The BEST Homemade Bread Recipe - I Heart Naptime (2024)

FAQs

What gives bread the best flavor? ›

Spices: Adding spices like cumin, coriander, or fennel seeds can give bread a unique and delicious taste. Cheese: Grated cheese, such as cheddar, can be added to the dough to make cheese bread. Seeds: Adding seeds like sunflower, pumpkin, or sesame seeds can add a nice crunch and flavor to bread.

Water vs.

Milk changes bread recipes by producing a softer loaf, due to the milk fat content, which also gives bread a richer flavor. Bread made with milk browns more easily than bread made with water, as lactose or milk sugar will caramelize as it bakes.

Hydrocolloids. Hydrocolloids are ingredients that work wonders to keep bread fresh and delicious for longer. The ones commonly used in bread are agar and carrageenan from seaweed, and cellulose and gum acacia from plants.

You can also put hot water in a heat-safe dish and place it on the floor of a cold oven (or on a lower shelf). The steam and heat from the water will help the temperature rise just enough that the yeast is active. The steam will also assist in keeping the surface of the dough moist so it will stretch as it rises.

Fats: Fats, such as butter or oil, are added to bread dough for flavor and to help keep the bread moist. They also help to create a tender crumb. Milk: Milk is added to bread dough for flavor and to create a tender crumb. It also helps to brown the crust during baking.

A great way to add flavor to home-baked bread is to use a variety of herbs and spices. Whether you're looking to use up extra basil or rosemary before it loses flavor or interested in bringing cloves, nutmeg, or poppy seeds into your bread baking, there are many possibilities and inspirational recipes.

Egg has protein, fat, water and while the fat and water soften the crumb, the protein helps with strengthening the gluten and capturing more CO2. Eggs are also helping with leavening the dough which adds to the rise. Doughs that have more egg usually rise more, so go ahead and play around a bit!

Butter, technically a dough enrichment, tenderizes bread dough and limits gluten development, yielding a softer, more tender crumb and a richer flavor. The butter in this sourdough babka dough makes the interior tender—and delicious. Photo by Maurizio Leo.

The spongy texture and moist flavor that oil creates can be a boon to certain recipes. Not to mention oil is cheaper and easier to work with. Butter will always provide superior flavor and that melt-in-your-mouth texture. In many recipes, combining the two gives the best of both worlds.

A clean dish towel is one of Hartzheim's favorite options. "Plastic bags help keep the crumb (the interior of the loaf) soft but also make the crust soft. If you will toast the bread, it's fine, but otherwise, it's a mushy, unpleasant crust.," says Hartzheim.

What do bakeries put in bread to keep it soft? ›

Expandix is a modified tapioca starch that is an excellent thickener and dough conditioner. It will hold moisture well and help keep baked goods moist for a longer time. Commercial dough conditioners. They will help to lock moisture in the flour and keep bread and baked goods moist longer.

I make several types but here are some ways that your bread can last longer. First, for sandwich type breads, use milk (or 50% milk and water mixture) rather than water. The flavor is altered very, very little; the cost is minimal and the life is extended significantly.

Once reactivated, yeast begins feeding on the sugars in flour, and releases the carbon dioxide that makes bread rise (although at a much slower rate than baking powder or soda). Yeast also adds many of the distinctive flavors and aromas we associate with bread.

Adding dry milk powder to your bread dough will help your loaf rise higher. In addition, the loaf will stay soft and hold moisture longer which again means it will last longer. It also helps brown the crust. If you want a lighter fluffier bread loaf just add 2 Tbsp of dry milk to the flour per loaf of your bread.

Most recipes call for the bread to double in size – this can take one to three hours, depending on the temperature, moisture in the dough, the development of the gluten, and the ingredients used. Generally speaking, a warm, humid environment is best for rising bread.

The volatile esters, aldehydes and secondary alcohols are the most significant flavor compounds produced during the dough fermentation by bakers yeast, are of particular interest in bread, because they contribute pleasant fruity and buttery flavor notes.

You can also add herbs and seasonings such as garlic, rosemary, dill, chopped onion, jalapeño, shredded cheese, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, etc. My no yeast bread is the quick bread alternative here—you can add flavors to that loaf, too! Baker's Tip: Avoid adding too much flour to the dough as you work with it.

Salt adds flavor to bread. If none or too little is used in a recipe, the bread will lack the right flavor and taste "bland." If you reduce the amount of salt, try adding some dried herbs to increase the flavor. Too much yeast in bread will give bread an off-taste.

Add herbs and spices: Adding herbs and spices, such as garlic powder or rosemary, to the bread before toasting it can give it a homemade taste. Add cheese or spreads: Adding cheese or spreads, such as pesto or olive tapenade, to a slice of bread before toasting can give it a homemade taste and add extra flavor.