not. Some would turn out perfect one time and flat the next time. I simply did not understand how I could get different results with the same homemade bread recipe. Over the years I got better with making homemade bread, and I would have more successful loaves than failed loaves; however, I would always be holding my breath as I sliced into it just hoping that it was perfect. After all that practice, I no longer hold my breath as I am now confident that my loaf will be perfect each time.
What I learned in order to make perfect homemade bread
During all that practice of making homemade bread, I was watching the dough each time and seeing how it reacted differently from batch to batch. That’s when I began to notice some things. Things that were different than what the bread recipe and directions called for or said to do. These observations helped guide me into a new process on making homemade bread. This process has been fool proof. In fact my children can make homemade bread just as good as mine by following this process. My youngest actually made a loaf of bread 100% by herself for the first time while she was in the house alone as my oldest and I were outside. When we came inside a few hours later, she surprised us with not just bread, but perfect bread. It was just as tasty as mine. She was so proud of herself. I told her how amazing it was that she could do that. So what took me a few years to perfect and write down for my children, my youngest was able to read the process and with her experience of watching me do it, she produced a perfect loaf. What an amazing testimony.
You can make perfect homemade bread too!
Because I love to share, teach, encourage, and inspire others, I want to share with you this process for making homemade bread. In fact, my husband recorded a video of me making bread and following this process, so you can make your own loaf step by step right alongside me. In this post, you’ll find my FREE Guide to Making Perfect Bread Every Time. This guide has not only the recipe I use most often but also the process, pictures, things to know, and so on.
What you NEED to know and understand
When I was working on creating this guide, I decided to create an acronym to help people understand why a good homemade bread recipe can be perfect one time and flat the next. Let me introduce you to my acronym. T.E.A.M. Remembering T.E.A.M. can help you understand what it takes to make a perfect loaf of homemade bread.
Just like each player on a sports team needs to be “just right” in order to win the game, each player (or item) in your bread recipe needs to be just right in order to make a great loaf.
T=temperature
E=environment
A=age
M=manual manipulation
T= The TEMPERATURE of your ingredients can affect the final result of your homemade bread. Here are a couple examples. For your yeast to become active quicker, the water needs to be warm, but if it’s too hot, it’ll kill the yeast. The more room temperature each ingredient is such as the egg and flour, the quicker your dough will rise and most often results in a softer and easier to work with dough.
E= The ENVIRONMENT of your kitchen and even the elevation can have an effect on your dough. Environmental factors such as air temperature, humidity levels, direct sunlight, drafts, atmospheric pressure, and neighboring ferments, among others can all impact your dough and finished product. It will take your dough more time to rise in a cool and or drafty area than it will in a warm still air area. I, personally, proof my dough in my oven with the door closed, oven OFF, and ONLY the oven light ON. In the case of elevation, the higher altitudes have lower air pressure, which allows the yeasted dough to rise 25-50% faster. Also, drier air makes the flour drier. Humidity in the air also plays a role in the finished product. If there’s a lot of moisture in the air, you may need less liquid in the bread recipe.
A= The AGE of your ingredients can also have an effect on your final product. As with anything, you want to use as fresh quality ingredients as possible. For example, the older the flour is, the more liquid it will most likely need.
M=MANUAL MANIPULATION. This is simply YOU. Homemade bread making is a skill; it’s not one where you can just follow a recipe and get perfect results every single time; sometimes you might but eventually it’ll fail. Practice and increase your skill at manually feeling the dough during each step. You have to learn to “read” the dough to know if it needs more flour and when it’s finished rising and when it’s done baking.
Now that you understand how outside factors can play a role in your homemade bread, let’s review the steps or process on how to create a perfect loaf of bread
STEP 1: PROOFING: Proofing is when you combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water together at first. The warm water activates or wakes up the yeast. As the yeast feeds on the sugar, the yeast produces ethanol and carbon dioxide, which is what the little fermentation bubbles are that you see. Once you combine the three ingredients, let it sit for 5-15 minutes. If you see foam on the liquid surface after that time, your yeast has proofed or as I tell my kids, the yeast has “PROVED” that it is alive and well and working. If your yeast doesn’t proof, then toss it out and get fresh yeast; otherwise if you continue, your bread will be flat and dense. If the yeast is dead, you’re just wasting the other ingredients.
TIP: I keep my bulk yeast in the freezer and a small container in the fridge to keep it fresher for longer. NOTE: Consider using non-chlorinated water as the chlorine may kill your yeast.
STEP 2: SATURATION: Saturation is when the dough has had enough flour and doesn’t need any more flour added. We know this by READING THE DOUGH. If a recipe calls for 5 c. of flour, your dough may only need 4 c. or it may need 6 c. We have to READ THE DOUGH NOT THE RECIPE. The difference in the quantity of flour needed has to do with the humidity of the environment and the age of your flour. We know the dough has had enough flour when, as you’re mixing, the dough starts to scrape or clean the sides of the mixing bowl. The dough may still be tacky, but not gooey and not sticking to your fingers. This is why we add flour a bit at a time.
