Homemade bread tastes far better than store bough bread, and it is healthier as it allows you to choose which ingredients go in it. But the cost of home baking is not always lower compared to getting bread from the store. Yes, the ingredients may be affordable, but the electricity/gas required for each bake can cost as much if not more than the ingredients. Running a home oven here in the UK for one hour can cost from £0.50 to £1.50 depending on the oven’s wattage and the electricity rate.

In the beginning of my breadmaking journey I was taught to bake bread in a pre-heated oven. I was instructed to heat the oven for at least 30 – 45 minutes before placing the loaf inside for baking. And ever since I learned that I have never questioned it until now. I have baked well over two thousand breads at home over the years and I have pre-heated the oven for each bake.

My oven is pretty crappy with its single heating element at the top, so I tend to pre-heat it for at least 45 minutes. If we say that it cost me approximately £1 each time, then I have potentially spent over £2000 on pre-heating alone. And it being bill increase season I was eager to finally put a stop to this unnecessary spending and energy wasting.

Is it really necessary to pre-heat the oven every time?

The short answer is – no. But it very much depends on what type of bread you are baking. A medium to large sized loaf which takes at least 30 minutes to bake can easily be baked from a cold oven. While the bread is sitting in the oven, as it is warming up to baking temperature, it rises and expands as the yeast becomes more active until the point at which it ceases to ferment, which happens when the internal temperature of the loaf reaches around 50C (122F). By that time the oven could already be hot enough to start baking and browning the crust. It is only in the final 1/3 of the baking time that the characteristics of the crust get fully developed.

In fact, we always try to prolong the time until the crust becomes completely dry. We spray the loaf with water, we steam the oven chamber or cover the bread for the majority of the bake. It only makes sense that baking from a cold oven should be quite effective.

When does this method not work?

Depending on the oven it may take at least 20 – 30 minutes to get up to temperature. Baking small rolls or even flatbreads may take less than that, so there could be a risk of drying the bread too much by the time the crust is done baking. Breads like pita or pizza could not be baked this way.

Slow heating is good for gradually raising the dough and browning the crust. Some breads, however, require a burst of heat right at the beginning of the bake in order to get a good oven spring. The aforementioned pita and pizza definitely benefit from a super-hot bake. Baguettes also puff up better in a screaming hot oven.

The tests.

I decided to try baking four different breads using the cold oven and hot oven methods and comparing the results. A loaf-pan bread, a cast-iron pot baked Batard with an ear, a focaccia type bread, and an enriched roll.

The first three breads were made using the same cold bulk fermented dough with 70% hydration, 2% salt, 1% yeast, and 100% white bread flour. The fourth recipe had 46% water, 20% egg, 1% yeast, 2% salt, 5% sugar, 10% butter, and 100% white bread flour. It was also cold bulk fermented.

For the pan loaf I did a pre-shape, 30-minute rest, final shape, and a 4-hour final proof as my kitchen was quite cold. Baked at 180C (355F) fan on. The cold oven loaf took slightly longer to bake with 40 minutes vs the 35 minutes for the other one.

The cast-iron pot Batard I decided to change the timings and did a 90-minute rest and a 90-minute final proof in order to preserve more tension in the dough for a better oven spring. Both were baked at 220C (430F) with the fan on. This time both were baked for the same amount of time – 30 minutes with the lid on and 8 minutes without the lid.

The focaccia style breads were shaped right from the fridge and proofed for 4 hours, then both were baked at 200C (390F) fan on. The cold oven one took 25 minutes while the other one was ready in 20 minutes.

Finally, the enriched rolls were shaped, proofed for 4 hours, and baked at 170C (340F). Cold ones for 25 minutes and hot ones for 20 minutes.

Results and final thoughts.

The results were surprising and convincing all across the board. The loaf-pan breads turned out pretty much identical. The cast-iron pot breads had some slight differences in oven spring with the pre-heated one having risen a little taller. The focaccia style breads were almost identical, and the enriched rolls were pretty much the same also.

I am happy to say that this method will change my baking going forward. I will not bake from a completely cold oven, but I will definitely cut down on the pre-heating time. 10 – 15 minutes should be more than enough for almost any bake except pitas, pizzas, baguettes, and such.

