The texture of the bread is mainly dependent on how much gas is in the dough. Carbon dioxide is responsible for all the bubbles that make holes in bread, making it lighter and fluffier. Because gas is created as a result of yeast growth, the more the yeast grows, the more gas in the dough and the more light and airy your bread loaf will be.
So, how do you make a bread dough with healthy levels of yeast? Simply put, you have to control the temperature of the bread. Allowing ample time for your bread dough to rise and the yeast to form will create the holes in the bread that give it a lighter texture. Letting your dough get puffy and grow before it goes into the oven is critical. However, be sure not to let it rise too much. If the yeast in your dough creates too much gas, your mixture may start to blister. If you notice blistering, poke the blisters with a toothpick and get your bread to the oven quick. Once you have a handle on how long it takes your favorite light bread recipe to fully rise, creating a light and airy loaf of bread will be a piece of cake.
Boost the fluffiness of your bread by using a dough enhancer like Vital Wheat Gluten. All it takes is a small amount of dough enhancer per loaf to create a much lighter and fluffier result. Using a dough enhancer like Vital Wheat Gluten works to improve the texture and elasticity of the dough and elongate the strands of gluten. Doing so allows more room for the gas in the dough to develop and rise. Dough enhancer also improves the growth of the yeast in the bread. By the time your bread is fully baked, you'll end up with a much lighter, fluffier and taller loaf.
There are many reasons that your bread recipe could result in a dry and dense loaf. With all the different steps in bread making, you are probably looking for a simple way to create the perfect dough without adding another step. Making sure all of your ingredients are correctly measured is one of the best ways to avoid creating a loaf that is too dry. While using measuring cups and spoons, might be the method listed out on the recipe, using these tools often results in inaccurate measurements. The biggest problem with measuring cups and spoons is that they measure the ingredients' volume and not its weight. Using these measuring tools may give you a small amount of consistency. However, many professional bakers prefer to weigh their ingredients to create unified results every time.
For a light and airy bread, you'll be proud to say is homemade, we recommend weighing your ingredients in grams. You'll need to invest in a kitchen scale if you haven't already. Kitchen scales can be found for reasonable prices and are the best way to ensure that you're following the recipe precisely as intended.
I need a recipe for New York/New Jersey hard rolls. They are used to make egg sandwiches or to eat with butter and cream cheese. They are not hard…..they are light and airy and shaped similar to a Kaiser roll. The bakeries in those areas carry them as well as the delis. Can you help? Been looking for a recipe forever. The only two I have found are too dense.
Hi Maya! Unfortunately, we do not have a recipe like you describe. Sorry we couldn't be more help!
I have been using your products for years and love them. The bread pictured to the right above looks like the type of bread I have been trying to replicate. What recipe is used for that texture crust and airy open bread on the inside?
Hi Kelly! That looks like a como bread to me, Serious Eats has a fantastic recipe for that: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-italian-bakers-pane-di-como-bread-recipe
I follow the directions as printed, yet my bread always turns out heavy and dense. How do I achieve a light and soft baked loaf?
Hi Dan! Please contact [email protected] for more info.
Hi Linda, look for simpler recipes. I use a simple recipe that I have memorized now. Its very fast, cheap, and makes simple bread.
2 1/2 cups of flour
2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast
2 tablespoons of oil
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of water
purchasing basic ingredients in large quantities from my local grocery store, this comes out to 60 cents per loaf for me.
Oven temp? Bake for how long? Want to try out your recipe. Thanks!
Hi Sam
I'd like to try this recipe, how long do you let the dough sit/rise before baking & what temp & time frame is the baking process pls.
I have an even easier way -
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
Mix dry ingredients well using a wooden spoon.
Add 1.5 cups really warm water just until mixed in. Don’t over mix.
Let rest 3-5 hours
Pour out the sticky dough onto a floured work surface. Shape the dough into a ball and place onto parchment paper in a bowl. Don’t over-work it. Cover with a kitchen towel & let rest 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place an empty dutch oven in the oven at the same time and preheat 1/2 an hour.
Carefully remove your dutch oven and place dough and parchment paper into dutch oven and replace lid.
Put back in oven and bake 30 mins.
After 30 mins, remove lid and cook 8-15 mins longer or until crust is golden brown.
Remove from oven and let rest 10 mins before cutting.
Enjoy!
Hi Kimberly, I want to try doing bread today following your recipe but i have NOT gotten a Dutch oven yet, nor anything even closely resembling that. I do however have a glass oven safe bowl, but it does not come with a lid. I can put a metal one on it (though....do you think that may work??
Hi Kimberly, I see that no one has answered your question. I wouldn't use a heat safe glass for this method, because you shouldn't heat glass up to 450. Use instead 2 loaf pans, greased and floured, one as a pan to hold your dough, the other as a lid. Clip them together with 2 large metal binder clips, and bake. That will also work! It's a poor man's dutch oven. :)
I am trying out this new Bread maker and I questioned the recipe with 4 cups of flour and only 1/2 cup plus one tablespoon of milk with 2 eggs slightly beaten. It all seemed to dry from the beginning, going to take your advise try Bread Flour and less of it. Feels like such a waste of my time, energy and money! Nothing cheap about Baking your own bread! Wish me luck, going in for a second time. what is the difference in Bread Flour and All Purpose Flour, can I enhance the all purpose flour.
Bread flour has higher protein and will result in better gluten formation and a Chewier fluffier bread. All Purpose has low protein and is generally poor for bread making (but can make perfectly good cakes or pancakes). I use bread flour almost exclusively in my home.
Also I never use egg or milk in bread. Maybe biscuits or muffins but not bread. The very best artisnal loaf just needs 4 things. Flour, yeast, water, salt. That's it! (Maybe a pinch of sugar to get the yeast excited but no more, just a pinch!)
So glad to hear that! Keep us updated on your progress. :)
Please stop using 'cups' - it's no longer the 1940's. Use digital scales and measure in grams for perfect accuracy. If the Brits can move on from Ounces, we can move on from Cups. :)