STEP 3: KNEADING: Kneading is essentially working or exercising the gluten in order to develop the gluten. The gluten is a protein found in wheat and works like a glue to hold the dough together. It needs to be worked in order to have a nicely shaped loaf and to get those wonderful fluffy slices of bread we all enjoy.
Kneading the dough to develop a good network of gluten is important as it helps to hold the gases in your dough and gives the bread a nice structure. Manual kneading time can vary due to different factors, but usually I find 3-5 minutes is all it takes. Please note, you can do this entire process in a stand mixer, but watch the dough as a stand mixer can over-knead your dough.
We want to work the dough well but not overwork it. You can add flour as needed, but try not to add more flour than is necessary. To knead dough, lightly flour your work surface and your hands. Start off with the ball of dough on your work surface. The side that is away from you, use your fingertips, not your nails, fold the side up and over towards the center of the dough ball then use the heel of your hands to push the dough slightly down and away from you. Turn the dough ¼ turn and repeat. Repeat this pattern until the dough has been kneaded well and passes the windowpane test. Usually you can tell it’s ready for the windowpane test because the dough will be smooth and shapely. I refer to it as the dough having body.
STEP 4: WINDOWPANE TEST: To see if the dough has been kneaded enough, use a knife to cut off a small wad of dough. Roll the wad into a ball and use your fingertips, not your nails, to gently flatten and stretch the dough. Hold the dough up to a light source while you’re stretching the dough. You want to be able to see light through the dough; almost be able to see through the dough without the dough tearing. You are also looking for gluten strands. You want to see the gluten strands holding the dough together without the dough tearing. If the dough tears, it means the gluten is not developed enough, so knead some more. If you do see the gluten strands, see light, and the dough doesn’t tear then knead the dough ball back into the mother dough and go on to the next step.
I think of the gluten strands as elastic bands.
Note: Adding too much flour can cause your dough to become dry and tear; it’s also going to be dense and harder to knead. Dry dough can’t produce gluten as well and since yeast can’t move around as free, the dough’s texture won’t be the best, and it won’t rise well. If you find your dough is tearing, let the dough rest, lightly covered, for 15 minutes in order to allow the gluten to rest then work with it some more. Also worthy to mention is the fact that it’s easy to overwork the gluten if using a machine to do the kneading. The machine can overwork the dough, break down the gluten, and the dough becomes sticky.
STEP 5: FIRST RISE: Once the dough has passed the windowpane test, knead the test piece back into the dough mass and place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Lightly oil the bowl and the top and bottom of the dough. I find that covering the bowl with plastic instead of a towel works best. I also find that my dough rises quicker and more dependably in my oven with the oven door closed, light ON, but the oven turned OFF. This is where you will find recipes that say to let the dough rise until doubled. While that is usually the case, there is a more reliable way.
STEP 6: POKE TEST 1: Because we want to be sure that our dough doesn’t over-proof or over-rise, we do the poke test instead of letting the dough rise until “doubled.” First off, there is no certain time limit. Again this depends on environmental factors as to how long it’ll take your dough to rise until it’s ready for the next step. The dough could be finished with the first rise in 30 minutes or 2 hours. I usually do the poke test after 20-30 minutes. The poke test is simple.
Get a bit of flour on your finger and gently poke the dough surface. If the poke bounces right back and fully closes, let the dough rise longer. If the poke stays indented AND closes a bit, the dough is just right for the next step. If the poke stays indented and doesn’t close at all, it’s over-proofed or has over-risen, go ahead and shape the dough into a loaf and bake it.
STEP 7: SHAPE LOAF: Once the dough has passed the poke test, remove the dough from the bowl, push out the air, and shape it into a loaf of bread then place it into a greased bread pan. You may need to drop the dough from shoulder high in order to pop any remaining gas bubbles. You want to form and shape the loaf so it is pretty and the top is smooth, tight, even, and has no cracking. Make sure you pinch the bottom seam of the dough and place the loaf seam side down. When placing into a bread pan, make sure the two short ends touch the bread pan, but it’s not necessary for the sides to touch. You may need to push down on the top of the dough to help push it against the short ends of the pan. You can gently stretch it as you’re pushing towards the ends just be careful not to tear the surface of the dough.
STEP 8: SECOND RISE: Loosely cover the loaf pans with the dough in them with lightly greased or floured plastic wrap and place in a warm place again. The oven is still good. Remember light ON, oven OFF.
STEP 9: POKE TEST 2: When it looks like your dough has risen again, usually about level with or just below the top of your loaf pan, use your floured middle knuckle or finger and nudge a side or edge of the dough. If the dent stays but closes just a bit, it is done rising. If it bounces back and fully closes, let it continue to rise.
STEP 10: BAKING: Bake in a preheated 375 F oven on a middle rack. You’ll know the bread is done baking when you smell a rustic or roasted smell. It shouldn’t smell sweet. It may take 30 minutes. The recipe I will share below makes two loaves that fit into two 8.5″ x 4.5″ x 2 5/8″ aluminum loaf pans.
