How to Make Bread: Helpful Tips and Tricks

Nobody can escape the smell of freshly baked bread, it awakens childhood memories and an appetite for crispy rolls and hearty bread. Unfortunately, only selected bakeries rely on bread ingredients that are free of additives, artificial raising agents, and preservatives. Only four ingredients are needed to make high-quality bread: flour, water, salt, and time. The clever combination of these four…

Making bagels provides far more satisfaction than running to the store for a quick buy. The flavors make these a heartwarming treat for the whole family. They are versatile, making it easy to change flavors, pleasing everyone as desired.

Making bagels is a little bit of a production. They need to be boiled and then baked, making them more time consuming, but the flavors more than make up for it. The bagels I made are Cinnamon Raisin flavored, but the cinnamon and raisins could be omitted, substituting other things as desired. Think of adding things like walnuts or pecans or other nuts of choice. How about date pieces instead of raisins? Using dried blueberries would mimic another store type of bagel, but why stop there? How about using dried cherries, dried cranberries or even chopped dried apricots?

There are also savory additions to take into consideration. I love grains and seeds in my bagels. Cook some wheat or rye berries until soft and add them to the bagel dough. The same can be done with barley. Add in sesame seeds and sunflower seeds to make the bagels more nutritious and provide texture. Leave the bagels plain and instead use toppings to provide flavors. Brush on an egg wash and sprinkle on some sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Slowly sauté some onions until well caramelized and brush them onto the top of the bagels before baking. These ideas are nothing new, so think up ideas of your own.

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

DOUGH

4 1/2 cups bread flour 5 teaspoons instant rise yeast, about 2 packets 2 1/4 cups lukewarm water, no more than 110 degrees 3 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons salt 3 teaspoons cinnamon, reserve 1 teaspoon aside 1/3 cup raisins WATER BATH 10 cups water 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon baking soda EGG WASH 1 egg white 1 teaspoon agave syrup or corn syrup MAKE DOUGH. In a mixer bowl combine 1 1/2 cup of flour, yeast, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon. Heat the water in the microwave in 30 second intervals until this mixture is just lukewarm, no more than 110 degrees. Add this to the flour in the mixer bowl and turn on low to combine, then increase speed and beat for 2 - 3 minutes. If using a heavy duty mixer capable of kneading bread dough, switch to the dough hook. If not using a heavy duty mixer, continue by hand. Begin adding the 3 remaining cups of flour. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add in the last teaspoon of cinnamon for the last 15 to 30 seconds of kneading, leaving streaks of cinnamon through the bagels. Set aside to rest in a warm place for 20 minutes. WATER BATH. In a very large pot, combine the water, sugar and the baking soda. Stir well to combine the ingredients and melt the soda. Place on stove and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. GLAZE. Mix together the glaze ingredients, have a pastry brush handy and set aside. Prepare 2 large baking sheets by lining them with parchment. Spray the parchment with cooking spray. Set aside. Have some paper toweling handy for blotting the bagels after their water bath.

Turn out the dough onto a working surface. Lightly sprinkle flour over the surface. Divide the dough into 12 or 14 portions. Take a portion of the dough and form a tight ball by continually bringing sides to top and pinching together. Poke a finger down into the center, then using gentle pressure, widen the hole until you can easily fit all 8 fingers inside. The dough will spring back down to a very small hole. Set aside and continue with all the bagels. Allow them to rest for 20 minutes. If the pot with the simmering liquid is large enough, place 2 or 3 of the bagels at a time into the pot. Time them for 1 minute. Flip and time for one minute more. Remove to the paper toweling with a large slotted spoon or spatula and blot well. Gently place onto the prepared baking sheets. Repeat until all the bagels are on the baking sheets. Brush the bagels with the prepared glaze. Have the oven racks set at the lower and middle positions. Place the two pans in the oven and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

If using different flavorings than cinnamon and raisins, eliminate these two ingredients and substitute about a half cup of some other nut, seed or grain for flavor and texture. If making plain or savory bagels, eliminate the syrup in the final glaze and substitute egg yolk for the glaze. These are quick to make when using instant rise yeast and so worthwhile. Do give them a try.

My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what A Harmony of Flavors means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like.

My passion is to teach people how to create a Harmony of Flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Sign up for my Newsletter to follow all of our events.

Everyone loves soft pretzels, at theaters, theme parks, malls and other places. They capture the senses with their soft insides and chewy exteriors and yeasty goodness. Now there is no reason to miss out on enjoying these treats at a faction of the cost.

