practice, each step involves choices that affect
the qualities of the finished loaf. There are
many ways to make basic bread! The
following paragraphs explain some of the
more significant choices and their effects.
Breads made with special ingredients or
methods — sourdoughs, sweet breads,
flatbreads — are described later.
The Choice of Ingredients
Bread making begins with the ingredients,
especially the flour and the yeasts. Because
proportions are important, and the weight of a
given volume of flour can vary by as much as
50% depending on whether it has been fluffed
up (sifted) or packed down, it’s best to weigh
ingredients rather than measure them in cups.
Flour The texture and flavor of bread are
strongly influenced by the kind of flour used.
“Bread flours” are milled from high-protein