Introduction To Breads
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The 19th Century was a kind of Golden Age for breadmakers: Improved milling processes, new wheat varieties and dependable leavenings enabled commercial and home bakers alike to refine their breads and produce them with ease.

As flours were perfected, so were the leavenings for bread. For centuries, bakers generally relied on the frothy scrapings from brewers’ vats to supply yeast for their bread, or they mixed up sourdough starters by combining flour or meal with water or milk, sugar, hops, onions, or potatoes – almost any foodstuff that contained starches to nourish whatever yeast cells might descend on the mixture.

Dry yeast was developed at the start of World War II to help provide the American armed forces overseas with fresh bread; it was not available to home bakers until 1945.

Baking powder, which combines alkali and acid, appeared in the 1840’s, when it was sold as premeasured, separate packets of baking soda and the acid salt, cream of tartar. Not until 1855 did the Boston firm of Preston and Merrill discover that the two could be combined in a single package if an inert filler such as cornstarch was added to absorb atmospheric moisture and keep the alkali and acid from reacting with each other.

The refinement of bread ingredients and the ease with which they now can be handled has been a boon for the home baker. Breads leavened with baking powder – biscuits, pancakes, for example – can be produced on even the tightest of schedules (they are rightly called “quick breads”) and varied almost endlessly in flavor, texture and shape.

Yeast breads take more time, but require no special skill. The making of yeast breads in particular offers indubitable pleasures; the leisurely rhythm of kneading, the still-magical sight of yeast bubbling and dough rising, the delightful aroma that fills a home as bread bakes and later cools, the golden vision of a crisp crust. Breadmaking is an activity that stirs the senses.

The most important kinds of equipment for producing yeast breads are your hands- for kneading- and your oven. All breads need even heat to rise and brown uniformly. By working with your oven, you will become familiar with its idiosyncrasies and learn how to use it best. In most cases, an oven is hotter in back; thus you may have to turn loaves around during baking.

Weather and locale may necessitate variations in the process. On humid summer days, for example, you may need to use a little less liquid; your flour will have already absorbed some atmospheric moisture. At a high altitude, dough rises faster because there is less atmospheric pressure. For yeast breads, no recipe adjustment to altitude is necessary, but keep a watchful eye on the dough. It should not be allowed to increase in volume more than the cooking instructions specify. For baking soda and baking powder breads, use a bit less leavening at high altitudes than called for. Also, at an altitude of 3,000 feet or higher, the baking temperature for bread should be increased by 25 degrees (F) 15 degrees (C). The extra heat is needed to set the crust faster and prevent the bread from overrising during its last surge in the oven. Appealing as the aroma of hot, freshly baked yeast bread may be, it is generally better to let the loaves cool, overnight, if possible, before you eat them. The wait is necessary to let the breads’ flavor mature and allow the loaf to firm so that it can be sliced without tearing or crumbling. Small rolls will, of course, cool faster, but even they should not be served straight from the oven. Loaves or rolls baked in pans should be unmolded for cooling, and all loaves should be cooled on a wire rack. The rack will let air circulate freely around the bread, removing steam and keeping it from spoiling the crispness of the crust.

If yeast bread is to be kept for more than 24 hours, put it in a dry, well-ventilated metal or wooden bread box, or enclose it in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate it. The length of time bread will stay fresh is determined by its size and ingredients; Large thick loaves release moisture more slowly than small thin breads; breads rich with egg and butter – which retain moisture – keep longer than plain breads. Kept in a box, a 2-pound basic loaf will stay in good condition for up to one week; an enriched loaf of the same size will keep a few days more. Refrigerated, both loaves will remain fresh for up to 2 weeks.

Bread freezes well if wrapped tightly in a double thickness of plastic wrap or foil. Frozen bread will keep for several months. Before you serve the bread, unwrap it and let it thaw for 3 to 6 hours, or heat it, wrapped in foil, for 10 to 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Bread can be an elemental repast, served with wine and cheese or with soup; or it can become part of a feast. Whatever role it plays in a meal, its maker will know the special satisfaction expressed with perfect simplicity in the maxim.