How to bake bread – The ultimate guide

What could be better than a crispy and freshly baked bread? How to bake bread is easier than you think, if you pay attention to a few simple steps.

You already have a lot of experience on how to bake bread? Then this article is not for you.

But if you are a newbie, then you should definitely read on. Because today I want to show you step by step how you can bake your own bread. I’ll show you the whole thing on a simple yeast bread recipe.

And baking bread with sourdough also works according to the same principle.

How to bake bread and what do you need to bake yourself?

You don’t need any further equipment except for a normal household oven with about 250°C top/bottom heat and a kitchen scale.

If you want to bake your own bread in the long term, there will still be some accessories that you want to buy, but for the beginning, what you already have in the kitchen is just enough.

Above all, a good bread needs one thing: a lot of time!

What you don’t need when baking bread is a lot of yeast. Unfortunately, many bread recipes on the large recipe portals convey a completely different impression.

The less yeast you use, the more time the dough needs to rest. But the taste becomes much more intense. And even though this may sound quite elaborate, most of the time the dough is covered and you don’t have to pay any attention to it.

I don’t want to go into more detail why it is better to bake with a lot of time and little yeast, because today I am about making bread myself. That would be enough content for a new article. Maybe I’ll write something about it soon.

Simple recipe on how to bake bread

Step 1: Measure yeast and mix ingredients

You only need a little yeast to know how to bake bread!

To bake bread yourself, you must first measure the yeast. Since a normal kitchen scales cannot weigh such small quantities, I recommend a precision or a spoon scale.

If you do not have a precision scale and want to estimate the quantity of yeast, use the following guidelines:

A Fresh yeast of 0,5g corresponds to a pea-sized ball

Since the right quantity of water is particularly important when baking bread, all ingredients, including water, are measured with the scales.

After you have measured the yeast, dissolve it in about 20 – 30g warm water. Put the remaining water in the mixing bowl. Then dissolve the soluble ingredients such as salt, sugar or honey in it.

Add the remaining ingredients, add the yeast water and knead well with the Stand mixer at the lowest level or by hand. The dough is ready kneaded when the dough separates well from the edge of the bowl.

Step 2: leave the Dough for some time

The dough after 8 hours, before the first fold

Above all, the one thing you need, if you want to bake your own bread with little yeast is a lot of time.

The less yeast you use, the more time you need.

However, the bread also becomes more aromatic and highly compatible.

For example, with this recipe, the bread must be covered for 20 – 30 hours and left to rise at room temperature.

However, the precise rising time depends on the Bread recipe.

I have had the best experiences with such bowle covers. A clean kitchen towel or cling film will do for a start.

Step 3: Stretching and folding the Dough

It is very important to fold the dough for a stable dough structure

The dough should be stretched & folded every 8 hours approximately. You will come across the word stretching and folding quite often when baking bread yourself. The easiest way to fold medium firm dough is on a floured countertop.

The dough is stretched easily into a rectangle with lightly floured hands and then folded like a letter.

Then stretch the dough lengthwise and fold it up again. To prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface, it is recommended to use a Dough Scraper.

Step 4: form the Bread

After the indicated rising time, carefully place the dough with the Dough Scraper on the floured worktop. According to your wishes, the bread is now formed oblong or round. Beginners will probably find the so-called rounding the easiest way. To do this, the dough is carefully drawn back up into a rectangle.

Fold the ends towards the middle until a round loaf of bread is formed. You’ll find that folding gets harder and harder as time goes by. At the same time, the surface area becomes more and more tension.

If you carefully press your finger into the molded dough and the pressure marks disappears almost completely, then the loaf has enough tension.

Beginners in baking bread might not have a Bread Proofing Basket. As an alternative, you can place the dough in a bowl lined with a floured cloth. Make sure that the bread is placed in the Baking basket or bowl with the end, i.e. the “messy side” facing upwards.

The bowl should of course be slightly larger than the dough so that the bread can rise even further.

After about an hour of maturing in the covered bowl, the bread loaf is cut across with a sharp knife and then put into the preheated oven (top/bottom heat at 250°C). After the bread is in the oven, lowered the temperature directly to 230°C. The bread can then bake for about 45 minutes to the end and then cool down on a cooling rack.

Thanks to steam baking, the finished bread became extra crispy

2 tips for crispy self-baked bread

If you want to bake your own bread and get a nice crispy crust you should bake the bread on the Pizza stone with steam. This probably makes the bread taste better than most bakers.

If you want to save yourself the effort of steaming, Baking bread in a Pot is a popular and effective alternative.

In conclusion, all that remains to be said is: no master has yet fallen from heaven. To bake the perfect bread yourself, you need practice, practice and even more practice.

You have to make mistakes to learn. And with time, you’re guaranteed to get better and better.

I hope I could show you as a beginner that baking bread yourself is not so difficult. If you have any questions on the subject, let me know in the comments.