You come across the same phrases in almost every bread recipe. This is great if you … don't know what those phrases mean! What exactly is a harsh measure? When can the dough be considered “smooth and elastic”? How dark is “deep golden brown”? Here comes our visual bread guide. (And of course, for even more visual recipe demonstrations, you can always check out YouTube channel.)
“Baked Sourdough Starter”
Photography by Mark Weinberg; food styling by Liz Neily
Photography by Mark Weinberg; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
What is happening: “Baked” it means that your engine is ready to be used in baking. It is at the height of its powers; if you have a healthy starter that you feed regularly, this should happen approximately 8 hours after feeding, although the timing can vary.
What to look for: The starter should double in size and show signs of just starting to sag under its own weight. Look for the edges of the motor, next to the walls of the container, to be slightly higher than the center of the motor. The surface should have fine bubbles scattered across the top.
“Mix to form a rough mass”
Mark Weinberg
Mark Weinberg
What is happening: This step comes at the beginning of bread recipes, when you start mixing the dough ingredients together. You are not cooking or developing the dough here; that will come later, or through manual dough, folding, and/or long rest. This step is simply the mixing to combine.
What to look for: The dough should be rough, bumpy and lumpy. However, it should be thoroughly and evenly mixed, without any visible traces of dry flour remaining.
“Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic”
John Sherman
What is happening: This step develops gluten that was formed when you combined flour with water, transforming the rough mass into a smooth, elastic and stretchable dough. By stirring the dough through kneading (by hand or by machine), you are binding the gluten into long, organized strands; this step softens the dough and gives it stretch (the ability to stretch) and elasticity (the ability to snap like a rubber band).
What to look for: The dough should be smooth and soft to the touch. When you grab a piece and pull, it shouldn't tear; instead, it should stretch but have enough strength to snap when released. The dough should not be overly sticky, but it may feel sticky – like the back of a Post-It note. If you press lightly, the dough should spring back.
A helpful visual cue is the windowpane test, a quick way to find out if your batter is cooked enough. Grab a piece about the size of a ping pong ball and very gently pull the opposite ends to stretch the middle. As you pull, the dough in the center will get thinner and thinner until at some point it splits. This may happen almost immediately, or the dough may stretch so far that you can see light through it; this is called the “windowpane reach.” Learn more: What is the windowpane test for bread dough?
“Let the dough rise until puffy”
Mark Weinberg
Christina's dough
What is happening: During correction – both the first rise (bulk fermentation) and the second growth – the yeast consumes the sugars and starches in the dough and releases carbon dioxide, which is trapped in the strong gluten network created during cooking. As the dough captures the gas, it expands, causing the dough to rise.
What to look for: The upper part of the dough should be stretched somewhat taut. The dough should feel soft and pillowy – if you press a finger into it, a hole should remain. During first rise (mass fermentation) the dough will often, but not always, double in size.
“Roast until a deep golden brown”
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
What is happening: We like to say that color equals taste. The golden brown crust of baked bread is the result of Maillard reaction, a chemical process that can be simplified to sugar + protein + heat = tan. The result of this coloring is a much more complex flavor profile than other types of browning, producing more attractive and aromatic bread. After all, you want your crust to get enough color to ensure good flavor.
What to look for: The bread should be a deep, rich golden brown when you remove it from the oven. Some places, like where you marked it, may be a little lighter in color, but they should still be brown, not pale. When baking bread on the hearth, baking ambassador Martin Philip also advises bakers to “look for the eye” – a small strip of carbon in thethe ear of bread.
For more bread baking visuals, check out ours YouTube channel for video like The easiest bread you will ever bake, Baguettes you can brag aboutAND Fluffy, crunchy conch.
Cover picture (Rustic bread with dough) by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
