breads, 4 to 5 minutes for rolls. At this temperature even the crisp, fresh-tasting crust should

reappear.

Bread Baking for the Home Chef

Appearance and presentation are all-important in contemporary North American dining

rooms. The truth is, we consider bread almost like a glass of water by our plates, a standard fare.

You can bake a wonderful bread that looks like a showpiece in a classy baker’s window, yet few of

your guest stop dinner conversation to ooh and aah when you bring in the bread basket filled with a

spectacular, warm Italian Tuscan bread you just pulled from the oven. Few even ask if the bread is

your own. But a perfectly arranged and color-coordinated dinner on a plate, an artistically composed

salad or a simple decorated poppy seed-chocolate torte will stop the most heated discussion, even if

only for a moment. A major reward you do get from baking your own bread is satisfaction in

performing this seemingly demanding task and, of course, savoring it.

As far as difficulty is concerned, if you are organized, you keep your basic staples on your

shelf replenished, and have a basic kitchen experience, you can assemble a quick bread batter in 15

to 20 minutes. By the time you pour the batter in the pan, the oven is hot, and in 40 minutes you

have the loaf cooling on the counter. It is ready to cut, butter and eat in another 15 minutes. Actual

work time is 25 minutes, including slicing and cleanup.

Yeast breads take a considerably longer time, but surprisingly not much more total work

time once you are a regular bread baker. To assemble the ingredients and knead the dough takes 15

to 20 minutes, less if you use a food processor or mixer. The first rise takes about 1 to 1½ hours. It

takes only a few minutes to punch down the dough, shape it and place it in a pan for the second rise,

which takes some 40 to 50 minutes. A bread bakes in another 40 to 50 minutes, rolls 15 minutes.

Total time is over 3 hours, but your actual working time, including slicing and cleanup, is about 25

minutes when hand kneading or 15 minutes when using a machine. Is this realistic? Once your

bread baking is routine, it is and you can prove it to yourself.

Is yeast bread worth the wait? You bet! Other culinary achievements that rival the

satisfaction of baking a great bread is stirring up a wonderful, hearty soup or baking a

spectacular cake.

Baking Quick Breads

Anyone with a bare minimum skill in the kitchen can master quick breads. If you don't make

a mistake in following the recipe, if your ingredients are not ancient (especially the baking powder),

if your oven temperature is within 25º of what the dial indicates and if you take the bread out of the

oven on time, you've mastered quick breads.

The variety of quick breads is enormous depending on what flavoring agent you use. From

fresh or dried fruit to vegetables, nuts, or often a combination of these are examples. The type of

flour and fats or oil, the liquid and the sweetening agent also vary. Eggs not only hold the bread

together but enrich it in flavor and nutrition. Plain quick breads without at least some added

flavorings are too bland, yet they are fine to accompany a meal with butter and perhaps jam,

marmalade or honey.

All quick breads use the same type of viscous batter. Preparation is user-friendly, ideal for

beginners in the kitchen, even young children. Combine all the dry ingredients in a sifter, including

dry flavorings like cinnamon and nutmeg, and sift into a bowl. Combine all liquid ingredients,

including eggs and any liquid flavorings like vanilla in another bowl, then lightly mix the wet into

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