Yeast Breads
History
 Bread baking can be dated back to the Stone Age,
when people first learned to grind seeds – probably
barley and millet – in mills made from stone where it
was then cooked on heated stones
 Over the centuries milling grain was improved and
with the aids of wind powdered fans and sieves,
people developed a way to remove parts of the chaff
and bran
 The Romans and Greeks can be attributed to
advanced cultivation and milling methods resulting
in different kinds of flour in various stages of
refinement
Types of Bread
 There are 4 major
categories of bread:




Loaf Breads made with
yeast
Breakfast items, such as
croissant and Danish
pastries
Quick breads, leavened
with baking powder or
baking soda
Flatbreads, which may or
may not be leavened
Bagels
 Made from stiff dough and high-protein flour
 They are first boiled for a chewy texture and a crisp,
blistered crust


Boiling causes the starch on the surface to swell into a thick crust the
browns richly during baking
A hole in the center allows the bagel to cook evenly
 After boiling, the bagels are air-dried and then brushed
with an egg wash and baked in a hot oven
 Barley malt is added to the dough to help break down
carbohydrates into simpler sugars and proteins into
amino acids, increasing surface browning during baking
Cake-like Bread
 Tender and sweet, some breads like brioche, challah,
panettone and pandoro, are hybrids of cake and bread
 Like cake:

They have the gluten tenderizing addition of eggs and fat and enough
sugar to register as sweet on the palate
 Like bread:

They are raised with yeast and kneaded to give them a subtle
chewiness
 More yeast is needed because large amounts of sugar will
slow the growth of yeast
 These are baked at low temperatures to prevent burning
as sugar increases browning reactions
Flatbreads
 Flatbreads cook quickly and on a hot, flat surface such as
a griddle, the floor or wall of an oven, or a stone
 Flatbreads are thin and therefore do not need a lot of
gluten to maintain their structure, can be made from a
variety of grains, and require less kneading
 Flatbreads are baked in direct contact with a hot surface,
causing them to rise quickly, often forming bubbles or air
pockets in their center that puff impressively during
baking

Puffing happens when the bottom and top crusts of flatbreads set up
before the moist dough center – steam builds up and tears the
interior, forcing the two surfaces apart – the flatbread will collapse as
it cools
Flatbreads
 Baobing and Shaibing

Thin, floppy Chinese
flatbread used as
a wrapper
 Carasau

Sardinian unleavened
cracker bread,
made from durum
semolina
 Chapati

Soft whole-grained
unleavened skillet
bread from India
 Crumpets

Griddle cooked yeasted
muffins cooked in
rings for standardization
Flatbreads
 Focaccia

Soft, thick leavened
flatbread from Italy
that is often coated with
seasoning
 Injera

Bubbly sourdough
flatbread from
Ethiopia, often made from
teff flour
Flatbreads
 Lavash
 Paper-thin unleavened
Armenian flatbread used as a
wrapper, can be soft or crisp
 Matzoh
 An unleavened sacramental
cracker-like flatbread
produced for the Jewish
holiday of Passover
 Matzoh must enter the oven
no more than 18 minutes
after the flour is mixed with
water to ensure that no yeast
has had a chance to grow in
the dough
Flatbreads
 Naan

Rich leavened flatbread
from India, baked on the
walls of a ceramic tandoor
oven
 Pita

Leavened pocketed
flatbread that is a Middle
Eastern mainstay
Flatbreads
 Pizza

Thin leavened flatbread
usually topped with sauce,
cheese, and other toppings
 Pretzel

Yeasted dense dough
ropes, often knotted, and
glazed with an alkaline
solution for a dark brown,
crisp, tangy surface; can
be soft or crisp
Flatbreads
 Puri

Deep-fried puffed
unleavened bread from
India; usually bite sized
 Scandinavian Flatbread

Unleavened, usually crisp,
and often made from rye,
oats, and/or barley
Flatbread
 Tortilla

Unleavened skillet
flatbreads from Mexico
made from wheat or corn
Gluten-Free Breads
 For people who cannot tolerate wheat gluten there
are gluten-free breads made with alternative flours,
like rice or soy
 Rice and soy flour have a polysaccharide which has a
gluten eliminating elasticity
Layered Breads
 Layering yeasted dough with butter produced
slightly chewy buttery-rich flaky baked goods that
are a combination of risen bread and puff pastry
 Croissants