Forget everything I have said about pre-heating until now and try this method for yourself. If you have never tried it, then it’ll surely change your baking forever.

Baker’s percentage is a universal language that bakers use for reading, writing, adjusting, and sharing recipe formulas. Knowing how to read it gives us the ability to instantly recognize the basic characteristics of the bread which is made using that specific formula. It is an incredibly simple concept. Every ingredient is calculated as a percentage in relation to the total amount of flour. No matter how much flour is used in the recipe, the amount of flour will always be 100%.

Dough hydration and baker’s percentage are intertwined. Hydration is the measure of water content in a bread dough recipe which is also expressed as a percentage. Bakers often describe breads mentioning the hydration percentage as one of the main attributes. The hydration level depends on the desired final product. Chewy bagels could be made with as little as 50% hydration while a light and airy high hydration ciabatta could go up to 100% or even more. Water content has some of the greatest effects on bread dough, so it must be considered well before a recipe is written and executed.

Almost every recipe will also contain yeast. Yeast comes in various forms from active dry yeast, which ironically must be activated before use; instant dry yeast which is-as the name suggests-instant, so it does not need activation; fresh yeast, which comes as a crumbly moist block; and sourdough leaven, which contains wild yeasts and bacteria. The commercial yeasts vary in strength, so their respective percentages can differ, but generally yeast is used in small quantities from around 0.5% for the dry ones and up to 4% for the fresh. However, a sourdough leaven would make up a much larger portion of dough at 20% or even higher.

Salt is another essential ingredient which brings out the flavour in our bread. It has other functions too like slowing down fermentation and tightening the gluten structure of the dough. The salt percentage varies from as little as 1% to as much as 2.5% or more depending on the dough production requirements, the taste of the baker, and the other ingredients contained in the dough, which may suppress the flavour of the bread.

A few simple formulas allow us to calculate any and every ingredient in a bread dough recipe. Almost every recipe contains more flour than any other ingredient; and when writing a new recipe or reading a recipe in a book, flour will always be at the top of the ingredients list. Here’s an example recipe with 500g flour, 70% hydration, 1% yeast, and 2% salt. To calculate the amount of water we simply multiply the amount of flour by 70% (500×70%) which results in 350g of water. The same applies to every other ingredient. (500×0.01) is 5g of yeast. (500×0.02) is 10g of salt.

Calculating the baker’s percentage values of a recipe which only has the amounts listed by weight is also straightforward. We already know that the flour is 100% because that’s the rule. To calculate the other ingredients, we must divide the specific ingredient weight by the weight of the flour. In a recipe with 500g flour, 325g water, 7g yeast, and 9g salt, if we want to find out the hydration percentage we must divide the amount of water by the amount of flour. (325:500) makes it a 65% hydration dough. (7:500) which is 1.4% yeast, and (9:500) which is 1.8% salt.

Writing your next recipe could be as simple as thinking of some percentages, calculating the quantities, weighing out the ingredients, mixing them together, and making a loaf of bread. But it may not always be the best approach if you are not sure of how large the loaf may turn out depending on how much flour you have appointed it. You may encounter an issue of the dough overfilling a banneton or a baking tin. Or you may not end up with the correct number of breads that you were planning on getting from that dough. Fortunately, baker’s percentage has another set of formulas that help us in creating exact recipes.

Let’s say we want to make 10 buns each weighing 150g. We have decided on a hydration level of 63%, yeast content of 1%, and salt content of 2%, and of course we know that the flour will be 100%. Multiplying the number of buns by the weight (10×150) tells us that the total amount of dough will be 1500g. Adding up the baker’s percentages (63+1+2+100) tells us the total percentage number which is 166.

Divide the total weight by the total percentage to calculate the mass of a single percent. (1500:166=9.036…) One percent equals about 9 grams. Rounding the numbers will result in a much neater and easier to read recipe. We can calculate the weight of every ingredient once we know the weight of a single percent. It only makes sense to start with the flour since it is a nice round number: 100×9=900. We can continue by multiplying each ingredient’s percentage by 9 or we can multiply the amount of flour by each percentage to calculate the weight of every remaining ingredient. 63×9=567 (567g water); 1×9=9 (9g yeast); 2×9=18 (18g salt). Adding up all the ingredients (900+567+1+2) results in a total of 1494g. We lost a few grams due to rounding.

