Bread is one of the very common foods consumed in this country and a number of countries as well. There are different types of bread that are sold on the market, and each type of bread has at least a unique ingredient used in its preparation. There is sugar bread, butter bread, corn bread, wheat bread, brown bread and many others.
In this article, we will highlight the ingredients used in bread making.
- Flour: Flour is the most basic ingredient needed in making bread. Some types of flour usually used in making bread are the white bread flour, whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Self-rising flour contains chemical leavening, baking powder and salt added to it, and can be used to make a type of bread known as quick bread. This type of bread is made with a leavening agent like baking soda or baking powder.
- Yeast: Yeast is a type of fungus that is used in bread making to make dough rise. It comes in two forms : dry yeast and compressed yeast. Active dry yeast is usually employed in making bread. Yeast changes natural sugar in flour to tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide that are trapped in the dough. These bubbles expand to give the texture and lightness to the dough.
- Water: Water is needed in bread making to make the flour moist and bind the flour and other ingredients to form a dough. Warm water can be used in making bread, but do not use hot water, as it can destroy the yeast.
- Salt: This ingredient helps to slow down the fermentation process of yeast. Apart from this, salt also gives flavor to the bread and stability to gluten such that it makes it more resistant to pressure that comes from the buildup of carbon dioxide.
- Sugar: Sugar as we know is first used to sweeten the bread. Aside that, it is an ingredient that helps to preserve bread and makes it tender. It also adds flavor to the bread.
- Eggs: Eggs help to bind the other ingredients together in bread making. It also gives richness to the bread and makes it last longer. The fat in the egg yolk shortens the gluten strands in the bread dough and makes the gluten more elastic.
- Fat: There are different kinds of fat including butter, margarine and shortening. Fat keeps moisture in the bread, reduces elasticity, adds flavor to the bread and makes the bread tender as well.
- Milk: Milk helps to moisten the dough and makes it soft. Apart from that, it also makes the grains of the bread finer. It is good to use milk that is lukewarm in making bread especially when it is mixed directly with the yeast.