Rich, and delicious, Walnut Bread is a perfect bread to serve with cheese at a casual lunch. Or as part of a dinner party meal. Savoury yet sweet it’s very moreish and is just as good lightly toasted and served with butter.
This bakers guide will answer all your questions about flour. Types and grades of flour are explained. Along with a range of alternative flours. See our tips on baking and using different types of flour.
Making Bread at Home is one of those fundamental skills everyone should master. And get the whole family involved, kids love bread making. Bashing the dough around, watching it grow and seeing it bake. That gives them a better understanding of what bread and real food is. It’s not that flour-based sponge wrapped in plastic that keeps forever. If that’s your idea of bread, you might as well eat the cardboard box you brought your shopping home in.
The wonderful thing about bread making is that it can be as simple or complex as you care to make it.
Let’s take a in depth look at some of the products and processes involved. Some of this is quite chefy, and I make no apology for that. You don’t need to absorb it all. Use the information to make sense of a recipe and gain an understanding of what’s happening, or why it’s not happening
Read this in conjunction with the bread recipes on our site and be sure to read our pages on Demystifying Perfect Pastry to compare the processes. Also be sure to read A Guide to Flour Types and Uses to understand the flour you are using, and What is Yeast to get the best from its powers.
I would also recommend having a look at breadopeadia.com for more tips on bread making.
In it’s basic form all we need to make bread is flour, water and yeast. Let’s work through the processes need to make our bread.
If you’re not sure how warm your water should be, here’s a simple baker’s trick.
Take the temperature you want your dough to be, let’s say 26˚c then double it, that’s 52˚c.
Take the temperature of the flour you are using. Let’s say it’s been in the larder and is only 18˚c.
Take that from the target temperature, and that’s the water temperature you need- 52˚c-18˚c =34˚c.
The straight dough method is the simplest. We simply add all the ingredients straight into the flour. It’s important we remember to keep the salt and sugar away from the yeast
The second method is to make a ferment. Here we mix the yeast with some of the flour to be used and leave it to naturally ferment and multiply. This gives the yeast a boost and a head start, perfect when making rich products like sweet buns.
When yeast starts to ferment, a complicated series of enzyme changes takes place. This causes the production of carbon dioxide and alcohol. This also allows the gluten of the dough to become softened and more elastic over time.
This is great for beginners. Dissolve the salt and sugar if using in the water. Crumble or mix in your yeast then work in the water followed by your oil or melted butter. You can then move on to kneading the dough and leaving it to prove.
If time is not an issue this is a good way to insure as much of the protein in the flour forms gluten.
Autolyse is a French term relating to allowing the gluten to form naturally in the dough. Both moisture and time are needed to hydrate the dough. Often with the all in one method very little time is given before kneading. The idea was formed in the 1970s to combat the trend of overly aggressive production of bread. This spoilt the flavour and natural colour of the bread.
Measure out any salt or sugar needed and put to one side. Measure the cold water for the dough then add the yeast and mix into the flour. Form into a dough then cover the bowl and leave the dough to stand for twenty to thirty minutes. When the dough has had its rest, work in the reserved salt/sugar and any fats to be used. The theory is that by allowing gluten to form within the dough before the kneading starts, we need to knead less. This means less work, and produces a better quality of loaf.
Now we have a slightly sticky dough formed in the bowl the tendency is to want to dive in and begin to knead the dough. This is the part a lot of people love. The chance to take out all that pent up aggression on a ball of dough and improve the bread as well. But does it?
Kneading the dough has two advantages. The kneading fully mixing all the ingredients together producing a smooth dough. The kneading process also stretches the strands of gluten formed in the dough and makes then more elastic. Over kneading, however, will make a tough, stiff dough that will lack volume. Under kneading will give us a weak dough that will be unable to stretch enough in baking. The loaf will rise in the oven, then collapse giving us a flat uneven loaf.
I have my own method of kneading I use. I find this works well without feeling like you have done a round in the gym afterwards.