While making soft pretzels seems like a lot of steps, they are really simple to make. It takes about 2 hours from start to finish, and once baked, the reason for these steps is apparent. A very short rising time makes quick work of the dough. A quick boil in a pot of water gives them the chewy exterior, and the egg wash gives them the shine. It is my belief that using a beer in the batter and boiling water enhances the yeasty flavor, but it is completely a matter of choice.

Another factor to take into consideration is the size of the pretzel. The ones sold in most places are just huge. In this day and age, that size is far too large for most people in one sitting. If that size is of interest, you may choose to make the recipe into only about 6 pretzels. I believe making them into 8 or 10 is the perfect size. The baking time may need adjusting, should you use the larger size.

Soft Pretzels at Home

PRETZEL DOUGH

4 – 4 1/2 cups bread flour

2 packets of instant or quick rise yeast

1 cup water plus 1/2 cup beer, OR use 1 1/2 cups water

3 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

BOILING LIQUID

7 cups water plus 1 cup beer, OR use 8 cups water

1/2 cup baking soda

EGG WASH

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon agave syrup

Coarse salt for sprinkling

In a mixer bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour with the yeast. Heat to lukewarm the 1 cup water and 1/2 cup of beer, or all water as desired, along with the 3 tablespoons sugar and the salt. Ensure that the liquid is just warm to the finger and not too hot. Add the liquid to the mixing bowl and starting on low to combine the ingredients. Then increase speed and beat well for about 3 minutes. If your mixer is heavy duty and can knead a very stiff dough, switch to a dough hook and add in 2 1/2 to 3 cups more flour. If you do not have a heavy duty mixer, take the bowl and using hands, incorporate the flour to make a stiff dough. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 20 minutes, while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

In a large soup pot, place the 7 cups water and 1 cup beer or just use 8 cups water. Add 1/2 cup baking soda to the water. If beer is in the mixture, expect the liquid to foam up significantly. Bring this mixture to a simmer.

Mix together in a small bowl the egg yolk, tablespoon of water and the agave syrup. If agave syrup is not available, an unflavored corn syrup could be used. Combine well and set aside. Have a pastry brush handy. Prepare two large baking sheets by lining them with parchment. Spray the parchment with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Turn the dough out onto a flat surface. You may not need any flour on the surface if the dough is quite stiff. Divide the dough into 8 to 10 pieces. Each piece should be rolled into a rope about 24 inches long. Make the rope into a U shape, then bring down and cross the ends to make the pretzel shape. Pinch together the points where the dough intersects. Place 1 or 2 of the pretzels into the pot of simmering liquid. Time for 1 minute, then flip over and time for 1 minute more. Drain well on paper toweling and place them onto the baking sheets. Repeat with all the shaped pretzels.

Brush the boiled pretzels with the egg wash and then sprinkle on the coarse salt. Bake the pretzels for 18 to 20 minutes, until a nice golden brown. Makes 8 to 10 medium sized soft pretzels.

Read the instructions carefully and have everything prepared and handy and you will have wonderful, hot and chewy pretzels in about 2 hours.

My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what A Harmony of Flavors means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like.

My passion is to teach people how to create a Harmony of Flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Sign up for my Newsletter to follow all of our events.

There seems to be a resurgence of the No-Knead breads that were popular a few years back. People have played with the recipes and come up with more and more ways to make a simple recipe even simpler. An idea begun by Jim Lahey has come around once more.

The original No Knead Bread was started by Jim Lahey. Jim learned bread baking in Italy in the 1990s but developed the no knead process much later. In 2006, Mark

Bittman of the New York Times was invited to witness the ease of making this bread at Laheys Sullivan Street Bakery. The rest is history.

This history was all new to me in the summer of 2011. I went to the local farmers market and bought a loaf of what was called Mark Bittmans No Knead Bread. I love artisanal breads, with the crusty exteriors and plenty of chewiness on the inside. I did know of Mark Bittman, and I was curious. I brought home the loaf, tasted it and fell in love. I looked online to see if I could find this recipe and saw that it was available everywhere. I did not find out the recipe was from Jim Lahey until much later.

Recipe Comparisons

Mark Bittmans recipe differs from Laheys in some slight nuances. I have used the recipes both ways and can say that I prefer the Bittman version, at least in my home oven. Lahey adds less water and uses a 500 degree oven. Bittman uses a little more water and a 450 degree oven. I do not like blackened crusts, so I stuck to the 450 degrees. The matter of water is a choice. With 2 tablespoons more water, the result is an interior with far larger holes. Using less water the interior grain of the bread is more even.  The bread is still plenty chewy made either way and the oven temperature and time are easily adapted.

