Making your own bread is an excellent thing to do, and quite quick and easy once you've got the hang of it. This is an attempt to write down everything I've learned or figured out after a couple of years of bread-making in the hope that it will help out an aspiring baker!

A recent loaf

There are numerous reasons to make your own bread. The best I can think of (other than just enjoying the process) is that you will generally pay quite a premium at a baker or supermarket to get a loaf of a similar quality to one baked at home. The cheaper you go at the shops, the worse the quality of the bread, and why do that when you could bake an artisan loaf at home? Compared with ultra-processed supermarket bread, a good home-baked loaf is far more delicious and nourishing, and definitely not as time-consuming or difficult to produce as it may seem.

The basic idea of bread baking is to combine flour, water and salt with some kind of leaven (raising agent) so that it becomes a lattice of gassy bubbles, which become bread when baked. There are practically infinite variations: choice of flour and leaven, additions such as fat and sugar and shape are just a few variables which can be adjusted. I think the easiest way to get up to speed with bread-making is to understand each step in a typical recipe - you should find that more or less any dough-based recipe can be extrapolated from these first principles. Note that this is just the way I do it, and I am certainly not a professional; but I enjoy eating the bread I make, which I think is probably a good sign. I'm going to talk about breads that use commercial yeast here, as sourdough deserves a separate article - there are also chemically leavened breads which use bicarbonate of soda or others for their rise, but I haven't had much experience with making those!

Baker's Percentages

Bread recipes will typically be written in terms of percentages as well as quantities, which allows them to be easily scaled. These percentages typically refer to the percentage of the total amount of flour represented by each ingredient. I prefer to use metric for non-relative quantities (grams and millilitres are equivalent for water, so you can usually measure everything on one set of scales). For example:

Ingredient	Percentage	Quantity
Flour	100%	200g
Water	70%	140g
Yeast	1%	2g
Salt	2%	4g

Bread makers will also often refer to hydration - this is the percentage of water in a recipe with respect to flour, and has arguably the biggest impact on a loaf's final form of all its components. A typical hydration for a loaf hovers around 70% in my experience - something like pizza or ciabatta may be closer to 80%, and something like a bagel or pretzel nearer to 60%. Lower hydration dough is less sticky and thus much easier to work with - if a recipe is giving you trouble, try lowering the hydration!

A Typical Dough

A basic loaf leavened with commercial yeast will generally contain, at minimum, flour, water, yeast and salt. One very important piece of advice - dough will not stick to wet skin. When mixing or folding, getting your hand wet makes handling sticky dough far easier. You can also get dough off a spoon or spatula very easily by sliding wet fingers along it.

The following steps outline the rough process that goes into any loaf; there will absolutely be variations and specialisations, but to bake a basic country loaf like the one in the photo, this is a good starting point.

Preferment

Most recipes being with a preferment. This is essentially a mixture of flour, water and a little yeast which is made up the day before baking. There are numerous types, which vary in hydration and contents:

• Poolish: Typically 100% hydration. Usually used in French baking.
• Biga: Lower hydration, often 50-60%. Usually used in Italian baking.
• Pâte Fermentée: Around 60% hydration - basically a piece of a previous dough.
• Sponge: 60-70% hydration. Often used in sandwich loaves or sweet breads.

Skipping the preferment stage probably won't destroy your final loaf, but carrying out this step adds a fermented, yeasty taste to the final bread which greatly enhances the complexity of flavour. This is also a good time to check your yeast is alive, and to gauge the environmental conditions where you are baking (these can affect later timings). The exact fermentation time depends on the recipe, but this step is very forgiving - just make it when you have time! I leave my preferments in an airtight container, usually a small bowl inside a large resealable bag - this stops it drying out. You can also use a glass container with a lid that seals. Clingfilm is an option, but it quickly becomes quite wasteful if baking frequently so I try to avoid it! Try to make sure the sides of the vessel are clean before fermentation, as small pieces of preferment can dry and flake off into your dough.

Mixing

Now begins the baking proper! The initial mixing phase consists of combining the preferment with the remaining recipe ingredients. To be totally honest, there isn't much more to it then that. There are a number of differing opinions about which order to add ingredients, and I have varied my technique for this step slightly over time, but these days I just chuck everything in the bowl and mix for a good couple of minutes with a dough whisk (note that you definitely don't need one of these, I just like them). If you don't have a whisk or stand mixer, the best option is to begin mixing with a wooden spoon, then wet your hand and squeeze the dough like a stress ball for a couple of minutes.

Many recipes will caution against adding salt at this phase, as it can kill yeast and affect dough elasticity. I suspect this is more of a problem for professional bakers, or those with more attention to detail than me - I always mix in the salt with everything else and have not had a single yeast fatality! However, its worth knowing that this is not technically the correct method. If you are adding mix-ins like olives, seeds or nuts, you can either add these now, or at the end of the strength-building phase - olives will probably be okay, but nuts and seeds can tear gluten strands and will affect your dough's strength if added in the initial mixing phase.

