Kneading to Learn More

Chapter 1 of the King Arthur Baking Company book, Baking School, is on the topic of yeasted breads. With this chapter, I was introduced to the various ingredients in bread, as well as their functionality, and what happens if you substitute ingredients, and how to manipulate the recipe to still bake properly with these changes. Essential equipment is also introduced in this section. I ended up investing in a large baking stone for my oven, various bread bannetons, a couche for supporting dough while it proofs, and a baguette transfer peel. I have used all of this equipment while baking my way through this section and have also used many of these tools while making other recipes, making them all well worth the investment for me.

The recipes increase in difficulty and technique as the chapter progresses, the first recipe being properly named as the first lesson in the chapter, "Basic Bread". This recipe included photos with kneading and shaping instructions, easy-to-understand instructions, and a clear introduction to mixing dough, kneading it properly, and shaping bread properly, as well as the various shapes that can be made. It also provided guidance on how long to proof, rise, and bake your bread. I think this was the perfect place to start a bread-baking journey.

The next recipe in the chapter is for a "Tender Sweet Bread", and is the first introduction to enriched doughs. The recipe instructs to braid the dough, so I decided to make this recipe into two loaves of challah, one traditional and one with cinnamon and sugar. The book provided variations for this recipe, and while the cinnamon and sugar loaf I made was not explicitly written in the book, I was able to apply the information provided in the chapter to properly incorporate those ingredients into my bread successfully.

When I saw "Perfectly Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls" in this book, I was so excited to bake them up. I love cinnamon rolls so much, and I think they might be my favorite dessert. The recipe introduces the tangzhong method, and also demonstrates a dough with increased protein content due to the choice of bread flour, rather than all-purpose flour. I chose to follow one of the variations for this recipe as well, and added chocolate chips to my cinnamon rolls. The book also provided a recipe for traditional icing and cream cheese frosting, letting the reader choose their preference without having to reference an additional resource.

The next recipe to follow was for "Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread. The recipe instructs for making two loaves of the sandwich bread, which is how I baked this recipe originally; however, in the introduction before the recipe begins, the writer describes how you use half of the dough for this traditional loaf, but also can make a braided loaf or dinner rolls with this versatile dough. I will definitely be making some whole wheat dinner rolls soon!

The "Multigrain Bread" recipe was the first one in this book to frustrate me. The bread baked beautifully and tasted amazing; my struggles were with preparing to make this recipe. The ingredients state using a multigrain and seed blend to make the soaker for the dough. I have never baked with seeds and grains, and truly did not know where to start when sourcing the multigrain and seed blend. King Arthur offered many varieties on their site, and I ultimately ended up picking one, but I do wish this chapter shared more information about the use of multigrains and seeds in bread baking, and exactly which ones would be a good starting place while learning.

I baked the "Soft Pretzel" recipe into cutie pretzel balls with beer cheese, and they were amazing. The instructions for shaping the dough, making the water bath, and baking the pretzels were clear and easy to follow. This recipe, in many variations, will definitely be on repeat.

Before this book, I had never been introduced to "Simits". This is a Turkish bread similar to a bagel. I had an enjoyable time baking these, and found them easier than bagels, both in shaping and in the lack of needing to be boiled. I wish the book provided more cultural context about these rolls and how they are best enjoyed.

"Bagels" were the next recipe to follow. This recipe introduced me to non-diastatic malt powder. This is used to enhance the chewy bagel texture, give a nice golden color, and keep the dough fresher longer. It was a tad hard to find online, but I'm glad to now have it in my pantry for doughs like this. Shaping the bagels following the written directions was a bit tricky for me, and I ended up following a video I found on YouTube because I could not get my bagels to look consistent. I enjoyed trying different toppings for my bagels and finally getting the shaping right. Next time, I might make my bagels a bit larger and make 6 instead of 8.

This post is getting long, and to make sure I can clearly, accurately, and concisely share my thoughts about my time baking each recipe, I am going to pause my reflection on Chapter 1: Yeasted Breads here, and pick back up next week with the second half of the chapter. The latter half of this chapter includes the introduction of various bread pre-ferments, such as a biga, poolish, or sponge. I will dive into the various projects I made using those techniques in next week's post. My Instagram has photos of my final product for all of these lessons, so please check there to see my progression through baking and my continued journey with food!