Follow These Rules After You Knead The Bread

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

When we decide to make homemade bread, we pay more attention to the products, kneading and rising the dough, but there are a few rules after these procedures that also deserve our attention. Here are the rules for well-baked and good-looking homemade bread.

The steam

Professional ovens have evaporators, but if you do not have one, you can achieve the same effect with the help of a fireproof container with water. While preheating the oven, put a fireproof dish in it and when you put the bread to bake, pour water into it. This is important for maximum swelling of the bread. Then, if you like bread with a crispy crust, remove the bowl with water after 10-15 minutes or after the bread has swelled enough, but if you like softer bread, leave the bowl with water until the end of baking.

Cut

They are not made just to make bread look beautiful. The cuts should be made with a very sharp knife without any pressure so as not to expel the air from the bread. They must be at an angle. If you make them perpendicular, the bread may spill out instead of rising. The slices should not be too deep and wide, because the baked bread will not look good.

Baking

Always bake the bread in a preheated oven to 200-220 degrees for the first 10-15 minutes of baking and then reduce to 170-180 degrees and bake until done. If the recipe you use says other recommendations, follow them.

Cooling

Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Do not cover it with anything so that it does not get wet from the steam and say goodbye to the crispy crust. Leave it until it cools completely. If the recipe you use says other recommendations, follow them.

The glazes

To make your bread shiny, you can apply some kind of icing on its surface.

1. Spread with fresh milk - it gives the bread a golden crust. This glaze is suitable for potato bread and for different types of breads and breads;

2. Spread with olive oil - it enriches the taste of bread. Always grease the focaccia and bread stromboli with olive oil;

3. Spread with butter - it makes the crust of the bread more fragrant. This glaze is suitable for sweet breads;

4. Spread with salt water - it is made from 2 tablespoons of water mixed with 2 teaspoons of salt. It is applied before baking and gives the bread a shiny and crispy crust. Suitable for rye breads, which after spreading with salt water should be sprinkled with flour.

5. Spread with a solution of egg yolk - made from 1 tablespoon of water or milk and 1 egg yolk. This glaze is the most common and gives bakery products a golden shine. For the glazing of sweet bread or rolls, add 1 tablespoon of sugar;

Photo: Veselina Konstantinova

6. Spread with protein solution - it is made from 1 tablespoon of water and 1 egg white. This glaze gives the bread a soft golden color. This glaze is suitable for salty pastries.

You can also glaze the bread after it is baked. These glazes not only give the pastries shine, but also prevent them from hardening. They are most often used for glazing sweet pastries.

1. Butter - the crust of the pastry will become fluffy and soft;

2. Honey - sweet, soft and sticky crust will get from the sweet cookies. Honey is a glaze that gives a specific flavor and sophistication to pastries.

3. Sugar glazes - are made from 2-3 tablespoons of sugar, mixed with 2-3 tablespoons of water or milk, boiled over low heat in syrup. Optionally, you can add lemon juice, liqueur or rum to the syrup. This glaze gives the pastries a festive look.