Table of Contents

• Equipment Needed for Bread Baking
• Basic Steps in Baking Bread
• Is Bread Baking Physical or Chemical?
• Good Books on Bread Baking for Beginners
• Using a Dutch Oven — or Not
• Using Other Cast Iron for Baking
• Comparing the Cost of Homemade vs. Store Bought
• Different Types of Yeast Breads
• Different Types of Quick Breads
• Gluten-Free Bread Baking
• Online Bread Baking Classes

I’ve always loved fresh, artisan bread, with its crisp crust and chewy interior. But every time I tried baking bread at home, I ended up with dense, gummy loaves. Not liking bland commercial bread, and really loving bakery bread, I’ve tried to make my own in my home kitchen.

And now with the outdoor temps getting cooler I can justify baking something for a longer time period. During the heat of summer I really don’t want to use the oven if I can help it. Maybe something quick like cookies or pizza. So fall, with cooler weather, makes me think of baking again.

One thing I found out that is very important in bread baking is starting with a flour that has a higher protein content. These are often labeled as “bread flour”, rather than “general purpose flour” or “self rising flour”. And key to good homemade bread is working with fresh, active yeast. Old yeast that’s been in the cupboard for a few years just doesn’t perform as well.

When I first started, I just dumped all the ingredients together and mixed them up. But after doing some research, I learned there are some key steps to follow. First, you need to “proof” the yeast by dissolving it in warm water with a bit of sugar and letting it get bubbly and foamy. This activates it and ensures the yeast is alive before adding it to the dough.

Then when mixing and kneading the dough, take your time to fully develop the gluten. I tried rushing this step initially, but found letting the stand mixer go for a full 10 minutes makes a huge difference in getting that nice elastic dough that can stretch and expand when baked.

And proofing the dough is so important for flavor and texture. I’ve started proofing mine in a warmed oven, as I found just letting it sit didn’t allow it to fully rise. Now I get beautiful domed loaves when its done proofing.

Equipment Needed for Bread Baking

When I first started, I just tried using normal kitchen tools and bakeware. But I learned there are some specialty items that really help in bread making:

Stand mixer — Kneading dough by hand is tiring! A stand mixer with a dough hook makes quick work of developing the gluten.

Bread flour — Using flour with a higher protein content results in better rise and chewier texture. All-purpose flour tends to make flatter, denser loaves.

Bannetons — These special rising baskets help dough keep its shape while proofing for that nice round artisan look.

Lame — It sounds fancy, but a lame is just a blade for slashing designs in the top of loaves before baking. This helps control oven spring.

Baking stone — This retains heat like a brick oven, resulting in crispier crusts. I just use an upside-down sheet pan.

Spritzer bottle — Misting the dough with water before it goes in the oven helps create steam for better crust and crumb texture.

Cooling racks — Letting the bread cool completely before cutting allows the loaf to finish cooking and firms up the texture.

Basic Steps in Baking Bread

After getting my equipment and ingredients together, the basic process I follow for baking bread is:

1. Mix — I dissolve the yeast in warm water for a few minutes, then mix with flour, salt, sugar, oil until it comes together into a shaggy dough. Letting the yeast dissolve in warm water (about 110°F) with a pinch of sugar for 5-15 minutes is a good idea to see if it’s still viable. You should see bubbles or foam form on the surface is the yeast is still alive.
2. Knead — You can either use your hands on a clean, floured board, or a stand mixer. Set your stand mixer to knead the dough for 7-10 minutes until it’s smooth and passes the windowpane test.
3. First Rise — The dough goes into a lightly oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap, for 60-90 minutes until puffy.
4. Shape — Gently punch down the dough and form into loaves or rounds, then let rest for another 20 minutes.
5. Proof — The shaped dough can go into bannetons or bowls, covered, for 60-90 minutes until nearly doubled in size.
6. Score and Bake — You can make cuts in the top with a lame, then mist with water and bake until golden brown. A lame is one of those razor blades on a handle. Not required, but that super sharp blade will make doing finer cuts a lot neater. A very sharp paring knife should do the job, though.
7. Cool — The loaves cool completely on racks before slicing and eating.

Is Baking Bread Physical or Chemical?

When I first started baking bread, I wondered — is it a physical or chemical process that makes bread rise and take shape? The answer is that it’s both! The baking, though, IS a chemical process. Here are some of the key things happening:

Physical:
– Kneading develops gluten, giving dough stretch and structure
– Gas bubbles expand, making dough rise
– Heat from oven sets structure and browns exterior

Chemical:
– Yeast eats sugars, producing CO2 bubbles
– Starches gelatinize, setting the crumb
– Maillard reactions create flavor and brown exterior

So bread baking utilizes physical processes like kneading, heating, shaping. But also underlying chemical reactions that produce gases, set starches, and generate flavor compounds. Paying attention to optimizing both is key for the best homemade loaves!