Made with lightly kneaded white bread dough that is rolled
into a sheet and folded with a layer of softened butter mixed
with flour
They are rolled and folded several
times, so care must be taken to
keep the dough from developing
gluten and to keep the butter
from melting
Quick Breads
 Biscuits, scones, muffins and some savory cakes are
raised with chemical leaveners and are called quick
breads because the do not require rising time
Rye Breads
 Rye has a low concentration of gluten-forming
proteins and so doesn’t form an elastic network the
way wheat flour does
 Rye bread is commonly wheat bread with a small
proportion of rye flour added for flavor
 Because rye flour can hold up to 8 times its weight in
water (wheat flour can only hold up
to 2 times) giving rye bread a soft,
moist texture that delays staling
Sourdough Breads
 Sourdough breads begin like yeast-starter bread, but
in sourdough the formation of acids in the sponge is
encouraged
 Although the acid, mainly lactic acid, give sourdough
its distinct flavor, the trick to working with a
sourdough starter is to keep the acid level under
control – bacteria grows faster than yeast and their
acidic byproducts inhibit the growth of yeast and
weaken gluten
 Browning reactions are slower in acidic conditions so
sourdoughs tend to be paler than other breads
Yeast Starter Breads
 The most common method for making risen breads
begins with a mixture of flour and water called a
sponge
 Wild yeast and bacteria from the flour and air, or
yeast added to the mixture, are encouraged to grow
in the sponge, producing carbon dioxide and alcohol
from the yeast, and acids from the bacteria
 When foamy the starter is bulked up with more flour
and water and formed into a dough
Fundamental Procedures
 Step 1: Selecting the raw
ingredients


Each ingredient is
significant because there
are so few in bread
Use the best possible
flour, grains, salt, yeast,
and water (pay close
attention to the
temperature)
Flour
 A wheat kernel is comprised of three parts: the outer
layer called bran, and two inner parts, the
endosperm and germ.
 During the process of milling, the kernel first pass
through metal rollers to crack them, then the bran
and germ are removed through
repeated stages of sifting and
separation
Flour
 Flour has 5 nutrients in it: fat, minerals, water,
starches and proteins
 Flour protein, called gluten, is tough and rubbery
created when flour is added to water
 Gluten is responsible for the volume, texture and
appearance of baked goods by providing structure
and enables dough to retain the gases given off by
leavening agents
Yeast
 Yeast is a living organism that breaks down sugars
into carbon dioxide gas and alcohol, which are
necessary for the rising process

Yeast products get their aroma and flavor from this process
 Types:
 Compressed Yeast
 Dry Active Yeast
 Quick-rise Yeast
Compressed Yeast
 Compressed yeast is moist and must be stored in the
refrigerator
 It is creamy white, a crumbly texture, and will smell
like freshly baked bread
 To use:

Crumble into warm water
Dry Active Yeast
 Dry active yeast has had most of its moisture
removed by hot air which leaves the granules
dormant
 To use:

Must be reactivated in liquid that is between 100 F and 110 F
 Storage:
 Unopened packages can be stored in a cool, dry place
 Opened packages must be stored in the freezer
 Substitutions:
 Use 50 % less active dry in lieu of compressed yeast
Quick-Rise Yeast
 Quick-rise yeast is similar in appearance to active
dry yeast however it acts much quicker.
 To use:


Blend with dry ingredients
Add water that is between 100 F and 110 F to activate
 Storage:
 Lasts 1 year if unopened
 Once opened, store in freezer
Yeast
 Yeast fermentation is
damaged in temperature
above 115 F and is killed at
145 F.
 Yeast fermentation is
slowed but not damaged at
temperatures before 65 F
and becomes non-existent
at 40 F or lower
 Although fermentation
ceases, it is not killed.
Once the dough is thawed
and warmed, the yeast
becomes active again.
Yeast
 The easiest bread to make is white bread, which
contains all white glutenous flour and only the
amount of sugar that is healthy for the yeast. White
bread can therefore be made with cold milk, which
slows the fermentation long enough to allow time to
braid the dough into various shapes.
 In breads with a high proportion of sugar or a sweet
flour that has little or no useable gluten structure, it
is important to keep the dough from getting too cold.
Yeast
 RISING TEMPERATURE
 The ideal temperature for yeast to develop is between 78 F and
82 F
 The dough should be kept as close to this temperature as
possible by starting with a warm liquid, however if the liquid is
too hot, it will damage or kill the yeast
Fundamental Procedures
 Step 2: Weighing the
ingredients