Other recipes contain liquid fats such as oils or solid fats such as lard, butter or margarine. Eggs are often used in various forms from whole to yolk or just the white. Sweeteners such as granulated sugars, honey, treacle or maple syrup. And milk products ranging from low fat to full fat milk, yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream. Just as with water, yeast, and salt, every other ingredient is calculated separately to make up the total formula.

Unlike the basic dough ingredients, additives can contain various amounts of water. Oils are 100% fat while butter and margarine can contain up to 20% water. Whole eggs have a 75% water and 9% fat content. Egg yolks are 50% water and 30% fat. Egg whites are 90% water and 0% fat. Granulated sugar is 100% sugar, but honey and treacle contain around 20% water while the runny maple syrup can contain up to 30% water. Low fat milk can be close to 0% fat while full fat can get up to 3.5%. Yogurt can also be as low as 0% and as high as 5%. Buttermilk is pretty lean at 0.5% fat. Both milk and buttermilk are 90% water. Sour cream can range from 15% – 25% fat and have a water content of around 75%.

It is not always necessary to consider the fat and water content of each ingredient especially if it is only used in small quantities. A 15g portion of butter, for example, is insignificant in a dough made with 500g flour. Spending time calculating the water content of the butter and then adding it to the total hydration of the dough would be fruitless exercise in my opinion.

In other cases, however, it is useful to do the extra calculations. In high fat bread recipes such as brioche-which are made with up to 40% butter and where all the liquid is in the form of eggs-it is important to break down the individual ingredients to extract the accurate hydration and fat percentages.

Knowing the effects of each ingredient is also important in figuring out how much of it should be used and where it is most appropriate. Fat has a softening effect on dough. It weakens the gluten structure making the dough more stretchy and allowing it to rise better as it ferments and bakes. Knowing this we could assume that substituting full fat yogurt for low fat milk may result in a softer bread, but that would not be the case. Yogurt is acidic, and acidity has a tightening effect on gluten. Even though it contains more fat than milk, the resulting bread would have less volume, and it would be chewier. Of course, we can control the result by adjusting the amount of yogurt. Simply by using more of it we can make the bread softer and lighter.

There is much more to learn about breadmaking. We can only take it step by step. Experiment with your recipes, try something new, fail, learn, repeat. You can find videos about every ingredient and its effects on breadmaking in the Principles of Baking playlist on my channel.

Sugar is one of the most used additives in breadmaking and it is also one of the most misunderstood ingredients in breadmaking. I’ve covered the topic of sugar in a couple of dedicated videos already. You can find those in the Principles of Baking playlist along with many more useful and interesting videos.

Sugar comes in many forms – from fully processed granulated white sugar to light brown to dark brown sugar, honey, molasses, treacle, maple syrup, agave syrup, corn syrup, and more. First and foremost, it is sweet, but depending on the type it can also have a distinct flavour from lightly caramelized to bitter and even burnt.

How does sugar affect bread dough.

Sugar affects various bread dough characteristics depending on how much of it is added. It can make the dough sticker and slightly harder to work with. It can weaken the gluten structure which can be beneficial in some cases and detrimental in others. It makes the bread sweeter, the crumb softer, it may add a flavour, and it will improve the colour of the crust. There is one thing it almost never does and that is speed up fermentation. Contrary to popular belief sugar actually slows down fermentation in most cases.

Flour contains enzymes which when water is added break down the starch of the flour and convert it to simple sugars. The enzymes create the food which the yeast then feeds on and uses to multiply, create gas, alcohol, and ferment our bread dough. Yeast does not need any additional sugar. I have never run into a situation where I have needed to add sugar to bread dough (or anything else for that matter) to ‘help’ it ferment.

The sugar which we use in breadmaking is hygroscopic which means that it attracts water. When we add sugar to bread dough it pulls water through the yeast’s cell membrane and dehydrates it which slows down its activity. The same happens when we use salt.

