Breadmaking! Part 1: Preparation

This weekend, I learned how to make bread. At my request, my parents took it upon themselves to pass on to me ages-old cooking knowledge and a revelation: making bread is easy. Well, sort of. We set out to make a couple of pretty basic loaves, nothing fancy, just a good old slab of brown bread for eating with honey or some delicious yogurt cheese – and we succeeded! For the most part, I was pleased to learn that bread is an extremely simple cooking endeavor, as long as you understand a few crucial points. In this first half of my two-part breadmaking article, I’ll discuss preparation and the ingredients you’ll need for a great loaf.


Here it is – the final product of my breadmaking experience. This star specimen (though the crust is a little saggy, I must admit) was made using a combination of whole wheat, white, and buckwheat flours. I think one of the most important parts of making bread is deciding what grains you would like to incorporate into your recipe.

White vs. Wheat

Since this article is about making wheat bread (as opposed to cornbread or sourdough or some other type), you will first need to decide between using white or whole wheat flour. Whole wheat is just what it sounds like – unmolested grains of wheat harvested directly from the plant. Wheat grains naturally contain plenty of beneficial nutrients, such as dietary fiber, antioxidants, protein, vitamins B6 and E, and minerals. In the Middle Ages, people began processing their wheat because grains in their natural state were susceptible to mold and fungus, therefore leading to the impression that processed grains were much healthier. Unfortunately, removing parts of a whole wheat grain removes some of those important nutrients. Now, most processing companies go through a process called ‘enrichment’ by which they add those nutrients back into flour. You might think that since nutrients have been added back in, there should be no ‘penalties’ for using white flour. As you might suspect, though, the form these nutrients take is fundamentally different from their natural state as part of a wheat grain, meaning that your body can’t absorb them in the same way. White flour isn’t all bad: in bread making, one of the benefits of using white flour is a lighter, fluffier texture in the body of the bread, and a different taste. White flour is always used for airy, puffy breads, like pizza crust or pastries. The basic understanding you should walk away with is that white flour may not be bad for you, but it is less nutrient rich and tasty than whole wheat.

Grinding

Since I wanted ours to be a mutt bread, we went to Good Foods Grocery in Bon Air and bought some raw buckwheat and oats to add in addition to the whole wheat flour we had chosen as our base. Luckily enough, my parents happen to own a grain grinder.


Grinding your own grain is amazing. Warm, fresh flour emerges from the smaller compartment to the right, and of course you can make any kind you like: oats, buckwheat, amaranth, rye, millet, whatever you can find in those self-serve bins at Good Foods Grocery, Ellwood Thompson’s, or Ukrops. There is also a setting by which you determine the coarseness of the final product. We only did home grinding for the buckwheat because we had bags of whole wheat flour on hand, but for a really delicious loaf we could have also made fresh whole wheat flour. Please go here for a guide to some of the grains you can add into your own special loaf. This is really where you can get creative! If (like most people) you don't own a grinder, look in the bins for pre-milled grains.

Other Ingredients

I was surprised to find out that not much else goes into a loaf of bread. You will need yeast in order to make the bread rise. You can choose either ‘rapid rise’ yeast, or the more traditional slow-moving kind – naturally, if you choose ‘fast’ yeast, you can cut down on the overall cooking time. In either case, you are encouraging a dormant microorganism to become active, releasing bubbles of CO2 into your dough, meaning that you will need to give it some kind of food. Yeast loves to eat sugary things, so honey and/or molasses are key ingredients in a loaf of bread. You will also need a bit of oil or butter to create a smooth consistency and salt for flavor. Naturally, the higher the quality of these basic ingredients, the better your bread will taste: local, organic honey, fresh yeast, sea salt, and good olive oil will all help to make your bread just a little better. In general, local honey can be found in Ellwood Thompson's; I also highly recommend honey by Robert Stapleton, who has been instrumental in the development of the Beekeeping for Beginners classes available at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. His honey is for sale in the LGBG gift shop.

Check back soon for Part 2!