My Experiences with No Knead Breads

I made Mark Bittmans version of the bread for over a year, sometimes 3 times a week when we had guests. I then got curious and went to the local library. I checked out the book My Bread by Jim Lahey and discovered another new world of breads. To that same basic recipe, Lahey added things for flavor. I made a few of these breads and all are marvelous. One had the addition of walnuts and raisins and was just delightful. One was called Jims Brown Bread and was a take on Irish Bread, using beer in the dough. Another recipe had 1/2 pound of cubed cheese added in. Yet another had chunks of fried bacon added. Every recipe was just delicious. The bacon bread was nearly a sandwich all by itself.

If you have not jumped onto this bandwagon yet, I urge everyone to try. The one requirement is a very heavy duty pot that will withstand oven temperatures of 450 to 500 degrees. This means an enameled cast iron pot, a clay baker with a lid, or a Pyrex glass baker with lid. The size must accommodate 6 to 8 quarts in order to contain the bread as it bakes. The reason for this type of lidded pot is so that steam from the very wet dough is trapped inside. The bane of any home baker trying to create that artisanal crusty exterior is the inability to trap enough steam to accomplish it. When the dough is inside a small closed environment at high temperatures, the pot accomplishes the steam needed for the perfect crust. When removed from the oven, the bread literally sings. The bread snaps, pops, wheezes and makes many interesting sounds as it cools and is a delight to hear.

The recipe is found all over the internet, and my favorite method is the one by Mark Bittman. He has now come out with some more interesting nuances on making this bread. I have the time at home to work with the bread, so I am not looking to make this a shorter process. In fact the entire process of around 16 to 18 hours, requires a total of about 15 minutes of actual attention. Mix up the 4 ingredients the night before, cover and let it do its thing overnight while you sleep. Turn out onto a surface in the morning and let stand another 15 minutes. Form into a loaf and set to rise. One and a half hours later, place the empty pot in the oven to heat for a half hour. Take out the pot, toss in the risen dough, put the lid back on and bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, Then continue baking another 10 to 30 minutes without the lid, depending on your preference. In between, you can accomplish a host of other household activities. Try out this recipe, because it does not disappoint.

My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what A Harmony of Flavors means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like.

My passion is to teach people how to create a Harmony of Flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Sign up for my Newsletter to follow all of our events.

You know how sometimes even the best cook can get distracted and forget an ingredient? That happened to me once many years back, and I completely forgot to put in the 3 eggs called for in my bread recipe. I was so distracted that even when I had only added 7 cups of flour and the dough already looked too dry, I still didn’t realize what was wrong.  I made the bread, baked it and we were eating the first loaf. There was a difference in color that I wondered about. That was when I realized that I had utterly forgotten to add the eggs.

Things like this can happen to the best of us, but what I want to demonstrate with this story is that bread making is a forgiving art. Add a little more of this, a little less of that, and you still have a very good loaf of bread. After that episode of forgetfulness, I got thinking. I tried making the bread with only a half stick of butter and two eggs. It turned out great.  I substituted 2 cups whole wheat flour for part of the flour and it was great. I wondered what other things I could do with this original recipe.

Remember that when making a substitution or using a different ingredient, the total amount of flour needed will vary. If substituting 2 cups of whole wheat flour, do this at the beginning of the recipe. This way, toward the end of adding flour, you will know that since whole wheat is a thirstier flour, you will likely need less than the full amount. This holds equally true with flax seed.  I often mix 1 cup of ground flax seed into the original 2 cups of flour, mixed with the powdered milk and yeast and add it at the beginning. Flax seed soaks up liquid, so the ultimate amount of flour will be less by nearly a cup.

Another variation I use often is with oatmeal. When the boiled water is poured over the stick of butter, honey and salt, I add in a cup or so of old fashioned rolled oats to the hot liquid to soak. Once cooled enough, proceed with the recipe as stated, knowing you will need less flour than called for. Keep an eye on the texture of the dough, noting that if the dough starts trying to climb up the dough hook, it is more dry than needed. Softer dough will yield more tender bread.

If you like nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, they can be added either finely ground or coarsely chopped, as desired. The amount of flour should not vary widely with the addition of nuts.  Use raisins the same way, for that variation. For cinnamon raisin bread, when patting out one loaf of dough, and prior to rolling up, brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon, or cinnamon and sugar.  If raisins have not been added to the dough itself, they may be sprinkled on before rolling up the loaf.