Sugar can help boost fermentation a little bit if added in small amounts of around 3% or less. The reason this works is because unlike with the sugar the enzymes create the sugar which we add is instantly available and the yeast can go for it right away.

Anything above 3% will slow down fermentation. Of course, this should not be an issue. We simply let the dough ferment for longer or use more yeast or make it warmer or place it in a warmer area. There are always options for adjusting the method or formula to account for any changes. I’m not telling you not to use sugar, I’m only telling you to use it for the right reasons.

The recipes.

In the video I made two sets of four breads. The first four were made with white sugar which is probably the most used type of sugar. The second four were made with black treacle. Treacle is a very thick, sweet, dark, and bitter syrup made from cane molasses and invert sugar syrup. It is similar to pure molasses but with a stronger almost burnt flavour. This type of syrup works well with stronger flavoured breads made with whole grains and seeds.

The percentages of sugar/syrup in the two sets of recipes were 3%, 5%, 10%, and 20% in baker’s percentage. Each recipe contained 150g flour, 90g water, 3g salt, 2g instant dry yeast. All were baked for 30 minutes at 170C with the fan on.

Observations.

When mixing I could clearly feel a difference is stickiness as the sugar content increased in both the regular sugar and treacle doughs. The higher the sugar content the looser the dough became. All the doughs were still manageable especially because the hydration of the base recipe was relatively low at just 60%. The wetter the dough the more difficult it would be to work with. Of course, usually sugar is added to lower hydration recipes so it should not cause any issues in that sense.

One characteristic advantage the syrup has over regular sugar is that it is acidic which can actually help with strengthening gluten or at the least not weakening it too much. The syrup containing doughs were easier to handle. Another unique thing about syrup is that it is not 100% sugar as it contains around 20% water which is why it is liquid in the first place.

We could clearly see a difference in fermentation rate as the sugar content increased. With each increase the dough took an extra 15 minutes in final proofing time. It was an extra 45 minutes between the first and last of the white sugar doughs. The first dough took 45 minutes to proof which means that the final one took exactly double that.

The crust of all the breads standing next to each other displayed a nice gradient from light brown to dark brown. And the crumb became softer and more open with the higher sugar content.

Final advice.

Sugar has its place in breadmaking. It can improve the flavour, eating quality, and the look of bread. Use it for the right reasons and be prepared to adjust your recipe to account for all the effects that sugar will have. There is no right or wrong amount of sugar and there is no law for using any type of sugar for any particular bake. Find what works best for you and your recipe.

If you’ve watched any one of my videos, you’d now that I’m all about temperature control. It is one of the most important parts of the bread making process and I have published several videos about temperature control and the effect of temperature on fermentation. But all of the previous videos and writeups concern bread dough that is fermented at room temperature. What about cold fermentation? Does the final dough temperature really matter if the dough is going to be stone cold anyway?

The ideal temperature for your dough will be determined by the temperature of your fridge, the composition of the dough, and even the mass of the dough. If your fridge is very cold, then the dough should be slightly warmer and vice versa. If the dough contains ingredients that may speed up fermentation, then it should not be made too warm in order for it to not get out of control as it ferments for a long time. And the larger the dough the more actively it will ferment. Making it cooler to begin with will prevent it from over fermenting. Of course, all of the above can also be solved by adjusting the amount of yeast.

My fridge usually hovers around 5C (41F). And I usually aim for a final dough temperature of between 23C (73F) to 25C (77F), which is the same temperature range I would use for room temperature fermentation. At this temperature range the doughs that I usually make will ferment sufficiently in 12 – 24 hours.

The process is almost always the same: mix the dough, place it in the fridge for 30 – 60 minutes, take it out to give it a fold, and then let it cold ferment until the next day. Folding the dough ensures that it cools down evenly. As the dough sits in the fridge the outside of it will naturally cool down sooner. Folding the dough mixes the cooler outer part with the warmer inside distributing the temperature evenly throughout it which makes it ferment more evenly.

Why would we make a warm dough and then actively try to cool it down quickly once it has been placed in the fridge, I hear you ask. Yeast will not be very active below 20C (68F), so if the dough is already at that temperature, then it may take longer to start fermenting (the same goes for room temperature fermentation). And then if it cools down even more it may not ferment at all.