Stand with the right foot a little ahead of the left. (If your left-handed, reverse this) Keep your right hand straight with the palm turned downwards. Place the base of your hand on the dough and rock forward onto the right foot. This will push the dough and stretch it forward. Roll the hand counter clockwise to turn the dough 90˚and pull it back towards you going back onto the left foot. Now rock forward repeating the stretching movement until the dough is smooth and elastic.
By using this method we are using our upper body weight to do the work and not relying on our arm muscles to do the work.
We now need to the yeast time to work. The yeast cells will begin to feed on the carbohydrates in the flour. As they do this, they will produce waste gas (carbon dioxide). The yeast also divides and multiplies increasing the amount of yeast available in the dough.
It’s the carbon dioxide gas that’s the key to a light loaf. As the gas is heated within the bread it expands and forces the dough out and up to form the finished loaf. The kneading process has produced the elasticity the bread needs to swell in the oven without breaking.
The common measure of when a dough has proven is that it has doubled in size. What’s important here is your perception of WARM. The ideal proving dough temperature is just below blood heat. Anywhere the dough is placed to prove should only be just warm. So many people put the dough next to the oven or radiator because of what THEY feel to be warm, not what the dough needs.
In the hotel we would bake the bread twice a day, but only make it once. The breakfast person would mix the dough in the morning. The dough needed for lunch was removed and left in a cool place to prove. The balance would be stored in our cold room at about 3˚c. In the late afternoon the dough was brought back out, perfectly proved. We would then form our rolls to be baked later and served with dinner.
As I have mentioned the yeast feeds on the carbohydrates in the dough to produce the gas we need. The yeast cells can only feed on the food they are in contact with. So once all the food source has been used, gas production will stop and the proving stall. In conduction with this the yeast will stop multiplying within the dough.
To give the proving a boost we lightly knead the dough again. The objective where is not to toughen the gluten anymore but simply to expose the yeast to a new food source. As the yeast now has a foothold in the dough. It’s also a suitable time to introduce any products (spices, butter, dried fruits) that might have affected the yeast earlier.
It’s now time to shape the dough into the finished item/s. As soon as the dough has been knocked back divide if necessary and form into your loaves or rolls.
For rolls form a ball with the flat of your hand by moving the hand in a circle. As you feel the dough forming a smooth surface against your skin. Start to bring your fingers in, so the dough forms a ball against the cup of your hand and the table. Lay these onto a floured baking sheet.
For a loaf, flatten the dough out, then roll the dough over itself to form a loaf shape. This can then ether be placed on a floured baking sheet or in a baking tin.
I find the best way of proving loaves of bread if you don’t have a proving draw is to use a bin bag. A clear one is best as you can see how the dough is progressing.
Open the bag right up and lay it on the table. Spray a mist of water into the bag then place the baking tray inside the bag. Grip the top of the open end with both hands then give a quick upward flick. Bring your hands down quickly and fold the end of the bag under the tray. This should create a balloon of air trapped in the bag with the tray inside. The dough will now create its own heat inside the bag proving the bread in perfect moist heat to avoid a skin forming.
Some chefs in a hurry will waft the steam from a kettle into the bag to speed up the process. If you have a really cold kitchen, it a good one to keep up your sleeve.
At last, to the baking. What type of oven you use is personal preference. Commercial bread ovens tend to be of a letterbox shape.in these ovens, not only can the baking temperature be set but also how much of that heat comes from the top or the bottom. We also have an option to inject steam into the oven at the start of baking. This gives us total control of the baking. But if your oven at home is not as flexible a fan assisted oven is your best bet.
In general yeast good need, a high baking temperature. Bread rolls about 220˚c loaves of bread at bit cooler at about 195-200˚c. Rich buns containing a lot of sugar will be a bit cooler to avoid the sugar burning.
In order to get a good crust, the bread needs to start cooking in a steamy atmosphere. This hot steam forms the crust and produces gelatine on the surface to give the bread a nice shine. For that reason, a full oven always bakes better than a half empty one. A good dodge is to put a tray in the base of the oven as it warms up. When you put the bread into bake, throw a few ice cubes into the tray. The ice will form stream at first but then dry out to finish the bread off in a dry atmosphere.
