Baking Bread

[kirra]

Baking Bread

Baking Powder

If you're afraid it's "dead," test by putting 1 teaspoon into a cup of hot water. If it fizzes actively, use it. If not, buy a new box.

Biscuits

Biscuits will be crisp on the outside and flaky in the center if you roll the dough thin and fold it over once before cutting out biscuits. They'll also split open easily when you're ready to butter them.

There's no law that says biscuits have to be round. Roll the dough into a rectangle and cut out square shapes so you don't have to keep re-rolling it.

The sharp open ends of clean cans make great cutters for biscuits, scones and cookies.

To re-freshen and heat biscuits, put them in a well-dampened paper bag, twist it closed and put in a 300 degree F oven for several minutes or until warm.

If you want soft-sided biscuits, bake them in a pan with sides and put the biscuits close together.

If you want crusty biscuits, bake them on a cookie sheet and place them apart from each other.

Breads Rolls

Keep bread fresh longer by placing a rib of celery in the bread bag.

For quick and easy garlic breadsticks, split a hot dog bun down the middle and cut each half lengthwise. Butter each strip; sprinkle with garlic salt or garlic powder. Place on a cookie sheet and bake or broil until toasted.

To butter many slices of bread quickly and evenly, heat the butter until soft, then "paint" it on with a flat pastry brush.

To thaw frozen bread and rolls, place in a brown paper bag and put into a 325 degree F oven for 5 minutes to thaw completely.

For a shiny bread crust, brush the top with a mixture of 1 beaten egg and 1 tablespoon of milk before baking.

Place aluminum foil under the napkin in your roll basket and the rolls will stay hot longer.

To glaze the tops of rolls, brush with a mixture of 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 cup milk before baking.

For a soft, well-browned but not shiny crust, before baking brush the loaf with a tablespoon of melted butter.

For a crisp, shiny crust, bake the bread for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and brush with an egg white that has been beaten with a tablespoon of water. Return the bread to the oven to finish baking.

Yeast will last longer than the specified date printed on the packet if kept in the refrigerator, or even longer in the freezer, for up to a year. If you bake a lot, it is wise to purchase larger amounts and freeze. Place in a tightly sealed plastic or glass container and mark the date of purchase. Bring to room temperature before using.

Use nonstick cooking spray to grease the inside of the bowl you'll be using to raise yeast dough, then spritz the top of the dough itself. This is a much neater method than spreading with oil.

If you're interrupted in the midst of bread-rising, set the dough in the refrigerator. A long, cool rise develops texture and flavor.

For a slightly browner and crisper crust, brush bread after 20 minutes of baking with a whole egg beaten with a tablespoon of milk.

When making cornbread, substitute a can of cream style corn if you're out of milk. Not only does it work in a pinch, it also tastes delicious.

Yeast breads are more moist when made with potato water (water in which you have boiled potatoes) than when made with other liquids. The potato water keeps the bread fresh longer and gives it a slightly greater volume, but coarser texture.

Flour

In the South, flour from soft wheat is often used for biscuits and other baked goods. This soft, southern wheat flour has a gluten content of about 8 percent. However, all-purpose flour is an acceptable substitute.

Bread flour, milled especially for baking bread, is higher in gluten (a protein) than all-purpose flours. To determine gluten content of flour, look at the panel on the side of the bag labeled "Nutritional Information." For bread baking you should use a flour with 14 percent gluten. The higher this protein percentage, the greater volume in your bread loaf.

When a recipe calls for one cup sifted flour, it means you should sift it first. When it calls for one cup flour, sifted, it means you should measure the flour before you sift it.

Keep a new powder puff in your flour canister. When a recipe says to "dust" a pan with flour, use the powder puff!

Yeast Dough

To get yeast dough to rise faster, turn the dishwasher dial to "dry" for a minute to warm the inside, then put the dough inside the dishwasher.

When kneading, keep a couple small plastic bags within reach. Then if the phone rings or someone is at the door, slip your hands into the bags.

If dough won't rise, place bowl on rack over a bowl of hot water OR set on a heating pad covered with a clean towel OR place in an oven that has a pilot light.

When yeast dough has risen sufficiently, an indentation will remain when you press two fingertips about 1/2 inch into the dough.