Yeast is most active between 27C (80F) to 37C (98F). At these high temperatures it will produce a lot of carbon dioxide very quicky which will make the dough puff up and rise as much as the gluten structure would allow it to. But there is a downside to quick fermentation and that is a lack of flavour development. That is why we usually go for a lower temperature in order to get a good balance between the rise and the flavour.

Everything happens more slowly during cold fermentation. It produces superior flavour over many hours. It is also a convenient way of making bread because we do not need to look after the dough. Letting the dough sit for so long also helps the flour absorb all the water which makes the dough easier to handle. The ease of handling can allow us to increase the hydration. That is why I believe it is the superior bread making technique.

As you can see in the video, the dough which was too cool did not even ferment properly in a whole weeks’ time. The one which was slightly too warm tried to climb out of the bowl a couple of times. It is definitely better to make it too warm rather than too cold all things being equal. But getting it just right will always produce the best result.

What if your dough has turned out too cool or too warm? This could pose a big issue when fermenting dough at room temperature and it could throw off the timings by quite a lot. Luckily when cold fermenting time is on our side. If your dough is too cool do not refrigerate it right after mixing. Simply let it sit at room temperature for 30 – 60 minutes before giving it a fold and then place it in the fridge. While the dough sits at room temperature it will start fermenting and by the time you refrigerate it the process will be in a good motion to continue.

If your dough tuned out too warm place it in the fridge right away. Do not wait 60 or even 30 minutes to give it a fold. Put it in the coolest corner of the fridge and start folding it after just 10 – 15 minutes. And instead of just folding it once, repeat the step at the same interval two or even three times. This should cool it down relatively quickly and prevent it from over fermenting. If it’s really warm you can even utilize your freezer in the same way. Once the dough has cooled down you can move it to the fridge.

Temperature control is nothing to get stressed about. Once you get used to it you won’t even think about it that much. During spring, summer, and even autumn I can easily use water that has been left out at room temperature and my dough will pretty much always end up in the right temperature range. No calculations needed. And even when it turns out cooler or warmer I can use the techniques described above to fix it.

Staying consistent with all the parts of the bread making process allows you to get predictable results. Paying a little attention and sticking to certain parameters will ensure that your breads turn out as expected every time.

To learn more about no-knead bread dough temperature control click here.

To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

To learn more about cold bulk fermentation click here.

Fat is a wonderful ingredient for bread making. It makes bread softer, moister, richer, longer lasting, and more delicious. There are several types of fats that can be added to bread dough. From various oils to butter, lard, goose fat or even bacon grease. Some of them carry distinct flavours and others only affect the texture and mouthfeel of bread. Which type of fat you use is totally up to you and your taste. There are no rules when it comes to using different fats. Cinnamon rolls could be made with lard, sandwich loaves could be made with bacon fat. It’s all down to your creativity and preference.

Fats coat the flour inhibiting formation of long gluten strands. That is why sometimes fat is called shortening. Gluten is made up of two proteins called glutelin and gliadin. It is when those proteins connect that gluten is formed. Shorter gluten strands equal weaker dough which results in a lighter and softer bread.

When deciding how much fat to add it is worth considering the other ingredients contained in the dough. High hydration dough would be difficult to handle if it also contained a relatively high amount of fat. Doughs that contain ingredients such as eggs and sugar also become trickier to work with when there is a lot of fat involved. The same goes for dough made with weaker flours such as low protein plain flour, spelt, einkorn or rye.

The type of bread also dictates how much fat it can take. If it is a sandwich loaf baked in a tin which supports its rise, then it could take more fat. If it is a free-standing loaf, then it may not rise as tall with a high fat content. Flatter breads can be fattier while taller breads should generally be leaner. Personally, I like to make my everyday breads with leaner dough and my super soft once in a while treat bakes with high fat dough.

The type of crumb that you want to achieve relies on the amount of fat. If the desired crumb structure is open and irregular, then a lower fat content is advised. If you want the crumb of your bread to be more compact and even, then more fat can be added.