If you choose a less sweet dough, lower the amount of honey by half, and add in another half cup of water, to keep the amount of dough approximately the same.  If you want to use only egg whites instead of whole eggs, that is acceptable. If you have leftover egg yolks and need to use them, just yolks in the recipe will work fine.  Either way, remember that slightly less liquid is being used, so either compensate by adding a little more water or a little less overall flour. Eggs, either whole or just the yolks give the bread a lovely golden color. If you want to increase the golden color even more, use saffron. Take a pinch of saffron and either grind to a fine powder or crumble finely and add to the boiling water at the beginning of the recipe.  Alternatively, soak the saffron threads in the boiled water, then remove the threads before pouring into the mixer bowl.

If you want to make dinner rolls such as cloverleaf, one loaf of dough will yield a dozen rolls, made in greased muffin tins.  Baking time is approximately 12 to 15 minutes.  If you would like to make buns, one loaf will make about 6 to 8 buns.  Divide one loaf worth of dough into the appropriate amount of equal sized pieces.  Take one piece and make a nicely formed ball by tucking under repeatedly.  Then either with hands or a rolling pin flatten the dough to an exaggeratedly wide and flat round. It may take some work. Lay these onto a greased baking sheet and allow it to rise.  Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes.

These are some of the many ways to make changes and alterations. Get familiar with the dough and how it works and there is no limit to what can be done.

My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what A Harmony of Flavors means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like.

My passion is to teach people how to create a Harmony of Flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Sign up for my Newsletter to follow all of our events.

When I first started making the bread recipe that came down from my grandmother, I made it true to the recipe.  Back in the 1970s I had nothing to facilitate bread making but my two hands.  I made bread that way for many long years, until I got my Kitchen Aid. I avoided getting a Kitchen Aid mixer for a long time, feeling I didn’t need it, but once I got one, it changed my life, and the way I made bread.

At the time I got the Kitchen Aid, I had reduced the size of the bread recipe to make only the 2 loaves that a bread making machine could handle. The bread machine was literally used to its death, and when the Kitchen Aid mixer came into my life, it was a love affair.  I started making the whole bread recipe with the original ingredients, but some things just seemed to lend themselves to change. I switched from scalding milk to using just hot water and mixing powdered milk into the initial flour mixture.  I changed using sugar to using honey.  Then Bread Flours came on the market, with the higher gluten content and that was another change.  There is little difference in the flavor of the outcome. This is my recipe.

My Kitchen Aid Mixer Bread

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 stick unsalted butter

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup honey

2 cups bread flour

1 cup powdered milk

2 packets of Rapid Rise or Instant Yeast

1 1/2 cups cool water

3 eggs

6 cups additional bread flour, plus more for dusting

Place the first four ingredients in the bowl of a Kitchen Aid or other large, heavy duty mixer.  Allow the butter to melt and the water to cool to lukewarm, about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. (I usually start this before breakfast, then eat and get back to the bread once I am done eating.) In a small bowl combine the 2 cups of flour, powdered milk and yeast and stir to combine. When the mixture in the mixer bowl has cooled, add in the other 1 1/2 cups cool water and the flour, milk and yeast mixture.  Attach the dough hook and set the mixer to the lowest setting to combine. Set the mixer to the next higher setting and add in the eggs, allowing them to be completely incorporated. Add in 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time, allowing most of one cup to be incorporated before adding the next.  For the last cup of flour, watch carefully. If the dough begins to crawl up the dough hook, it has too much flour. If it puddles without shape, there is still too little. Depending on the type of flour and the ambient humidity, you may need more than 8 total cups of flour, or less.

Once the proper amount of flour is incorporated, allow the mixer to run, kneading the bread for another 8 to 10 minutes. At this point, stop the mixer, lower the bowl (or raise the top), remove the dough hook and allow the bread to rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

Once dough has risen, generously flour a work surface and turn out the bread.  Fold it back and forth over on itself to expel large air pockets. 

Grease or spray with cooking spray 4 medium loaf pans about 4 x 8 inches.  Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. With one portion, flatten it well with your hands, and begin tucking and rolling it into a log.  The edges need to be tucked in and under to create an even log shape.  Place in one of the prepared pans and repeat with the other 3 sections of dough.  Set pans of dough aside to rise in a warm area for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pans in oven to bake for approximately 30 minutes, until nicely golden. Turn out of pans onto counter or racks to cool. The loaves should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

When my children were younger, one loaf would be devoured before it had a chance to totally cool.  Still, with three extra loaves, what to do? They freeze exceptionally well.  When a loaf is needed, remove from freezer and allow it to thaw naturally. If you are in a hurry, one minute in the microwave will thaw it enough to be able to slice. Make this bread and enjoy it.

My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what A Harmony of Flavors means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like.

My passion is to teach people how to create a Harmony of Flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Sign up for my Newsletter to follow all of our events.