Strength-Building

Bread flour (as opposed to plain) is especially high in gluten. The strength-building phase is about developing this gluten, building strength and elasticity in the dough. This will allow it to hold its shape and develop a good crumb structure in the oven. There are varying techniques for building dough strength - the classic approach is kneading, which involves turning the dough onto a floured work surface and working it for several minutes. I normally use this approach for lower hydration dough, as these are unlikely to make a sticky mess.

For higher hydration dough, I tend to use the "stretch and fold" technique. There are a large number of different methods, but the idea is that by stretching out your dough and folding it back in on itself, strength and elasticity can be developed. A typical workflow involves performing several sets of stretch and folds at regular intervals. I would recommend looking up a video on strength-building folds, but hopefully the following will give you an idea:

• With a wet hand, grab the side of the dough furthest from you, stretch it upwards, then pull it towards you and stick it down on the side of the dough closest to you.
• Rotate the dough 180° and repeat the fold.
• Perform another two folds on the left and right sides of the dough for a total of 4 folds.

Some recipes may benefit from both kneading and stretching and folding, so some experimentation is worthwhile; kneading is obviously less convenient than the alternative, which can be done entirely within the confines of the mixing bowl. To check if a dough is developed, the best option is the windowpane test. To perform it, tear off a small chunk of dough with wet hands and stretch it into a flat plane. If the dough stretches thin enough for light to pass through, it is likely developed enough.

Bulk Fermentation

After building strength, the dough should be covered and allowed to ferment. This phase allows the yeast to eat the sugar in the flour and produce carbon dioxide gas, which enables the loaf to rise. Generally, a dough should roughly double in size during this phase - commercial yeast is generally very effective, and this phase doesn't usually take more than an hour. A good trick for tracking the rise is to trim off a small portion of dough and put it in a narrow shot glass - mark the level of the dough with an elastic band and its level can be precisely monitored. Some recipes will call for an airtight container or clingfilm for fermentation - I have found that a tea towel is absolutely fine. You can oil the bowl if you want to, but I generally skip this too; using a floured silicon scraper to remove the dough for shaping negates the stickiness. Some recipes also require degassing after or during bulk fermentation - this expels some of the carbon dioxide and redistributes nutrients throughout the dough. Some delicate loaves such as ciabatta or focaccia should not be degassed!

Shaping

This stage varies widely between recipes, but the basic idea is to form your dough into a strong, stable shape for proofing and baking. The aim is to produce a shape with a taut, smooth exterior by stretching and tucking the dough into the desired form - this contributes to the final shape of the loaf, and also prevents the dough sticking to its proofing vessel. To shape a dough, it should be turned out after fermentation onto a work surface covered with a light, even dusting of flour. When removing the dough, aim for the top to go on the surface, with the bottom facing upwards - this creates one floury side and one sticky side. This is a good time to degas the dough if needed.

The simplest shape is arguable a classic round boule. Again, a video is a good idea for any shape you attempt, but essentially you should work around the outside of the dough pulling sections up and over and sticking them back down on the opposite. This should eventually result in a taut, rounded dough. You can also cross two opposite sides of the dough over the centre to build up some extra strength. Shaping is important to get right - if shaped poorly, a dough may collapse in the oven or stick to the proofing vessel, so go carefully!

Proofing

Proofing is the final fermentation before baking, providing additional rise. This phase varies in length, and the best way to adequately proof a loaf is to get an idea of how the dough should feel when it's ready to bake. Most bakers test a dough by gently pressing the top of it with a floury finger. If the dough springs right back, it is under-proofed - conversely, if the indent doesn't move at all, the dough is likely over-proofed. Just right looks like a slow re-inflation, with a slight indent left behind. The dough should also have doubled in size, and seem gassy and light when wobbled.

After shaping, the dough will still ne upside down on the work surface, and must be transferred to a proofing vessel. The typical kit used for proofing is a banneton (proofing basket), of which there are a variety of shapes to accommodate different breads. These can be used with or without a linen lining. Bannetons are not too expensive, but can also be improvised with a mixing bowl and a very well floured tea towel. In my experience it's pretty hard to flour a proofing vessel too much - a little extra flour on the exterior of a loaf may look slightly unprofessional, but a stuck dough is pretty tricky to salvage and is best avoided if possible. To actually transfer the dough, first lightly flour its exposed underside, then flip it over. The top also needs a coat of flour; I tend to sprinkle a little flour over the loaf, then gently rub it all over with my palms. Finally, flip it top-side down into your hand, and lift it upside down into the banneton. Cover the dough with a towel while proofing.

