Tips for bread bakers

By Mary Carroll
Los Angeles Times Syndicate

(Los Angeles Times Syndicate) -- Here's an event dreaded by all but the most hard-boiled of food writers. A reader wrote me a scathing letter about one of my recipes. His cardamom bread had not worked. He admitted the flavor was quite good, but the loaf had an unpromising texture and heaviness. He fed it to the Canadian geese in his backyard.

I was crushed, but I did ask him about the method he had used. Maybe we could discover why my version worked for me, but his didn't work for him. In the conversation, I discovered two missteps that in a class, one-on-one, would have been spotted immediately.

Because whole wheat was not his preferred flour, the bag he used was several months old. The extra-dry flour and dry climate of winter made it necessary to add more liquid to the recipe. As a beginning whole-grain bread baker, he didn't know this. He also discovered he should have used less flour in the beginning steps of the recipe.

Even if you're not a beginner, learning to bake successful loaves of homemade bread requires patience, persistence and an ability to tell when things need adjusting. When trying new ingredients, such as whole-grain flours, it's especially important to keep a close eye on when to change the procedure.

When I moved from California to the Midwest, I had to adapt many of my bread recipes.

It helps to know the effect old ingredients, dry climate or cool kitchens will have on your attempts. Keep a good baking book close by, or begin by reading the primer that follows. It gives some of the one-on-one instruction I usually reserve for my bread-baking classes.

Know Your Yeast -- Yeast is dormant until it comes into contact with warmth and food during the "proofing" step of baking where the yeast is dissolved in warm water and sweetener. The yeast feeds on the sweetener and produces small bubbles of carbon dioxide. As it proofs, it becomes active and can begin to digest the starch in flour, which you will give it in the next step.

Yeast works hand-in-hand with gluten, the protein in flour. When you knead or stir a bread dough you're activating this gluten, and it will begin to develop rubbery strands. The yeast bubbles lightly press against these gluten strands as they rise, causing the gluten to stretch and develop even more. As long as you provide your yeast with warmth and good food, it will make you a light and finely textured loaf of bread.

Grandma's Sponge Method -- Most baking methods add everything at once, which works just fine for doughs lightened with white flour, eggs and buttermilk. Whole-grain breads demand a different treatment. I recommend grandmother's sponge method, an old-fashioned extra step to let the proofed yeast mixture and part of the flour rise as a batter before adding the rest of the ingredients. If your flour is old or the air is very dry,less flour will be needed at this step. This extra step gives the yeast a head start, allowing it to flourish in the lightweight solution without any of the growth-inhibiting ingredients (salt, oil and the full amount of flour) slowing it down.

Kneading -- Kneading is the most satisfying part of bread-baking, where you really get your hands into it. It's such an important step that bread books devote whole chapters to kneading. Many beginning bakers overflour the dough at this stage, producing heavy bread. Add flour sparingly to the sponge, just until you can work the dough without it sticking. Sprinkle flour on the dough and lightly dust your hands with flour. As the gluten develops, the dough will become less sticky and will not require the sprinkle of flour each time.

When tackling your first whole-grain bread recipe, use the above comments to judge your ingredients and the texture of your dough.

Here's a basic recipe that is half white-half wheat to get you started.

• 1/2 cup nonfat milk, warmed to 98 to 110 degrees
• 2 tablespoons active baking yeast
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon oil, plus extra for pan
• 1 beaten egg white

In large bowl, combine milk, yeast and sugar and stir well. Cover with clean dish towel, then set in warm place until foamy, 10 minutes. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed, to form sponge. Stir well and cover. Let rise in warm place 30 minutes.

Stir in remaining white flour, 1 tablespoon oil and enough wheat flour to make kneadable dough. Again, only use enough flour to create pliable dough. Lightly flour clean work surface and knead dough until elastic and smooth, 5 minutes. Place in clean bowl, cover and let rise 40 minutes. Punch down, then let rise 20 minutes.

Lightly oil large baking sheet. Form dough into oblong shape, rolling sides toward underside. Place on baking sheet. With sharp knife, make 3 slits in top of loaf. Brush with egg white.

Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

Makes 1 large loaf.

Now you're ready to try something a bit more complex, such as this braided cardamom bread.

• 1/2 cup nonfat milk, warmed to 98 to 110 degrees
• 2 tablespoons active baking yeast
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup mixed chopped dried fruits
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten, optional
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground cardamom
• 1 tablespoon oil, plus extra for pan
• 1 egg white, beaten

In large bowl, combine milk, yeast and maple syrup and stir well. Cover with clean dish towel, then set in warm place until foamy, 10 minutes. Add 1 to 2 cups flour (or as needed) and stir well. Cover bowl and let rise in warm place 30 minutes.

Stir in fruit, eggs, almonds, cardamom, 1 tablespoon oil and just enough remaining flour to make kneadable dough. (Again, only use enough flour to meet requirement.) Lightly flour clean work surface and knead dough until elastic and smooth, 5 minutes. Place in clean bowl, cover and let rise 40 minutes. Punch down and let rise 20 minutes.

Lightly oil large baking sheet. Divide dough into 3 equal balls, then roll balls into long strands. Pinch 3 strands together at one end, and braid rest of strands into thick loaf. Pinch ends to seal. Using large spatulas, transfer to baking sheet. Brush with egg white.

Bake 350 degrees 45 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

Makes 1 large loaf.