Good Books on Bread Baking for Beginners

As a beginner bread baker, I found books so helpful for learning techniques and getting recipe ideas. Here are some of my favorites:

	Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish — This book is by celebrated Portland baker Ken Forkish is an essential baking guide offering recipes for artisan breads and pizzas. Tailored for home bakers, it includes a variety of baking schedules and detailed instructions, ensuring the creation of world-class, crispy yet supple breads and pizzas, honed from Forkish’s passionate expertise. Wow, this book has over 14k reviews!
	Bread Illustrated: A Step-by-Step Guide Achieving Bakery-Quality Results At Home — “Bread Illustrated” by America’s Test Kitchen demystifies bread baking, offering easy-to-follow, foolproof recipes for a range of breads, from simple sandwich loaves to exotic varieties like Lahmacun and Panettone. With step-by-step tutorials and a progression from basic to artisanal recipes, this comprehensive guide makes bakery-quality breads accessible to all skill levels.
	Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson — Chad Robertson, renowned as America’s finest bread baker and co-owner of San Francisco’s iconic Tartine Bakery, is a comprehensive guide for both home bakers and professionals. Featuring his celebrated Tartine loaves, the book captures the essence of the bakery where these coveted breads sell out within an hour daily.
	The New Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day — The authors revolutionize baking with a method for refrigerating homemade yeast dough, adapting it for whole grains and heirloom flours like spelt and khorasan. This updated edition introduces a rapid natural sourdough, precise weight equivalents, and uses of diverse oils like coconut and avocado.
	Bread Baking for Beginners by Bonnie Ohara — simplifies bread-making with easy recipes combining flour, yeast, water, and salt. Ideal for novice bakers, it includes step-by-step photos and guidance for kneaded, no-knead, and enriched breads. Discover essential baking tips, key terms, and kitchen essentials for delicious homemade bread.

I liked that most of these books mix background on bread science with practical recipes and directions. Reading through them gave me knowledge to understand the mechanics better while also learning techniques hands-on. I still reference them and find new tips each time!

Using a Dutch Oven or Not

Many artisan bread recipes call for baking the loaf inside a heavy Dutch oven or soup pot with a lid. I tried baking some of my earlier loaves without one, and they came out quite flat. Using the Dutch oven really improves that nice “oven spring” you want.

Here’s why it helps — the heavy thermal mass of the pot traps steam and heat to create a little steam oven full of moisture. This moist environment gives the best rise. Taking off the lid partway through baking allows the crust to crisp up nicely.

You can make bread without a Dutch oven using free-form shapes and bake directly on a stone or baking sheet. But it can take some practice. I’d recommend starting out with a covered pot or cloche for the easiest path to bakery-quality loaves! Dutch oven often end up at rummage sales or FB Marketplace, so it’s not too difficult to find a good used one.

Using Other Cast Iron for Bread Baking

While a Dutch oven works great, you can also use other pieces of cast iron cookware for baking bread. I’ve seen people have good luck baking baguettes and batards directly on a cast iron griddle pan. The heavy material holds heat evenly and gives a nice crisp crust.

And for rounding boules, you can bake them in a cast iron skillet inside the oven. Same benefits of the Dutch oven — moisture gets trapped so the dough rises fully before setting. Just be sure to leave ample room for expansion if covering the pan, so dough doesn’t stick to the lid.

The nice thing with cast iron is that the pieces multitask beyond just bread to searing meats and more. So they earn their keep in a home kitchen by being versatile.

Comparing the Cost of Homemade vs Store Bought

With the price of just about everything rising lately, I wondered if it was actually cheaper for me to bake all my own bread. I did the math, and found:

Homemade white bread:

• Approx $0.80 per loaf ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, sugar, oil)
• If baking 2 loaves, about $1.60
• Cost of electricity or gas for the oven: I’m totally estimating that to be about $1-2.

Store-bought loaf:

• Around $5-7 for a nice artisan bread
• Whole grain mass-market bread maybe $4-6
• Mass-market white bread still $2-3

So homemade bread is a lot more affordable! And that’s not even factoring in that my homemade loaves are bigger at 2 lbs each. Plus it avoids all the additives and preservatives store bread can contain. Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on mass-market bread?

