Bread Baking Basics

Let's face it, even experienced bakers and cooks makes mistakes (yes, even the pros can have baking meltdowns). I'm going to list here a few of the more common bread baking mistakes that you're probably making, or might make if you're not forewarned, and what you can do about them.

Bread Baking Mistake 1

When the salt is forgotten to be added to the whole wheat bread dough, by far the most common bread baking mistake is. Even the best baker in the comfort of their home kitchen can forget the salt. This results in very bland bread, and even effects the rising of the dough. Making your whole wheat bread flat on top. The best solution for this is to use a post it note as a reminder to yourself, to add the salt to the whole wheat bread dough. You can stick the post it note where ever you're most likely to see it (fridge, recipe book, etc.).

Bread Baking Mistake 2.

The second most common mistake is when the bread dough is allowed to over rise, which leads to it falling. When the bread dough is forgotten about, this usually happens. Don't panic, there is a solution: If the whole wheat bread is already in the bread pans when it over rises simply use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the excess dough off the sides of the unbaked loaves. Separate and roll this dough into a few small balls of dough. Allow them to rise 20 minutes to 30 minutes on a baking sheet, and then bake them on 350 Fahrenheit, for 15 to 20 minutes as whole wheat rolls. Another solution to help you keep from forgetting about your bread, is to use a timer which will beep loudly after the selected time period is up. Using a timer can also help stop other whole wheat bread baking catastrophes from happening.

Bread Baking Mistake 3.

It is easy to accidentally make the water a bit too hot when you heat up your water to put your yeast in. This mistake will kill the yeast and your bread will not rise. To correct this mistake I strongly recommend you invest in a cooking thermometer, to measure the temperature of the water. This little gadget should be a basic kitchen utensil for every baker and cook.

Bread Baking Mistake 4.

Fear not if the recipe you use makes too much dough for your family's needs and you worry that the extra bread will grow stale before you use it. It is perfectly safe to refrigerate unused dough for a few days and allow the whole wheat bread dough to finish it's rising time once you get it out to use it. You can use a storage plastic bag or plastic wrap over bowls that contain your whole wheat bread dough, to store it in your fridge and still prevent oxidation.

Bread Baking Mistake 5.

Burned bread. Yup, nothing tastes worse than whole wheat bread which is black as charcoal. To avoid this, be sure you follow baking temperatures and times strictly. When it's time to remove your whole wheat bread from the oven, and again use a timer to remind yourself. Remember that gas ovens and electric ovens vary in their temperatures. , if you're using an electric oven you should bake almost all pastries on 350 Fahrenheit. Sometimes a recipe will call for you to start baking a loaf of bread on a higher temperature, but will also usually tell you to turn the heat down after a certain amount of time.

Bread Baking Mistake 6.

Mistakenly or purposefully using the wrong type of flour. The only way to get good results is by using whole wheat flour to bake your bread if you are baking whole wheat bread. There are different recipes for all the different types of bread and they all use one specific flour for each recipe. Don't try any substitution hoping that by adding rye flour for instance, you will actually turn a whole wheat bread recipe into rye bread. Mixing flour types will also effect the time of baking needed. Heavy wheat flours, like rye, need to bake longer.

Bread Baking Mistake 7.

Last but not least there is the problem of air bubbles (also called "pockets") which create large holes inside the whole wheat bread, after it's done baking. The best solution for this is to pinch any such bubbles whenever you see them in your whole wheat bread dough, before you bake it. This will immediately deflate the bubble. Kneading the dough well with your stand up mixer is a good way to get rid of air bubbles in the dough before baking. Take the stress out of your bread baking experience and eliminate these little mistakes. The results are worth it.