Bread–humble, common and as old as man–can be as simple as the sliced, plastic-wrapped loaves we buy for toast or sandwiches. This efficient, if not altogether satisfying, option works fine most of the time. But not everyone has such a passive attitude about their daily bread. Add a spiritual connection and a bit of passion, and a simple loaf of bread becomes infinitely more interesting.
Tom McMahon, president of the Pittsburgh-based Bread Bakers Guild, suspects it’s a primal force that turns people to breadmaking, including the 650 members of his group, a national collection of professional artisan bakers.
“Not to resort too much to an old cliche, but it’s a return to nature,” McMahon says. “Man became civilized as he learned to grow wheat and grains. As a process, breadmaking has existed for so long, it’s part of our human psyche.”
Breadmaking may be a response to our more basic selves, a ritual or a labor of love that’s as much symbol as sustenance. But who’s to quibble about motivation when the results are earthy, voluptuous loaves that have substance, character and a homemade touch?
Many people gladly put frantic schedules on hold while they mix and knead big globs of dough, then wait patiently as the dough dictates the course of their lives for the next four or so hours. Even people who are counted among the chronically busy have become devoted to this honest and homespun hobby.
It’s tempting, but way too easy, to tie such interest in handmade loaves to the boom in bread machines. Although they’re probably the most popular appliances to electrify the kitchen since food processors and by all accounts the biggest factor in rejuvenating yeast and flour sales, bread machines are strictly a hands-off affair: efficient, methodical and somewhat joyless in their approach.
Or, as Marshall Goldin, a devoted breadmaker, puts it: “They’re no-brainers. I hate them.”
Goldin, a cardiac surgeon from Glenview, is so fully immersed in the rituals of breadmaking that he hired an Italian stonemason to build a wood-burning oven in his back yard. He buys flour in 50-pound sacks and makes biga, a type of yeast starter, from grapes or sour cherries and wild yeast. When pressed to explain his fascination, Goldin simply says that making bread is fun. He likes exploring the process of making something, getting back to basics, creating something from a living organism, yeast. But a larger aspect feeds his drive, one that flirts with his more spiritual side.
“I’m more of a factual and objective person,” Goldin says, “but about six months into it, I realized that my grandfather was a baker. I never had made the connection before, but it has taken me back to my roots.”
Nicole Berger, owner of Nicole’s School of Baking and Cooking in Chicago, has her own theories about people’s interest in doughy pursuits.
“It’s a very sensuous, nurturing and comforting process,” she says. “The dough is a soft, warm lump, wonderful to feel. It’s like a caress, a big, soft caress.”
As good as they may be, the resulting loaves are not necessarily the most important part of the endeavor, Berger says. After all, excellent bread shops have opened in the last few years, offering ready alternatives to squooshy, lazy pillows of white bread, the Holsums and Wonders of the world.
“Breadmakers are looking for something other than good bread,” Berger says. “Maybe it’s the spiritual aspects of creating something that nourishes you both physically and mentally.”
Made from flour, water and yeast, bread is ostensibly simple. But things aren’t always quite what they seem. Breadmaking is very complex, and often, the more you know, the more you want to know.
Attaining the perfect crust, discovering just the right blend of flours, understanding the mercurial intricacies of bread dough all become weighty matters. The mysteries of a great loaf often prompt a scholarly approach to seeking answers.
Berger swears that her growing roster of students–doctors, lawyers and machine-shop workers among them–often refuse to leave when the allotted four hours have passed.
“Classes are supposed to end at 10 p.m., but no one ever leaves before 11:30,” she says. “There’s so much they want to do and learn. The students are hooked into it so easily and so completely.”
Jennifer Smith Drilon, one of the founding partners of the Corner Bakery and now owner/chef of Jenny’s restaurant in Union Pier, Mich., says that breadmaking can be–even should be–a consuming passion. When it is, she sees romance and beauty in the process.
“I’ll never forget the first day I really felt that we had created something good at the Corner Bakery,” she says. “It took at least a month of hard work. You can’t understand how much a loaf of bread can mean until you’ve done it well.”
Drilon recalls that her appreciation of bread began at a very young age when she tasted a loaf of Italian bread while the family was on vacation. “Breadmaking is rich and satisfying,” she says, “but it’s not at all a simple pursuit. You need to be devoted to the entire process.”
Smith’s relationship with bread is on hiatus since she left the Corner Bakery to open her restaurant.
“I don’t have the ovens or the space or the time here to make the kind of bread I want,” she says. “I suppose I could do `quick’ yeast breads, but it wouldn’t be the same. So for now, I live without it. But I miss it. A lot. It was an important part of my life.”
