Many cannot imagine their life without bread. And if before it was bought only in the store, now more and more people are preparing bread at home. Home-made bread before purchase has the following advantages: it does not contain harmful preservatives and other undesirable ingredients in its composition; it is prepared from high-quality products, has better taste and is more nutritious. If you are also interested in baking, you first need to learn the basics of this process.
Temperature and time of baking bread
In order for the bread baked at home to be delicious, lush and crisp, you need to create the right conditions in the oven. Each type of bread is baked in special temperature conditions, which can vary depending on the recipe, flour characteristics, weight of dough pieces and other parameters. If you do not follow the temperature regime recommended for baking bread, its quality will suffer.
Most types of bread are baked at a temperature of 200 to 270 degrees. If the baked goods are small (50-100 grams), they are baked at a lower temperature.
The most delicious is bread, cooked in ovens, which allow you to adjust the temperature and humidity. Such stepwise regulation helps to successfully implement the technological stages of baking bread. Homemade bread is recommended to bake in the oven as follows:
- First, the oven is heated to the maximum temperature - usually up to 240-260 degrees. At this temperature, bread is baked for 10-15 minutes. Sending the dough to the oven, you need to create steam in it. To do this, it is necessary to quickly pour a glass of hot water on a baking sheet heated at the bottom level. Steam is important to prevent the surface of the dough from becoming dehydrated, which causes a hard crust to form on the bread.
- After this time has passed, the steam is released from the oven, and the temperature is lowered to 180-200 degrees and the product is baked until ready.
As for the time of baking bread, it will be individual in each case. First, all ovens bake differently. Secondly, the time of making bread depends on the weight of the product. Usually 1 kilo of bread is baked for about 50 minutes. On bread weighing 1, 5 kilograms takes 60-70 minutes. If the weight of the product is 2 kilograms, bread is baked for 70-80 minutes.
Features of baking bread in a gas and electric oven
Bread is baked both in the gas and in the electric oven. Most often, housewives love to cook pastries in an electric oven, but this does not apply to bread. It is the bread that everyone gets best in the gas oven. Experienced chefs assure that you can adapt to any oven, you just need to make efforts. There are several nuances, the observance of which will always help to cook delicious products, including bread.
Secrets of baking bread in a gas oven
- To make bread evenly baked, adjust the position of the bread in the oven.
- Bread burns less if you bake it in a thick baking sheet. If there is none, spread the dough piece first on a silicone mat or parchment paper, and only then on a baking sheet.
- To ensure uniform heating of the gas oven, baking stone should be placed on its bottom. If not, you can use the refractory brick, baking with salt.
Secrets of baking bread in an electric oven
- In the electric oven, bread should be baked for the first 10-15 minutes at 220 degrees. Then the temperature should be lowered to 180 degrees.
- When baking bread, do not use convection mode or make it minimal if you cannot turn it off completely.
- For baking bread, it is advisable to use baking stone. It may not be very thick - 1, 5 centimeters. The main thing is to warm it up well - at least half an hour.
If your oven (either gas or electric) does not reliably hold heat and steam, cover the bread with a ceramic cap for 15-20 minutes. Due to such a cap bread will get enough moisture. Instead of a ceramic cap, you can use any heat-resistant dishes.
