Page plan · 9 pages

Written for: home bakers, cooking classes and students

1. 1

   Six ways bread rises: a printable handout

   • This handout covers six ways bread rises, from no ferment to a long ferment.
   • It is written for home bbakers, cooking classes and students.
   • Each page names one method, how it works and what to bake with it.
   • Print it and keep it by the oven as a quick reference.
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   From no ferment to long ferment: the six methods on one line

   • The six methods sit on one line, ordered by how much fermentation time they need.
   • At the short end are steam, whipped eggs and baking soda, which need no living culture.
   • In the middle are packaged yeast and ale barm, which use live yeast.
   • At the long end is sourdough, with wild yeast and bacteria working over many hours.
   • Pick a method by the time you have and the texture you want.
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   Steam alone: breads lifted by water turning to vapour

   • Steam lifts dough when water in it turns to vapour in the heat of the oven.
   • The vapour expands and puffs the dough, leaving a hollow inside.
   • Popovers and Yorkshire puddings are classic examples, using a very hot oven.
   • Pitta and puff pastry also gain much of their lift from steam.
   • A hot oven or pan at the start is key to a strong burst of steam.
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   Air beaten into eggs: whipped-egg breads

   • Beating eggs traps air in a foam of protein-stabilised bubbles.
   • Heat makes the trapped air expand, and the eggs set to hold the shape.
   • Sponge-style cakes and some light breads rely on this lift.
   • Fold gently after whipping so the bubbles are not knocked out.
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   Soda meets acid: quick breads raised by baking soda

   • Baking soda is an alkali that reacts with an acid to release carbon dioxide gas.
   • Common acids in recipes include buttermilk, yogurt, vinegar and lemon juice.
   • The gas forms quickly, so mix briefly and bake soon after.
   • Soda bread and many muffins and pancakes are raised this way.
   • No rising time is needed, which makes these quick breads.
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   Packaged yeast: the everyday loaf in a few hours

   • Packaged yeast is a single dried or fresh strain that makes reliable carbon dioxide.
   • Yeast eats sugars from the flour and gives off gas and alcohol.
   • Gluten in the dough traps the gas so the loaf swells.
   • A typical everyday loaf takes a few hours from mixing to baking.
   • Warmth speeds the rise, while cool dough rises more slowly.
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   Ale barm: borrowing foam from the brewer's vat

   • Barm is the foam that forms on top of fermenting ale.
   • Bakers have historically skimmed it off to leaven bread.
   • It supplies brewer's yeast to the dough in place of packaged yeast.
   • Breads made this way are often soft and slightly bitter in flavour.
   • The method shows how baking and brewing have long shared yeast.
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   Sourdough: wild yeast and bacteria over a long ferment

   • A sourdough starter is a culture of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria.
   • The bacteria produce acids that give the tangy flavour.
   • A long ferment of many hours develops flavour and a chewy crumb.
   • The starter must be fed with flour and water to stay active.
   • It rises more slowly than packaged yeast, so plan ahead.
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   Where the baking facts come from

   • The facts here reflect widely established baking science and kitchen practice.
   • Sources of this kind include baking textbooks and food-science references.
   • Times and temperatures vary by recipe, kitchen and flour.
   • Check your own recipe and adjust to what you see in the dough.