With small crusty rolls spraying a mist of water with a little sugar dissolved will give a good glaze. This is done halfway through baking. However, this will only work if your oven can maintain its temperature with the door been opened. If not better to keep the door closed.
This is basically a cast iron casserole with a shaped lid. The lid can become to cooking container or visa versa. The thickness of the metal means its less sensitive to the oven door been opened. And steam is retained inside the pot to help the crust. For a complete explanation look up theperfectloaf.com
Baking in a Dutch Oven can be done boy scout style outdoors but can also used indoors. This can be a very good way of baking a loaf when it difficult to keep and steam in your oven. If when you open the oven door you are greeted with a waft of steam and your glassed mist over, you’re ok. If not try out the Dutch oven.
This is the traditional method of checking if your bread is ready.
After the recommended cooking time lift the bread using a tea towel or oven cloth. Tap the base of the bread and listen. The cooked bread should make a hollow sound. If the sound is a dull thud the centre is still wet and unrisen.
The second option is to use a probe thermometer. Lighter breads like Focaccia should be between 83˚c – 91˚c in the centre. Heaver rich breads should be between 88˚c – 91˚c in the centre.
To cool your bread, place it on a cooling wire to allow air to circulate freely around the loaf. Always remove your loaves from baking tins if used or the bread will sweat, and the crust become leathery. A good deal of restraint will be needed here. Nothing is as nice as freshly bread and good butter.
Finally, make sure your bread is completely cool before wrapping. Or again the crust will be spoilt.
Well, that’s about it. Use this information to help you make a better loaf. Come and go as you need, but don’t get overly wound up on all the details. It’s important that making your own bread remains fun, and the kids love it. You might need to book the cleaners in afterwards though…..
Enjoy Life!
John.
©John Webber. 2023
This baker’s guide to yeast will explain all you need to know about using yeast.
Learn the different types of yeast available and how to use them to get the best results in your bread and baking
Grow your own tomatoes at home. It’s easy and if I can do it anybody can.
Soda Breads are so easy to make at home. Everybody loves making bread, it’s so satisfying and rewarding why not give it a try. I know what you are thinking, I can’t make bread. It takes too long. Too much kneading involved. I don’t have time. It’s too difficult. I don’t have a stand mixer, or I can’t be bothered.
Well apart from the last one, I can help you. Soda bread is actually easier than making a scone, it’s pretty much a bung it in recipe, no special equipment needed.
I’ve given you two recipes here, plain white and a wholemeal version. I like to include some seeds, black pepper, and rosemary in the wholemeal version. But these can be left out if you wish. The method of making each bread is identical. The trick is to handle the dough as little as possible and then let it rest.
A mixing bowl
Scales
Measuring jug
Baking tray
Makes one loaf.
225g plain Flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp baking powder
200ml buttermilk
½ tsp Salt
If buttermilk is unobtainable, use 160ml of plain yoghurt (not Greek style) mixed with 60ml of milk. Aim for a consistency like single cream.
Bake 200˚c (180˚c Fan) for 20 to 25 minutes.
Makes one loaf.
175g wholemeal Flour
175g plain Flour
35g pumpkin seeds
35g sunflower seeds
¼ tsp (heaped) baking powder
½ tsp (heaped) bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
½ tsp (heaped) salt
12 turns black mill pepper
250ml buttermilk
Pinhead oatmeal to sprinkle on top.
If buttermilk is unobtainable, use 200ml of plain yoghurt (not Greek style) mixed with 90ml of milk. Aim for a consistency like single cream.
Bake 200˚c (180˚c Fan) for 25 to 30 minutes.
Place all the flour/s into a bowl large enough to get your hands into. Add the raising agents, seeds/herbs if using, and salt then mix into the flour.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the buttermilk. Working from the middle outwards begin to mix the flour into the liquid with the spatula. Don’t beat the mixture, just fold together to make a damp dough. Keep a little buttermilk back until you are sure you need it all. This will depend on how thick your brand of buttermilk is.
