As of: March 28, 2024, 8:01 a.m
By: David Holzner
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You don't necessarily have to go to the bakery for fresh bread: many people bake their own bread. What you should keep in mind.
Imagine it: you open your oven and the smell of freshly baked bread wafts through your apartment, filling the air with an irresistible warmth and delicious aroma. You bite into the crispy crust and the dough inside is still nice and warm. Freshly baked bread has a unique taste. You don't necessarily have to run to the bakery for this. Anyone can bake bread at home and it's not that difficult. There are just a few things to keep in mind to ensure your bread turns out perfectly. Five tips for homemade bread.
Baking your own bread: Which flour should you use?
You don't necessarily have to run to the bakery for freshly baked bread. (Symbolic image) © Martin Bäuml Photodesign/IMAGO
To bake bread yourself, you only need a few ingredients: flour, yeast, water and salt. However, these should be selected carefully. The type and type of flour play an important role in the taste. Therefore, you should first ask yourself what kind of bread you want? Strong rye bread or would you prefer light wheat bread?
Oekotest.de
recommends the following types of flour for baking yourself:
For white breads and light mixed breads: wheat flour types 405 and 550, rye flour type 997, spelled flour type 630
For darker and coarser mixed breads: wheat type 1050, rye type 1150, spelled type 812
For dark, strong mixed breads: wheat type 1700, rye type 1800, spelled type 1050
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If you are wondering what the numbers on the flour bags mean: The type number indicates how thoroughly the flour has been milled. Basically, the higher the type number, the darker and more mineral-rich the flour. Do you want to bake gluten-free bread? No problem.
Glutenfreigeniessen.de
recommends rice, corn, millet or buckwheat flour.
Tips for homemade bread: The right bread seasoning
The classic bread spices in Germany include anise, caraway, fennel and coriander. According to
Servus.com,
the essential oils contained in it were originally intended to make the pastry more digestible. The spices can be bought ready-made and mixed. However, you can also mix them yourself. Especially those who like to experiment can try out a variety of things when it comes to seasoning. Pepper, nutmeg and allspice are suitable, as are cumin or turmeric. For a Mediterranean-inspired bread, we recommend using oregano, basil, rosemary or thyme.
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The steps to the perfect bread: mix, knead and let it rise
Mix the dough, knead it briefly and put it in the oven. It could be so easy. But if you want to conjure up the perfect bread, you should take it a little easier. Time and care are important components of bread baking. But what is the best way to do this?
After you have mixed your ingredients, the first
kneading phase
follows . All the ingredients combine finely with each other. According to
the Spiegelhauer bakery,
this is referred to as “swelling”.
Then comes the
rest phase
. Cover the bread dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for at least half an hour until it has approximately doubled in size. The
Central Association of the German Bakers' Trade
states that you can even let the bread rise overnight. This means you don't have to knead it as long the next day.
Kneading
follows
again
. Here it is worth using a little more force. As
Hagengrote.de
explains, this forms the protein structure, which later ensures a loose and stable loaf of bread when baking.
The rule of thumb is: mix slowly and calmly and let it rise, knead quickly and vigorously.
Bread in the oven: The ideal baking time
The basic rule is: preheat the oven long enough. Ideally 250 degrees with top/bottom heat. With circulating air the bread dries out quickly. According to
Servus.com,
bread was traditionally baked in brick and direct-fired wood-burning ovens. So put the bread directly on the hot baking tray. To imitate a wood-fired oven that cools down over time, bake at a falling temperature. To check whether it is ready, here is a tip: tap the loaf of bread. If it sounds hollow, the bread is ready.
Oekotest.de
also recommends putting a bowl of water in the oven so that the crust becomes nice and crispy.
Enjoy bread for longer: correct storage
In order to enjoy your baking skills for longer, it is important that you store your bread correctly. Bread should be stored so that it can get air. So the good old bread bin is a good idea. You can also freeze the bread. To do this, cut it into slices or put it whole in the freezer. Important: Do this before the bread becomes hard. However, the refrigerator is a no-go for storing bread.