When calculating fat content, we use baker’s percentage. Every ingredient added to bread dough is measured as a percentage in relation to the total amount of flour. The flour is always 100% in such a calculation. Example: a formula for a bread made with 500g flour, 350g water, 5g yeast, 10g salt, and 15g olive oil. We already know that the flour is 100%. To find the percentages of the other ingredients we simply have to divide the amount of the ingredient by the amount of flour.

Water 350:500 = 0.7 (70%); Yeast 5:500=0.01 (1%); Salt 10:500=0.02 (2%); Olive oil 15:500=0.03 (3%).

When writing a recipe from scratch we start with the amount of flour and then decide the percentages of the other ingredients. The following example is for a 500g flour recipe. 5% oil is 500×0.05=25g; 10% oil is 500×0.1=50g; 20% oil is 500×0.2=100g, and so on.

Since I stopped kneading dough, I have been adding fats right from the beginning of the mix instead of working them in later after gluten development. I have found that it works without any issues and that it is the most convenient way of adding fat. I have made brioche dough containing 40% fat several times without kneading and without compromises. That can give you a good idea of how much fat you can add to your bread dough.

Some fats affect bread dough differently than others. Butter is perhaps the most commonly used fat in bread making. What makes butter unique is that it usually consists of around 80% fat and that it is solid at room temperature. Most of the remaining 20% is water, so adding more butter to bread dough not only increases the fat content but also the hydration.

Oil on the other hand is 100% fat and it is liquid at room temperature. I like to calculate it as part of the total hydration when writing a new recipe. It is because oil will make the dough feel and behave as if it had a higher hydration. Of course, when writing a formula, it would be written down separately. Only when deciding how much I should add I would always look at the hydration percentage and then add the oil accordingly.

Butter tends to create a more uniform and smoother crumb while oils make it more open and irregular. Of course, it all depends on the amounts and the other ingredients contained in the dough as well as the hydration.

As for the experiment in the video, I chose a basic recipe to illustrate my point. As the amount of fat increased the aroma and taste became stronger and the crumb became progressively richer and softer. The crust also developed a deeper colour. Oil seemed to produce greater volume across the board.

When adjusting the formula for your next bake take all of the above into consideration. You can add as much or as little fat as you like. Experiment with it and find out what works best for you and your recipe. There is no ideal fat percentage. It’s all up to you.

There are several methods used for making bread softer, moister, and longer lasting which we have covered on this channel already. You can find videos about various dough improving ingredients such as fats, eggs, sugar, milk. Techniques like tangzhong and yudane/scalding. The use of cooked vegetables like potatoes or pumpkins and various soakers which are made with seeds and grains. But the one topic we had not covered up until now is porridge.

Grains and pulses have historically been added to bread dough to get more out of it. Flour has been more expensive at times so bakers added cheaper ingredients to keep the costs of production down.

Most of us don’t need to do this out of necessity anymore. But that does not mean that porridge is useless to the modern baker. It’s quite the opposite. As with all the other methods listed above, we can use porridge to enhance our breads. We can create breads with interesting and unique textures and flavours. Breads which can stay moist for longer and even develop their flavours as they age.

What exactly is porridge?

Porridge can be prepared from various ingredients. When I say porridge, I don’t necessarily mean your breakfast oatmeal although that is certainly one of the types of porridge that can be used in breadmaking. When I say porridge what I really mean is any type of grain/pulse/seed/legume that is cooked in liquid until all the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated. This is the main distinction between soakers and porridge.

Soakers can also be made with seeds, pulses, or grains, but they are simply soaked as the name suggests. Often more than enough water is used in the process and if you know my recipes then you would have seen me using all the water of a recipe for making a soaker.

At the end of the day soakers and porridge achieve the same results when used in a bread dough recipe. The main difference is the method of preparation and the convenience of one over the other, which can swing either direction depending on the type of bread being made and the type of grain or pulse used in either method.

What are the advantages of using porridge?

Since all the cooking liquid is absorbed or evaporated, we do not need to worry too much about adjusting the hydration of the recipe which the porridge is being added to. The porridge will release some of its moisture into the dough and make it slightly wetter, and it will interrupt the gluten structure making the dough weaker, but generally we do not need to lower the hydration of the original recipe by much.