Baking

The final stage and the most exciting! Baking involves introducing a dough to heat and steam in order to induce oven spring and subsequently crust formation. Oven spring refers to the rapid expansion of trapped gas and steam within the loaf, causing the dough to rise. Steam is usually required, as this inhibits crust formation, which would otherwise arrest expansion. My favourite way to bake bread is using a Dutch oven - this provides a sealed environment for steam to develop and typically results in good oven spring. Other options include baking on a stone or steel or inside a dedicated covered baker (one day...). If not using a covered baker, many bakers introduce steam by pouring hot water into a preheated tray at the bottom of the oven - though this is difficult to get good results with. Loaf pan breads do not typically need any steam. Once oven spring has been achieved, the oven temperature can be lowered to allow a good crust to develop.

Whatever you bake on needs to be very, very hot - in a home oven, I typically preheat to 250°C. Excluding loaf pan breads, whatever you bake on or in should be preheated too; placing a cold piece of metal under your dough when you bake it will seriously affect oven spring! I like to preheat for 20-30 minutes prior to baking, both to ensure my Dutch oven is thoroughly heated and the oven itself is up to temperature. Most ovens will claim they are preheated when they are still a little cold - I use an oven thermometer, but an extra few minutes should provide adequate insurance. Timing this phase can be a little tricky, as you ideally want the oven to be ready at the same time as the dough; err on the side of too early to make sure you dough does not over-proof while the dough is heating.

Before transferring your dough to the oven, it needs to be scored to enable expansion in the oven. Typically, a lame (razor blade on a stick) is used, but a serrated bread knife or even scissors can also work. Use any pattern you like, but try to cut relatively deep to make sure the dough has room to stretch. The dough to oven transfer can be a delicate operation, so I like to turn out my dough onto a grease-proof paper sling, score it and then use the sling to lift it into my Dutch oven. During baking, start with the lid on if using a covered baker, then after around 20 minutes remove the lid and drop the temperature around 25°C to allow the crust to firm up.

A baked loaf should be cooled on a wire rack for at least two hours - prior to this, the loaf is still baking internally, and cutting it too early could release hot gas and steam and cause a collapse. That said, the loaf is extremely delicious immediately after baking, so this is a good rule to break.

Ingredients

I find it helpful to have an idea of the effect common ingredients have on a bread, so this a quick run down of the variables each ingredient affects.

Flour

Flour provides the structure of the loaf, so choosing a quality grain is an important step. Aside from quality and taste, the most important value associated with a flour is its gluten percentage. Higher gluten flours both absorb more water and develop more elasticity, making better dough that is easier to work with. Making bread with typical UK plain flour will not be a good experience - you need bread flour or strong white flour. The gluten percentage is typically equivalent to the protein percentage on the packet, so this is the easiest way to check your flour.

Other flours like rye and spelt typically have much lower gluten percentages - a small amount of these mixed into a dough will add additional complexity of flavour, but too much may cause a dough to become too gummy.

Water

Water is the other main ingredient of a loaf, but has a fairly minimal effect on the final loaf's flavour. When baking, try to use lukewarm water - as stated, yeast is rather hard to kill, but warmer water will keep it happy.

Enrichment

An enriched dough is any that includes ingredients besides the typical water, flour, leaven and salt.

• Fat - adding fat to a dough results in a softer spongier texture (think sandwich bread or pizza dough), as well as softer crusts and a slightly richer flavour.
• Eggs - these have a variety of purposes, but are often present in sweet dough. They can help bind sticky dough, emulsify fats, provide leavening and additional structure or just enhance flavour.
• Mix-ins - dried fruit, seeds, nuts and olives are all lovely things to add to loaf! As mentioned, these should go in just before bulk fermentation.

My Current Recipe

This is my current yeast bread recipe - the baker's percentages for the entire recipe are below.

Ingredient	Percentage	Quantity
Flour	100%	580g
Water	70%	410g
Yeast	1%	6g
Salt	2%	12g

Preferment

• Strong white flour, 150g
• Water, 150g
• Yeast, small pinch

1. Combine in a glass bowl, scrape sides and place in a resealable plastic bag for 16-24 hours.

Dough

• Entire preferment
• Strong white flour, 380g
• Wholegrain spelt or rye flour, 50g
• Water, 260g
• Salt, 12g
• Yeast, 5g

1. Combine all dough ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined.
2. Wait for 15 minutes, then perform one set of stretch and folds.
3. Perform 2 more sets of stretch and folds at 15 minute intervals for a total of 3 sets.
4. Cover the bowl and bulk ferment for 1 hour.
5. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and shape. Place upside down in a proofing vessel.
6. Proof until ready, usually about an hour. Near the end of proofing, preheat a Dutch oven to 250°C.
7. Turn out the dough onto a greaseproof paper sling, score, and transfer to the Dutch oven. Bake with the lid on for 20 minutes, then remove the lid and reduce the temperature to 225°C. Continue baking until the crust is dark brown.

And that's about it! Despite being a lengthy process, this recipe has only a half hour or so of contact time, and can easily be made in the background while doing something else. This loaf can last about a week, but will be a little dry by then - freezing half is a good option if you don't eat too much bread.