Bread Baking Tips
Baking good homemade bread is a skill that every homesteader should be able to do. Homemade bread is one of the best things in the world! The light, fluffy and incredibly flavorful bread will outmatch any store bought bread. Here are some bread baking tips every homesteader needs to know!
Tip #1: Brown Sugar Storage
Sugar is one of those things that can be tricky to store properly. If you store sugar incorrectly, you could end up with a big clump of sugar. Although clumps in your sugar is not the worst thing, they can make it hard to get an accurate measurement.
Make sure to store brown sugar in an airtight container to keep it from becoming hard. This will help to prevent the sugar from clumping. You can also place a slice of bread into the container with the sugar, the bread will absorb any moisture that may get into the container.
Tip #2: Measure brown sugar accurately
When it comes to measuring the brown sugar you always want to pack it down into the measuring cup or spoon to get an accurate measurement. Do this unless – the recipe gives you specific instructions.
Tip #3: Use bottled water
Use bottled water instead of tap water to make your breads. Using water with softeners or city water that has chlorine can sometimes kill the yeast needed to make your bread dough rise. You can also let the tap water to sit for twenty-four hours, this allows the chlorine to dissipate.
Tip #4: Slashing
Slashing your dough before baking does more than just make it pretty – it also helps the bread to even cook while in the oven. Have you ever baked bread only to have an air pocket – messing up your perfect crust? I have the solution for you! If you “slash” the top of your bread – it will help prevent air pockets.
There is no one way to slash. You can get creative and make a grid like pattern on your bread or take a simpler approach and just make one long slash down the top. If you are making a long loaf of bread you can also take the classic baguette look by making several angled slashes along the top.
Tip #5: Use butter, eggs, milk or water
Prior to slashing, you can brush the dough with egg wash, water, milk or egg white. After you have “washed” your bread – you can now add toppings such as poppy seeds or other grains. Get creative!
You can brush loaves with butter immediately after baking to produce a soft crust. The butter will absorb into the bread which will provide a delicious buttery flavor.
Tip #6: Be sure about the conversion
If you are not sure about the conversions on measurements or how to convert one type of ingredient to another type. There are conversions charts for this very thing. One example is – if the recipe calls for milk but all you have is powdered milk – you can find the conversion so that you can use the powdered milk.
Tip #7: Vegan bread can be delicious
You can use any milk in this recipe: no matter if it is whole milk, skim, low fat, etc. Milk can also be replaced with water and nonfat dry milk. You can also choose to use milk alternatives if you would like.
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