Accuracy is crucial to a
balanced and workable
formula, to creating
consistency in quality, and
to controlling costs
Where possible, using a
digital scale will provide
the best results
Fundamental Procedures
 Step 3: Mixing and Kneading
 The order in which ingredients are combined and the way they
are mixed will influence both flavor and texture of a baked
bread
 If done incorrectly, the yeast can be damaged to the point
where the bread will not rise
 Once all ingredients are combined, the gluten in the dough
must be developed through kneading which will distribute the
yeast cells evenly throughout the dough so they are able to
receive proper nutrition and expand the dough uniformly
How It Works - Mixing
 As soon as flour gets wet its starch and protein begin
to absorb water, activating enzymes.
 Enzymes start converting starch molecules from the
flour, turning them into sugar.
 Yeast feeds on the sugar, producing carbon dioxide
and alcohol.
 Protein in the flour absorbs some water and sprawls
out into springy strings that bond with their
neighboring proteins, and gluten starts to form
during kneading
How It Works - Kneading
 Kneading stretches, folds, and compresses gluten
strands
 As more connections form among the proteins, the
dough takes on a smoother texture and springy,
satiny feel.
 During kneading air gets trapped in the dough so the
more you knead, the more air is dispersed. For an
even finished texture you want a fine network of tiny
air bubbles
Fundamental Procedures
 Step 4: Fermentation
 An ongoing process that starts as soon as the yeast is added to
the dough and ends during baking when the bread reaches 145
F and the yeast is killed.
Yeast Fermentation
 YEAST FERMENTATION
 Two basic methods:
One-step or straight-dough method
 Pre-ferment method
 Sponge method
 Pre-dough method
 Sour starters

Straight-Dough or One-Step Method
 All of the ingredients, including the yeast are mixed
together at the beginning and, in most cases, are
kneaded to form a gluten structure
 The dough is then given one or two periods to rise
before being punched down for the last time and
formed into loaves and rolls
Pre-ferment Sponge Method
 A very soft dough or paste is made using a small
amount of flour, water, sugar, and yeast. The
“sponge” rises in a warm place, covered, until it has
doubled in volume
 The sponge is then mixed with all of the remaining
ingredients to make the dough
 Advantages:


This method allows the yeast to ferment in peace and develop
strength without interference from other ingredients
The flavor from the alcohol also becomes stronger
Pre-ferment Pre-dough Method
 A pre-dough is used for primarily the same reason as
the sponge method, but the pre-dough is
intentionally made firmer to allow the dough a
longer time in which to develop a fermented flavor
and to soften the gluten, giving the final product
increased volume
 A small percentage of yeast is mixed with the liquid
and flour to form a stiff, smooth dough. The stiffer
the dough, the longer it will take for the yeast to
leaven it. The mixture is covered and left for rise for
12-24 hours
Pre-ferment Sours and Starters
 The mixture is soft and somewhat fluid and left to
develop for an extended period to produce a much
stronger fermented or sour flavor
Fundamental Procedures
 Step 5: Punching Down the Dough
 Dough is punched down after it has reached its maximum
volume during the proofing/fermentation stage
 By flattening dough the dough, the yeast cells are
redistributed, which allows them to find a new food supply
 Trapped gas is expelled, which equalizes the temperature and
prevents the dough from developing a sour flavor
Fundamental Procedures
 Step 6: Portioning
 The dough must be accurately divided into equal portions so
the finished pieces will bake uniformly and have a professional
appearance
 This step should be completed quickly to prevent the yeast
from overreacting and the dough from forming a skin
 Step 7: Bench Proofing
 A resting period that allows the gluten in the dough to relax
before the dough is formed into a particular shape – this
should take about 10-15 minutes
 The dough should be covered to prevent a skin and to protect
from drafts
Fundamental Procedures
 Step 8: Shaping
 The relaxed dough is formed into desirable shapes
Slashing
 Slashes are cuts on top of breads and rolls before
baking not simply for appearance, but as an aid to
relieving pressure

The product increases in volume at a greatly accelerated speed
during the first 5 minutes of baking and can cause the surface
to crack or break at weak points
 Most cuts are made just under the skin of the loaf
and not deep toward the center and are made with a
small serrated knife or razor blades
Slashing
Forming Freestanding Loaves of Bread
 To form round or oval loaves of bread




Put the required weight of dough on the table and cup your hand
around it and move the dough around counterclockwise as you lift
one section at a time outside and press it down in the center, forming
a tight skin around the dough
You can form two simultaneously by working with a second piece of
dough with your other hand in the same way, except you will move
the dough around clockwise
http://www.fornobravo.com/video/kaiser_shaping.mov
Baguettes
The oblong piece of dough is repeatedly folded and pounded with the
heel of the hand to remove air bubbles and form a tight skin
 The loaves are then rolled against the table to the desired length
 http://www.fornobravo.com/video/baguette_shaping1.mov