When the mix is almost combined, tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured worksurface. Then bring the dough together with your hands. The dough should be tacky and soft. Too dry and the bread won’t rise, it’s better to add a little more liquid if you’re not sure.
Resist the temptation to knead the dough, just pat it out with the palm of your hand to form a disc 3-4 cm thick. Transfer the dough to a lined baking sheet and using a scotch scraper cut across the dough to a depth of 4mm. Then turn the bread repeat the cut to mark out four or six wedges.
Now this is where I get into one of my personal theories. It’s not general practice, but I think it makes sense.
If I am dealing with a self-supporting mix like scones and bread using raising agents. I always leave them to sit for at least ten minutes before baking. The logic is to give a little time for the gasses to build up in the dough and lighten the dough before setting the loaf in the oven. It a little bit like leaving a yeast dough to rise before cooking. Don’t try this with a light cake mix or sponge. They will collapse if not baked at once.
Dust lightly with flour then bake at 200˚c for about 25 mins. When cooked, the bread should have a heavy hollow sound when the base is tapped firmly. Lift the bread onto a cooling wire and eat barely warm with butter or good cheese.
N.B. Some supermarkets sell cultured buttermilk. This is different to true buttermilk been thicker which will make your dough too dry. Add a little milk if needed to bring the consistency down to single cream.
This may be the only bread you ever need to make. It really is worth the effort, perfect for a picnic, light lunch or to show off at a dinner party.
Enjoy Life !
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
The duffer’s’ guide to cooking with wet heat. Discover the correct way to use wet heat.
These homemade Welsh Cakes are easy to make and are a great addition to an afternoon tea spread. They are a variation of a griddle scone and shortbread, lightly spiced and finished with a coating of sugar.
How to portion a chicken on the bone? It’s not as hard as you think. This is a perfect way to prepare a chicken for a casserole, quick oven roasting, or curries. This is the cutting method I use for the barbecue or making my Tandoori Chicken joints. I much prefer to have my chicken on the bone, when possible, it gives the meat a better flavour and helps keep it juicy. I’m using a free-range bird to get the best flavour from the meat.
The advantage of doing this yourself is that you have control over the type of chicken you use. It also works out cheaper to buy a whole bird and dissect it yourself rather than buy chicken joints of an unknown origin ready prepared. And as a bonus to get the bits to make a great stock. This method of cutting will provide me with ten pieces of ready to cook meat. And the ability to give each guest both white and dark meat if wished.
The last thing we want is to have bone fragments floating around in our food. You can avoid this by cutting naturally though the joints as much as possible. Before you start getting your hands dirty have a look at the bird and familiarise yourself with the layout of the bones.
I find the best way to explain this is to compare the bird with your own body. Now imagine the bird sitting up on its parsons’ nose. From the top you have the neck, down to the shoulders, then the chest with the spine at the back. Right down to the hips leading on to the thighs, knees and finally shins.
Looking at the bird in this way it’s a lot easier to find the joints and separate them rather than trying to hack through bone. These instructions are for a right-handed person. If you’re left-handed simply reverse your starting point.
You will need a sharp knife; I am using a small cook’s knife and a pair of strong kitchen scissors. Always use a separate board for cutting meat and place a damp cloth under the board to avoid it slipping when you are working. Wood is not ideal surface for meat as meat juices can seep into the wood. I use a red plastic board that is easy to clean and can go into the dishwasher.
Have a tray large enough to take all the chicken pieces and carcase. And it’s a good idea to always wear a pair of disposable gloves to keep your hands clean. Before you start read through the instructions twice and have a look at the video. If you are on a laptop follow the pictures for reference.
We need to be aware that while eggs are safe to eat underdone. The chicken meat itself may well be harbouring bacteria which are dangerous to us, unless cooked through. The last thing we want to do is spread these bacteria all around the kitchen. When dealing with raw meats, always do this before, and separately to any other cooking you may be doing.
