Freshly milled whole grains made delicious, nutritious, and practical
So, picture this: you’ve baked your masterpiece, my crusty italian bread with no additives. The crust crackles invitingly as you slice into it, revealing those perfect airy pockets inside. But how do you make sure it stays that way?
Learn about tangzhong and yudane, which is better, and how to use it for better bread. Learn about the quick, no wait yudane method Dr. Mel uses.
Embarking on the journey of baking with freshly milled flour begins with resetting expectations. This is especially true if you’re used to the fluffy loaves from store shelves. Embracing the nuances of this process takes time, but starting with the fresh milled bread method lays a strong foundation for mastering the art of baking.
All types of bread follow a consistent set of steps known as the bread method. These essential processes form the backbone of bread baking, allowing for endless variations through adjustments in ingredients, techniques, and proportions.
Milling the Flour: Discover the superior flavor and texture benefits of using freshly milled flour. It retains more nutrients and has a deeper, more complex taste profile than commercially processed flour.
Mixing & Kneading: Master the art of combining ingredients and kneading dough to develop gluten, the protein that gives bread its structure and elasticity.
Fermentation (The First Rise): Allow the dough to undergo its initial rise. Fermentation develops flavors and improves the overall quality of the bread.
Punching Down the Dough & Scaling: Understand the importance of deflating the dough after its first rise and dividing it into portions. This helps redistribute gases and ensures even baking.
Shaping: Learn techniques for shaping the dough into desired forms, whether you’re crafting rustic loaves, baguettes, or dinner rolls. Proper shaping enhances both the appearance and structure of the bread.
Proofing (The Second Rise): Perfect the final rise to achieve the ideal texture and crumb in your bread. This stage is crucial for achieving lightness and a well-developed structure.
Baking: Experiment with different baking techniques and temperatures to achieve the perfect crust and bake. From steam baking for a crispy crust to lower temperatures for softer loaves, the baking stage allows for customization based on your preferences.
Cooling & Storing: Discover best practices for cooling and storing freshly baked bread to maintain its freshness and texture. Proper cooling prevents the bread from becoming soggy while storing it correctly prolongs its shelf life without compromising flavor.
Mastering these foundational steps not only enhances your baking skills. Additionally, it empowers you to create a wide array of delicious and unique bread varieties. Grab your favorite basic bread recipe and apply these principles to embark on a baking journey with freshly milled flour.
Other than this guide, you’ll also need a basic bread recipe. You should also consider joining Milling Fresh Flour with Lovely Bell & Dr. Mel on Facebook for personalized help with your journey.
You just finished baking your bread, but you must let it cool before you do. WHY? I really want to eat that hot, delicious smelling loaf of goodness. And after cooling, we need to talk about storing our bread.
Baking bread is not just a science; it’s a delightful journey of understanding how ingredients transform into a warm, fragrant loaf right in your own kitchen. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting out, mastering the art of baking with freshly milled flour can read more…
This is actually the SAME thing as fermentation, but they call the 2nd rise proofing so you can differentiate between the two steps. This is where shaped bread is allowed to rise in a warm place before baking. It’s done rising when the dough slowly springs back – exactly like the first rise – using the finger poke test.
Tip: I tend to let my dough rise on top of my oven while it’s heating, with a warm, damp tea towel covering it. This helps keep the dough warm and prevent the crust from hardening.
Gadget alert: A dehydrator or proofing box is a great place to shorten your rise
time. So long as the dough is in a container with a lid (preventing the dough from drying out), you can place it in one of these boxes. I set my dehydrator to 110 degrees, and check it in 20 minutes.
Under-proofed springs back quickly – give it a little more time to rise.
Dough slowly comes back or dent remains – ready to bake!
Dough deflates a bit when pressed means it’s over-proofed. You can still bake it but it may deflated or turn out dense. Alternatively, you could make flatbread or focaccia with the dough.
Sometimes, you cane-shape the dough and let it rise a third time. It’s a gamble, though.
Now that you’ve covered all the steps of the freshly milled bread method, how about getting started with our soft basic bread dough recipe. If you’re feeling MUCH more adventurous, give our crunchy crusted italian loaf a try.
Punching down the dough and scaling are both done after fermentation. Why? Well, we need to relax the gluten, remove the air from the inside, and balance out the dough temperature. Bubbles need to be released from the dough at this point because they will become giant holes in your bread once it’s done baking
Shaping bread dough correctly is important for a controlled rise, and to avoid unexpected holes in your crumb.
After passing the windowpane test, next up is fermentation. This is also called the “first rise”, where the yeast feed on sugars and starches in the dough. Carbon dioxide is produced, which gives our bread loft and holes. The warmer the environment, the faster the fermentation. The cooler the environment, the slower the fermentation and greater the flavor complexity.
Place the dough in a container at least twice its size to allow for expansion. Cover the container, and keep it in a warm place until it doubles in size.
The finger poke test is how you tell if you need to let the dough rise longer. Lightly poke the dough with a wet finger, down to the first knuckle. A dent should remain or spring back very slowly if it is properly fermented.
springs back quickly – it’s under-fermented
slowly fills back in or a dent remains – properly fermented
deflates a little (or a lot) – over-fermented
It’s okay to have under-fermented dough if you will be doing a lot of work during the shaping phase, such as with some types of rolls. Working quickly helps, but slightly under-fermenting the dough during this step can help you get through shaping without over-proofing your bread later on.
If you over-proofed your dough, that’s okay. Just move quickly through shaping or consider making flatbread or focaccia dough (which don’t need need much of a rise to be great).
No. It’s absolutely optional. The first rise helps to develop a stronger dough, especially if you are kneading by hand. There are times when I will absolutely do a first rise no matter what – and one of those is if I’m working with a wetter (also known as high hydration) dough. This first rise allows even more time for the flour to absorb the fats and the liquids, and often by the time we get to the end of the first rise there is no need to add more flour.
Depending on HOW wet the dough is, I’d do one of two things – and they will BOTH be discussed in the next step of the fresh milled bread method. In short, I’d either use oil on my hands and the board OR I’d add only enough flour to handle the dough for shaping.
Next step: Punching Down the Dough
Combining ingredients to form dough is known as mixing, while kneading develops the gluten matrix, essential for texture and structure.
