How bread is made

Bread is made from four basic ingredients: cereal flour (such as wheat, rye, or spelt), water, salt, and yeast or another ferment, such as sourdough. The success of bread making depends on many factors, and it is the baker’s art to control these factors to produce the desired bread.

 

Though there may be some variations depending on the product and the baking process, there are six main steps in bread preparation:

PROCESS

01
Mixing ingredients
The purpose of mixing the ingredients is to distribute the yeast cells (or the yeast cells and lactobacillus bacteria in the case of sourdough) throughout the dough. It also distributes the food for the yeast and the water, and it forms and develops the gluten.
02
Kneading
The kneading time and intensity, as well as the amount of water, influence gluten strand formation and, consequently, the product’s chewiness.
03
Dividing/Rounding
Dividing and rounding the dough is usually done before the first proofing. Shaping can take place at this stage or between two fermentations.
04
Proofing/Rising
After mixing and kneading, the dough is left to rise, a process called « proofing, » which allows the yeast and, in the case of sourdough, the lactic acid bacteria to do their work. Controlling the temperature and humidity are important for this biological process. The carbon dioxide produced by the yeasts forms bubbles that are trapped by the gluten network, causing the dough to rise.
05
Shaping
Once the dough is ready, it is shaped into rounds, elongated loaves, or any of the other forms bread can take. Sometimes, this is done with the aid of a baking dish.
06
Baking
At the end of the process, the bread is baked (entirely or partly), during which it acquires its final texture and flavour.

DURING STEP 1 to 3

 

Bread making is essentially based on two processes:

1) the biochemical transformation of cereal proteins in the presence of water, and

2) the biological transformation of cereal carbohydrates through natural fermentation by yeast.

 

The purpose of mixing the dough is to distribute yeast cells, food for yeast, and water, as well as to form and develop gluten.


A biochemical transformation

Gluten is the elastic, sub-microscopic protein network formed when the cereal proteins glutenin and gliadin naturally combine in the presence of water. The time and intensity of kneading, as well as the amount of water, influence the formation of gluten strands and, consequently, the « chewiness » of the product. Varying these parameters yields different gluten properties.


A biological transformation

Yeasts are living microorganisms that convert glucose into carbon dioxide in the presence of oxygen to support their growth and multiplication. When deprived of oxygen, as in dough, yeasts begin an anaerobic fermentation process in which glucose is converted into alcohol (ethanol), carbon dioxide, organic acids (such as acetic and lactic acids), and volatile flavour compounds. Live yeast (similar to yeast used in brewing) is added to the dough and is killed by the rising temperature at the start of the baking process. The carbon dioxide they produce forms bubbles that are trapped by the gluten network, causing the dough to rise. The ethanol, which evaporates during baking, and the volatile flavour compounds contribute to the taste of bread.

 

DURING STEP 4 to 6

 

Once the dough has been mixed and kneaded, it is left to rise, a process known as « proofing, » which allows the yeast to work. Temperature and humidity control are important factors in this biological process.

 

Dividing and rounding the dough is usually done before the first proofing. Shaping can take place at this stage or between two fermentations. However, these basic operations can be combined in many different ways. The dividing and shaping steps may take place at different stages, and there may be different rising protocols (single, multiple, variable duration, etc.). Additionally, specialty breads may require the addition of extra ingredients at different stages, which may necessitate adjustments to the proofing, dividing, and shaping processes. Fundamentally, there is no difference between artisan and industrial baking; only the size of the equipment used and the degree of automation differ.

 

The art of baking lies in controlling this delicate fermentation process to produce a final product with the desired physical and olfactory characteristics in a reproducible and stable manner.

 

Adding salt in small quantities improves the taste of bread and makes the dough easier to work with. It also provides better volume, a crispier crust, and longer softness because it retains moisture in the bread. Using iodized salt is also a way to provide iodine to populations that generally have an unhealthy deficit of this essential nutrient.