And the big no-no DO NOT WASH YOUR POULTRY!!!! Washing the bird particularly in your kitchen sink will simply transfer the bacteria all around the kitchen. I mean would you take the raw bird and rub it all over the worktops and utensils in the kitchen? Of course not, but washing the bird will have the same affect. It the bird is damp or has juices inside dry it off with kitchen paper and immediately throw it away. Make sure you dispose of any packaging as well and don’t leave it hanging around.
Take the bird and place it on the board with the legs facing towards you. Pull the left leg away from the body and slice down through the skin between the leg and the breast. Using the left hand, bend the leg downwards away from the breast then twist the bird on its side.
This will allow you to bend the leg right back and dislocate the hip joint. To remove the leg from the carcase we simply slice the skin away between the thigh and pelvic bone. If you can, try to capture the piece of meat known as the ‘oyster’. This sits on the pelvic bone in a small depression at the head end of the bone. It’s a shame to leave good meat on the carcase and boosts the size of the thigh. Rotate the bird and remove the other leg. Then place both legs on your tray
Open out the wings but don’t pull them right out or they will be more difficult to cut. Place your knife on the left-hand wing (assuming you are right-handed) just on the tip of the first joint out from the body and slice downwards. Your knife should slice though between the bones removing the wing and wing tip.
If it won’t go, don’t push harder, try repositioning the knife making sure you’re not pulling the wing outwards. Put the wing onto your tray, we can use these for the BBQ, have them spiced as a party snack or use then to boost a stock. Rotate the bird around and repeat the process on the
Turn your attention to the breast meat. One of the key skills to learn with poultry is removing the wishbone. It’s a small bone running from one side of the neck to the other and down to the breastbone. It’s quite small but if not removed will trap quite a bit of good meat on to the carcase. Even if you’re just going to roast the bird whole, remove the wishbone. If you are picking up your Christmas turkey from the bitcher, ask him to do it, it makes the carving so much easier.
At the neck end of the bird, trim off any excess skin and examine the cavity. You should see a faint line just under the meat at both sides of the breast. Use the point of your knife to scrape back the covering and you will see the bone below. With the bird flat on the board carefully place the tip of the knife under the bone and cut down. The knife should slice down with very little resistance. Repeat this on the other side, then with index finger and thumb you should be able to twist the bone out.
All that’s now left to do is deal with the breast meat, we are going to remove two mini chicken Supremes first. Put the bird with the neck end towards you. Each side of the breast will still have a wing bone attached. Place your knife on the left-hand side of the bird sitting on the skin where the wing bone joins the carcase. The knife should be slightly angled out from the breastbone, then slice down.
Once again don’t use pressure to cut through, let the knife be guided by the carcase. All been well the knife should find its way down to the wing joint when we can cut though. Release the supreme and add to the tray.
To remove the second supreme, it’s the same process but don’t rotate the bird, keep it facing towards you.
The next thing is to cut off the centre section of meat still on the carcase. If you are skilled with the knife that will do the job. If you’re not 100% sure use a good pair of kitchen scissors for this.
Put the carcase on its side and snip down the bones from the parsons’ nose end to the neck just where the meat finishes. Turn the bird over and repeat, lift off the meat section and one or two small snips should release it.
Place the section horizontally on the board skin side up and simply cut straight down across the joint to create two equal pieces. Then add to your tray.
It’s a good idea to separate the thigh and drumstick of the legs. The meat on each cooks differently and benefits from been used correctly. The drumsticks again can go on the BBQ, roasted, or be poached, skinned, breadcrumbed, and fried for the classic fried chicken. The thighs are the best part of the bird. If you are looking to make a chicken casserole or curry, its thighs every time. Breast meat is dry and stringy by comparison.