STEP 11: THUMP TEST: When you think your bread is finished, remove it from the pan, and give it the thump test. The thump test is when you thump the bottom center of the bread and it sounds hollow. If it sounds dense, it needs to bake longer perhaps another 5-10 minutes. The dense sounds means not enough moisture has baked out of the bread.
STEP 12: COOLING: Once the bread is finished baking, remove the bread from the pan immediately and allow it to cool completely on a baking rack. Do your best to refrain from slicing into it while it’s hot. Yes, it is delicious, but slicing into it fresh from the oven is said to ruin the texture of the rest of the loaf. They say this is because the hot air/steam escapes instantly and leaves the bread with some gumminess to it. Of course, if you plan on eating the entire loaf that day, go for it.
Recipe for making Against the Grain Homestead’s versatile homemade bread
Against the Grain Homestead's Versatile Homemade Bread
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
- 1/3 c. honey or 1/3 c. white granulated cane sugar
- 1 ½ c. non-chlorinated, hot tap water, too hot and it will kill the yeast
- 1/3 c. liquid oil
- 1 egg, non-refrigerated
- 2 tsp. salt
- 4-5 c. all-purpose flour
- ½ c. flax seed, ground, optional
Instructions
Step 1) Add the yeast, sugar, and water to a mixing bowl. Mix well and let stand for 5-15 minutes to make sure it proofs.
Step 2) Once the mixture has proofed, whisk in the egg and oil.
Step 3) Whisk in 1 c. flour THEN whisk in the salt. If you’re using the flax seed, stir that in after the initial cup of flour.
Step 4) Continue stirring in flour, a little at a time, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.
Step 5) Once the dough has enough saturation and is almost cleaning the sides of the bowl, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and start kneading the dough. Work and stretch, without tearing, the dough to develop the gluten. This could take a few minutes.
Step 6) Once you think the gluten is developed enough, cut off a small amount of the dough and do the windowpane test. If the dough ball passes the windowpane test, knead the dough ball back into the dough mass. If it doesn’t pass the windowpane test, knead the dough ball back in and continue kneading.
Step 7) After passing the windowpane test, place the dough mass into a lightly greased bowl. Lightly oil the top and bottom of the dough mass. Cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm place until the dough passes the first poke test.
Step8) After 20-30 minutes do the first poke test on your dough. If your finger poke stays indented and closes just a bit, your dough is done with its first rise.
Step 9) Remove the dough from the bowl. Shape the dough mass into whatever you’d like. You can shape it for rolls, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, or two loaves of bread.
Step 10) After shaping place your shaped dough into a greased pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise again.
Step 11) When it looks like your dough has risen enough, do the poke test again; same as before. If it passes the second poke test, bake the dough.
Step 12) When baking bread, bake in a preheated 375F oven on the middle rack. It may take 30 minutes before the loaf of bread is done. Rolls and buns will cook faster. The bread loaf should smell…rustic, not sweet, but have a roasted bread smell.
Step 13) If you think it’s done, do the thump test. The thump test is when you thump the bottom of the loaf and it sounds hollow. If it sounds dense, bake it another 5-10 minutes.
Step 14) Once the bread is baked, immediately remove it from the pan and place on a baking rack to cool.
Step 15) Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing into it; usually about 1-2 hours, but a minimum of 45 minutes.
Notes
-This recipe makes two loaves of bread, which
fit into two 8.5” x 4.5” x 2 5/8” loaf pans.
-Use non-chlorinated water. There is a chance
that if your water is chlorinated, it may kill the yeast. You can let the water
sit out overnight for the chlorine to evaporate.
-You can use honey or white sugar. We prefer
the white sugar as we feel it gives the bread a nicer crust and appearance.
-For the oil, you can use any liquid oil of
your choice. However if you decide to melt solid coconut oil, you MUST use a
room temperature egg. If you use a refrigerated egg and mix it with melted
coconut oil, the coconut oil will re-solidify.
-You CAN omit the egg if you want to or need
to, but in our experience, the egg makes the bread softer.
-We use Redmond Real Salt, but you can use the
cheaper table salt too. Because salt kills yeast, I prefer to separate my salt
from my yeast by adding several ingredients after the yeast but before the salt
including some flour. This acts as a buffer.
TIP:I keep my bulk yeast in the freezer and keep a small jar of yeast in the refrigerator. This keeps the yeast fresher longer, and I have never had a problem of having dead yeast.
HEALTH NOTES: Making homemade bread takes practice as it is a skill, but once you’ve mastered the skill, it’s hard to beat homemade bread especially when smothered with butter. The more you make it the easier and quicker it becomes. If you compare these ingredients with what you find in most commercial bread, you’ll realize how much healthier this is, and trust me,once you’ve mastered this skill, the taste is leaps and bounds better than any store bought bread. You can make this bread even healthier by adding whole wheat flour; grinding your own fresh wheat berries; using sprouted wheat flour; using ancient grains; or by even adding fermented dough such as sourdough. Keep in mind that modifying this recipe in any way may require you to adjust the liquid amount as well as the rising and possibly the baking time.
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