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Volume III
February 15, 2013


Weekly Home / Cook'n & Eat'n

Secrets to the BEST Bread

By Sydney Hill

You will be a better cook if you know what the ingredients you are using actually do. Here's why:

1. You'll know why something turned out the way it did (was really rich, didn't rise, etc.)
2. You can have more fun and experiment.
3. You can create your own recipes or adapt old ones
4. Make it the way YOU want it to turn out.

I have been trying to do that with my own baking. Learning what things do and experimenting. (I've got a lot to do before this scientist is pro.) But it's still so much fun, and I love that I get to try things the way I want to make them.

I've been trying to find more about what certain ingredients (like lecithin, dough enhancer, eggs) actually do? What's the point of using them? I did some research and came across this website.

https://www.breadmachinedigest.com/tips/dough-enhancers-and-how-to-use-them.php

Giving credit where credit is due, I loved the information they gave on this website! It's helpful to know what these baking agents do and how much to use.

I paraphrased most of the information below, but I encourage you to visit the site for all of the information.

Here are some things that an enhancer improves:
•  Flavor
•  Texture
•  Crust
•  Freshness

You use enhancers all the time:
•  eggs
•  sugar
•  honey (also a preservative)
•  a.k.a. Anything besides flour, water, yeast

What do they all do? (and how much do I use if I'm experimenting?)

Sugar: Helps bread rise, lighter bread
Amount used varies on sweetness of bread

Eggs: Leavening (lighter bread), preservative, moisture, color
1 large egg replaces about 1/4 cup of liquid in the recipe

Lecithin: Very similar to what eggs do as it is made from egg yolk or soy. (lighter bread, preservative, moisture)
1 Tbsp for every cup of flour

Non-Diastic malt: Feeds yeast, soft bread, structure (not malted milk. We don't want bread tasting like a whopper. I don't even like whoppers.)
1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour

Absorbic Acid: Helps yeast, makes it harder for mold and bacteria to grow
1/8 teaspoon per loaf

Dry Acid Whey: (not the same as dry whey) does almost the same thing as absorbic acid; helps bread rise quickly
1 teaspoon per cup of flour

Vital Wheat Gluten: Hard bread without it, not all flours need it.
1 Tablespoon per cup of flour

Pectin: Use instead of fat, adds moisture
1 teaspoon per loaf

Ginger: Keeps bread fresh, helps yeast, apparently it won't effect flavor?
1/4 teaspoon per loaf

Dry Milk: helps crust, flavor, moisture; easier to shape dough
1 Tablespoon per cup of flour

Gelatin (Unflavored): Texture and moisture, nutritional
1 teaspoon per loaf

Fats: moisture, flavor, takes away "chewiness"; breads don't use a lot, don't worry
1 Tablespoon per cup of flour

Buttermilk: yeast works quickly, moisture, freshness; if you don't want bread to be tart, add 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 Cup replaces a 1/2 cup of other liquid in the recipe

Garlic: helps yeast, makes dough easier to work with, freshness of bread; does affect flavor
1 teaspoon per loaf

Cake flour: softer bread, easier to work with
Only replace 1/4 or less of the flour called for in the recipe

Dough Enhancers: When you buy these at the store, they usually contain many of the above ingredients. I found a 15 oz canister for 3 or 4 dollars. However, as Linda D pointed out in the Potato Cinnamon Roll article, you can make you're own! She found a recipe at https://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/how-to-make-homemade-dough-enhancer/ (Thanks Linda!)

The website I got the above information from also has a recipe:


Homemade Dough Enhancer


Ingredients:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1 cup potato starch
or
1 cup instant potato flakes
1 package jelly powdered pectin
1 cup lecithin granuals
2 tablespoons vitamin C tablets - powdered
1 tablespoon ginger powder
1 cup dry milk powder
1/2 cup diastatic malt powder
1 envelope unflavored jello


Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender container or food processor. Process
for 30 seconds. Remove enhancer to a glass or plastic container with a
tight fitting lid you can get a teaspsoon in to. To use add 1 tsp. of the
enhancer per 1 cup of flour called for in the recipe. No other adjustments
are needed.


Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.


Help on downloading recipes


Reference:
https://www.breadmachinedigest.com/tips/dough-enhancers-and-how-to-use-them.php

Dough with rolling pin image:
https://www.couponclippingcook.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/15-rolling-dough.jpg

Oat bread image:
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ay_Y2XJvBAs/UHyAzw_ZneI/AAAAAAAAFA8/IIYE0f0xo4E/s1600/honey+and+oat+GF+bread+1.jpg

Bread with eggs image:
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_OFpCCX-zBts/TSvXVyi0F9I/AAAAAAAANis/tzKyCqfweXA/s400/Rolling+Pin+with+Flour+on+Board.jpg

Rising bread image:
https://cookshootblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/BreadDough.jpg

Dough enhancer image:
https://911emergencysolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/90900_ED_Dough_Enhancer__61198_zoom.png

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