Take one of the legs and lay it on the board skin side down. Place your finger on the hip joint of the thigh and slowly run it longways towards the middle of the leg. You will notice a line of fat following the same line. This directly over the thigh bone and is a major help in locating the bone if you wish to remove it later. Where this line finishes is the ‘knee’ joint. There, you should then see a second line of fat running across the leg. This indicates the line of the joint between the bones.
Place your knife on this line and slice down. With luck you will separate the drumstick and thigh without cutting through any bones. If you can’t get through, try a slight repositioning of the knife. Make sure you are slicing, not just pushing the knife through. When done add to your tray and bingo – you have just mastered dissecting a chicken.
Well, that’s a very long explanation of a reasonably straightforward job- honestly! Do try it you wont regret it and after a couple of goes you will do it without thinking. There are other options in breaking down the bird, ill cover these on other pages or its just toooooo much information.
But here’s the good news, the configuration of all poultry and feathered game is similar. So once you have mastered a chicken you are set up to tackle a duck, pheasant, pigeon, or turkey, its just a matter of scale.
Enjoy Life,
John
Delicious, mango and coconut cream tarts. Great for entertaining. Light,crisp almond pastry filled with fresh mango and coconut cream.
Learn the technique of making small crisp tart shells using perforated rings. Great for entertaining with a variety of fillings.
These basic Indian flavouring pastes take minutes to prepare and can be frozen or refrigerated to last you for weeks. Ginger- Garlic paste is a must have in the kitchen to make a professional curry without the fuss. Ginger paste and Chilli paste are both ideal for enhancing and giving added depth to your spiced dishes.
You can of course buy most of these, but they will be full of preservatives and will lack the vibrance of homemade versions. The best storage for these pastes is to freeze them in blocks. I use ice cube trays which make blocks of 2tbsp which is a handy size for most people. Once frozen the blocks can be emptied out of the trays into freezer bags and labelled. Make sure to read our post on Indian Onion Pastes to complete the picture and be ready to make some great curries.
300g Peeled Root Ginger (chopped or grated)
30ml Water
For ease of preparation and economy choose large pieces of ginger without many knobbly bits. To get the best from these pastes wait until the shop gets a fresh delivery of roots in, the fresher the better. Trim off any dark pieced then peel the ginger with a spoon. No, that’s not a typo, scraping the skin off the root with the edge of an old dessert spoon is the quickest, safest, and most economic way to peel ginger
Chop the roots into small pieces then pop into the food processor. Blend the water and ginger together to a smooth paste and freeze until required.
You may notice I am using water here to blend the paste rather than oil which appears in the next recipes. The reason for this is the pastes below will general be cooked in or added to a savoury dish. By using water here this paste could equally find its way into a dessert such as a steamed pudding or cake.
100g Peeled Ginger Root
100g Peeled garlic
20-30ml Vegetable oil
Peel the ginger as outlined above and roughly chop. Blend the oil, ginger, and garlic together to a smooth paste and freeze until required.
The paste may also be stored in the fridge in a sealed container in the fridge by adding 1tsp lemon juice to the mix and covering the surface of the paste with a thin layer of vegetable oil.
10 Green Chillies
2tsp Vegetable Oil
¼ tsp salt
Trim the stem of the chillies then cut them in half long ways and remove the seeds and central core. Coarsely chop the chilli flesh then blend to a paste with the oil, salt, and water.
While we call this a ‘paste’ you will find its actually very small pieces of chilli that will disappear when used in a curry. And while we’re taking Indian cooking here this paste would be equally useful to lift a Thai dish or dip.
The best way to store the paste is to freeze it. I use a silicone ice cube tray which makes 1cm cubes so I can add the chilli to a dish in small amounts.
You can make all the above in just a couple of hours and have a bundle of flavour sitting in your freezer ready for use. I would use three months as a ‘use by guide’ to storage but I bet once you get into using these they won’t hang around that long.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
The making of Indian onion pastes. Often used in restaurants to enrich and thicken a curry. Easy to make at home and give your curries a professional finish.
All you need to know about _Eggs. Learn about the egg itself. what each part of an egg can do, and how we can use it in our cooking.