Shaping loaves for Bread Pans
 Forming loaves that are to be baked in bread pans is
much easier than free-standing loaves because the
pan helps to develop the shape during proofing and
baking
 Start by punching down each piece of dough with the
heels of both hands to flatten. Tuck in stray end
pieces and roll the dough against the table to form a
tight, wrinkle free cylinder. Place seam side down in
a prepared pan
 http://www.fornobravo.com/video/whole_wheat_s
haping.mov
Fundamental Procedures
 Step 9: Panning
 The dough is placed in its baking pan with can be lined with
baking paper, greased with warm butter or oil, or dusted with
cornmeal
 Step 10: Final Proofing
 The dough is left to rise in a warm, humid
proof box so that it can expand in its desired
shape without forming a hard crust on the
surface
 Proofing oven are mostly commonly used in
bakeries
Fundamental Procedures
 Step 11: Baking
 3-stage process that ultimately transforms the raw dough into
a digestible product that is pleasant to eat:
Step 1: Oven Spring
 Step 1: Rapid rise that takes place when the partially
proofed loaf is placed into a hot oven, typically 375 F
– 425 F . This expansion occurs during the first 5
minutes – called the “Oven Spring”


The oven spring is caused by a temporary increase in the
production of carbon dioxide as well as the rapid expansion of
the carbon dioxide that was created during the proofing
process
Temperature is used to balance the effects of three processes
that take place within the dough at almost the same time: the
expansion of gas cells, the gelatinization of starch, and the
coagulation of gluten
Step 1: Oven Spring

Step 1 Continued…
Too low a temperature = gas cells expand before gluten and starch
are set = Loaf will fall
 Too high a temperature = outer crust will form prematurely and
prevent maximum expansion
 General rule – dough with high sugar content must be baked at a
lower temperature, or the surface may become too brown before
the interior has gelatinized

The Baking Process

Step 2: The interior of the loaf reaches its maximum
temperature of 212 F.


Due to evaporation of moisture and alcohol, the internal
temperature is not exceeded, and the starches and gluten complete
their coagulation
Step 3: The crust is formed from starch and sugar and the
surface of the dough becomes brown due to a chemical
reaction known as the “Maillard browning reaction”
Results from the reaction of sugar to protein
 Egg wash is applied to a crust before baking to give it a glossy
shine and a pleasant color

Baking with Steam
 Steam creates a moist environment that prevents the
dough from forming a crust too soon
 After a specified time, a damper is opened to let the
steam out, and the bread finishes baking = crust is
thinner, crispier, and has a glossy surface
 Do not use an egg wash when baking with steam

Steam combines with sugar on the surface of the dough, which
then caramelizes and turns golden as it bakes
 Too much steam = no crust will form
Baking with Steam
 Creating steam without steam injectors
 Quickly opening the door of your oven every 1-2 minutes and
spritzing water into the oven or onto the bread using a spray
bottle


You will need to start baking at a higher temperature to
accommodate for the heat loss when the oven door is opened
Place a pan containing 4-5 ice cubes in the oven and add more
ice cubes to create steam during the initial baking period
Fundamental Procedures
 Step 12: Cooling
 Cool bread completely before slicing or storing
The Baking Process
 Removing bread from the oven
 Outside it is dry, brown, and close to the temperature of the
oven
 Inside it is moist, sticky, and the internal temperature is half
that of the outside
 Testing for doneness
Tapping the bread sharply on the bottom to check for a hollow
sound
 Use a thermometer


Removal from the pan
Pan breads should be unmolded at once and place on a cooling
rack to allow air to circulate around all sides
 Because they are still exhausting moisture, leaving them in the pan
will result in a wet surface where the bread touches the pan

Staling and Storage
 As moisture from the body of the loaf moves
outward, it transforms the dry crust into a chewy,
leathery, and tough skin, far from the crisp covering
it was when freshly baked
 The interior of the bread becomes dry at a slower
rate because it is protected by the crust
 If the staling process has not progresses too far, it
can be remedied temporarily by reheating the loaf,
which will make the body soft; the crust, however,
will remain tough
Staling and Storage
 Baked bread is best preserved by freezing
 The bread should be wrapped and placed in the freezer as soon
as possible once cooled
 Bread that is not to be frozen should be stored,
wrapped, at room temperature.
 Do not store in the refrigerator because it will
accelerate the staling process up to 6 times, wrapped
or not!