The only additional costs are electricity and time. My oven uses around 50 cents of electricity to bake a batch. And the hands-on time is only about 30 minutes — less than a trip to the bakery! Only 30 minutes??? you say? I’m looking at all the random small tasks over a few hours that are needed. Ok, so maybe 45 minutes, total.

Different Types of Yeast Breads

Using yeast as the leavening agent defines the category of “yeast breads”. And within this broad group, there are countless variations! Here are a few I’ve tried:

Sourdough — Made with a wild yeast starter you cultivate, it has a delicious tangy flavor. My go-to is a classic peasant-style miche.

Challah — A rich Jewish egg bread that braids up beautifully sweet for French toast.

Brioche — Lots of eggs and butter make this ultra-rich and tender like pastry. Great for sandwiches.

Pizza Dough — Good yeast bread fundamentals but stretched thinner. I’ve started making homemade pizzas at least once a month.

Focaccia — A flat bread made with high hydration dough, often with olive oil, rosemary, and tomato bits.

There are endless flavors of bread across cultures. And I’m having fun working my way “around the globe” trying different styles!

Different Types of Quick Breads

In contrast to traditional yeast breads, “quick breads” don’t contain yeast as the leavening agent. Instead, they use baking powder, baking soda or beaten eggs to make them rise.

Without yeast, you don’t have to let them proof and can go straight from mixing to baking. That’s why quick breads…well, are so quick! Here are some I’ve tried:

Banana Bread — The ultimate way to use up overripe bananas, my family loves this classic sweet loaf.

Pumpkin Bread — Same method as banana bread but using canned pumpkin. Great for breakfast or snacks.

Zucchini Bread — Shredded zucchini makes this one extra moist. Yummy with nuts or chocolate chunks.

Beer Bread — The carbonation provides lift, with a yeasty flavor from the hops. Fun to experiment with different beer styles.

Cornbread — Savory and goes well with BBQs or chili. I add cheddar cheese for extra flavor.

Quick breads satisfy my baking itch when I don’t have hours for lengthy rise times. The simplicity lets the bold flavors of fruits or vegetables shine through!

Gluten-Free Bread Baking

One family member of mine needs to avoid gluten. But that doesn’t mean giving up homemade bread! Gluten-free bread baking is a bit more challenging because the lack of gluten protein makes it harder for dough to rise and gives a crumblier texture.

However, there are still great options. I’ve had decent results baking gluten-free breads at home. The taste and quality isn’t exactly the same. But they can come pretty darn close!

Here are some tips I’ve learned:

• Use binder ingredients like xanthan gum, eggs, or ground flaxseeds
• Include acid like apple cider vinegar to react with baking soda for lift
• Combine a variety of gluten-free flours like rice, almond, potato starch for texture
• Accept a denser crumb! Without gluten, bread won’t have as much airiness

It’s taken some adjustments to my techniques and expectations. But I’m now able to make gluten-free bread that we genuinely enjoy rather than just tolerate. openings everyone can have bread again!

Online Bread Baking Classes

While books helped me start out, I found that taking some online classes was the best way to up my game. Watching video tutorials lets me see techniques in action (there’s so much on YouTube!) — things like stretching and folding wet dough are hard to describe but easier to grasp visually.

Here are some of my favorites:

MasterClass — Richard Bertinet has an amazing 6+ hour Masterclass on baking rustic breads the French way. Worth the subscription fee just for his.

Udemy — Many many beautiful courses on classic breads and naturally-leavened sourdough with lots of troubleshooting.

Bake with Jack — Jack Bennett’s friendly videos range from basics like easy white bread to intricate braided breads.

Craftsy — Their platform has a huge variety of digital classes. I’d really love to take the one on decorative scoring patterns with great step-by-step guidance.

Skillshare — There doesn’t seem to be quite as many bread classes on this platform, but still a lot of mouth-watering content. Strangely, when I searched for “bread” a lot of other courses came up, too.

Getting to watch professionals shape baguettes, score bread dough, and load steamy ovens gave me a whole new skill set. My bread improved more from those online lessons than years of just baking solo!

I’m far from an expert bread baker yet, but learning from my mistakes has helped me improve. I can now make loaves I’m proud to serve my family and friends. The joy I get from their delight eating fresh homemade bread makes all the kneading worthwhile!

Hopefully sharing what I’ve learned so far helps beginners see that baking bread isn’t impossible. With some guidance on fundamentals, the right equipment, patience through failures, and a bit of practice – soon you’ll have masterpieces coming from your own home kitchen oven!