Breadmaking tips
Kneading techniques
Kneading turns a ragged mass of dough into a satin-smooth ball ready for shaping, rising and baking. To knead by hand, place the dough on a floured work surface. Start by folding the dough in half, pushing against it with both hands. Drawing back, give the dough a half-turn, continuing until the dough feels springy and elastic. This can take as long as 10 minutes. Occasionally throughout the process, pick up the mass of dough and whack it down on the countertop.
Hands-on purists may balk, but bread dough can be mixed and kneaded in a food processor or stand mixer. With the plastic dough blade, a large, sturdy food processor does an excellent job. A heavy-duty mixer with a dough hook also does the job almost effortlessly. With either method, the same hallmarks of a well-kneaded dough still apply-it should be smooth, moist and elastic.
A good crust
Many bakers find themselves in dogged pursuit of the perfect crust, one that is crunchy and golden-hued. The pros swear that baking bread directly on a baking stone is key, because the stone absorbs and holds the heat better than a baking sheet, but transferring a soft mass of dough to a hot stone takes practice. Misting the dough with a light spray or placing an empty cast-iron skillet on the rack beneath the stone or baking sheet also can help. Then, when you place the bread in the oven, carefully pour hot water into the heated skillet.
Rustic loaves
Slashing risen bread dough after the final shaping gives the baked loaves an appealing, rustic look and also allows steam to escape during the early stages of baking. Using a very sharp knife and quick, decisive motions, make several slashes across the tops of loaves, at least 1/2-inch deep. Long loaves commonly take diagonal slashes, while round or oblong breads accommodate many designs, from a simple crisscross to a radial design.
HONEY WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Rising time: 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours
Cooking time: 30 to 35 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf
1 package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 1/2 cups each: whole-wheat flour, bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons milk
Cornmeal
1. Stir yeast and 1 teaspoon of the honey into warm water in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, 5 minutes.
2. Combine both flours and salt in a large mixing bowl; make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture, milk and remaining honey, stirring to form a dough that is soft but not too sticky. Turn onto a floured board and knead until dough is smooth, supple and elastic, 8 minutes.
3. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot until dough has doubled in volume, 1 hour. Punch down dough. It can be shaped or allowed to rise in the bowl a second time. The second rising will take 45 to 60 minutes.
4. Flour your hands and shape the dough into a round loaf. Place on oiled baking sheet that has been sprinkled lightly with cornmeal. Cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
5. Fifteen minutes before baking, place rack in center of oven and heat to 425 degrees. Sprinkle top of loaf with a light dusting of flour and slash several times with a very sharp knife. Bake until the bread is well browned and sounds hollow when rapped on the bottom, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
BIGA (STARTER)
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Rising time: 24 hours or up to 2 weeks
Yield: About 3 1/2 cups
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1. Stir yeast into warm water and let stand 10 minutes. Put flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Slowly add water, stirring in the flour to make a stiff dough. When it is well combined, cover tightly and refrigerate at least 24 hours or as long as 2 weeks. To use, rinse a measuring cup with cold water. Measure the amount of biga required and let it come to room temperature.
ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL BREAD
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Rising time: 5 1/2 hours
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 1 round loaf
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
7 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup biga, at room temperature
Cornmeal
1. Combine the oil and rosemary in a 1-cup measure. Microwave on high (100 percent) power for 1 minute. Stir the yeast into the water and let stand 10 minutes.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a large, heavy-duty food processor fitted with the dough blade). Drizzle oil over. Make a well in the center and slowly add the yeast mixture and biga (or slowly add it to the processor while the motor is running). Mix until a soft dough forms. If dough is too wet, add additional flour; if it is too dry, add additional water. Knead until dough is smooth, supple and elastic, 10 minutes (or process 2 minutes).
3. Lightly oil the inside of a large bowl; add dough. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot until dough has doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4. Divide dough in half; roll lightly to remove air bubbles. Shape each half into a smooth ball. Grease 2 baking sheets and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Place loaves on baking sheets, cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until loaves have doubled, 1 hour.
5. About 15 minutes before the dough is fully risen, place rack in the center and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line the center rack with baking tiles. Place a cast-iron skillet on a rack below the one on the center.
6. Slash loaves several times with a sharp knife and dust with flour. Place on center rack and pour 1/2 cup water into the skillet. Bake until loaves are well browned on the bottom, 30 to 35 minutes.
FOCACCIA
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Rising time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 1 large flat bread
1/2 recipe rosemary olive oil bread, through the first two risings
Cornmeal
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Crushed red pepper flakes
1. Roll dough to a rectangle about 10 by 14 inches. Place on a greased baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes. Cover; let rise until puffy, about 40 minutes.
2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake until golden, 17 to 20 minutes.