Soakers on the other hand can be a bit more involving because the ingredients must be submerged in liquid to get soaked properly. As there is little to no cooking involved some of the liquid will be left over. So, there is liquid in the grains/seeds and liquid around them. If you want to add the whole soaker to a recipe, then some major adjustments need to be made to the hydration of that dough.

The ease of use is the main advantage to porridge. As I mentioned above, historically one would simply add leftover groats or whatnot to the dough, and it would make a perfectly fine bread.

How to prepare porridge.

Any grain, seed or pulse which can be cooked in a way that makes all the cooking liquid get absorbed and/or evaporated can be used in the preparation of porridge. Oats, buckwheat, millet, lentils, bulgur wheat, barley, rice, farro, quinoa, freekeh, spelt, rye, corn, amaranth are just some of the most common ones.

Some will absorb more water than others. When it comes to rice, buckwheat, millet, bulgur wheat and other whole grains/seeds the usual ratio of ingredient to liquid is 1:2.5 by weight. So, if you are cooking 100g rice you would need 250g water.

Split pulses and oats need less water at around 1:2 by weight. The best thing to do is to read the cooking instructions on the packaging.

Other ingredients can be added to the porridge as it is cooking. Fragrant seeds like cumin, caraway or fennel seed can be added in order to bring more flavour. So can spices and other types of seasoning or sweetening.

Cooking times vary greatly from the hardest whole grains like barley to the lightest split cereals like oats. The former taking up to an hour to cook and the latter taking no more than a few minutes.

When it comes to calculating the correct amount of porridge in baker’s percentage terms, I prefer to only count the raw grain instead of the total mass of the cooked porridge. As a general guideline I would suggest sticking to 10% – 20% of raw grain/seed/pulse. Of course, you do not need to stick to it. As little as 5% can be enough for some and far more than 20% for others.

Sample recipes.

Rice bread:

Porridge – 40g wholegrain basmati rice, 100g water, pinch of salt.

Dough – 230g white bread flour, 20g whole wheat flour, 2.5g instant dry yeast, 5g salt, 165g water, 8g olive oil.

Bring the rice up to a boil, turn the heat down low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Cool down. Mix all ingredients. Bulk ferment for 60 minutes with one fold halfway through. Shape, proof for 30 minutes, bake at 200C fan on for 40 minutes.

Buckwheat bread:

Porridge – 40g toasted buckwheat, 100g water, pinch of salt.

Dough – 230g white bread flour, 20g whole wheat flour, 2.5g instant dry yeast, 5g salt, 165g water, 8g olive oil.

Bring the buckwheat up to a boil, turn the heat down low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Cool down. Mix all ingredients. Bulk ferment for 60 minutes with one fold halfway through. Shape, proof for 30 minutes, bake at 200C fan on for 40 minutes.

Millet bread:

Porridge – 40g millet, 100g water, pinch of salt.

Dough – 230g white bread flour, 20g whole wheat flour, 2.5g instant dry yeast, 5g salt, 165g water, 8g olive oil.

Bring the millet up to a boil, turn the heat down low, cover and cook for 15 – 17 minutes. Cool down. Mix all ingredients. Bulk ferment for 60 minutes with one fold halfway through. Shape, proof for 30 minutes, bake at 200C fan on for 40 minutes.

Most people assume that because I have a YouTube channel about breadmaking I eat a lot of bread all the time. That is not quite true. I only sample what you see in my videos, and I rarely bake when I’m not recording. A lot of the baked goods I make are shared with work colleagues and friends.

So, baking twice a week and only sampling the baked goods most of the time makes my bread consumption quite low. I just enjoy the process of breadmaking, and I enjoy sharing my experiences with you.

There are however many of you who do eat bread daily. And there are others who would like to have homemade bread daily but cannot yet figure out an efficient and convenient way of getting that done. We all have things to do and waiting around for bread to rise may not be an option for a lot of busy people nowadays. Cold fermentation has been my go-to method for some time now because it allows for mid-week bakes with very little attention dedicated to the dough as it ferments.

Being able to just mix dough and pop it in the fridge until next day makes my life so much easier and I know that a lot of you are enjoying the benefits of cold fermentation too. It is not only easy and convenient, but it also improves the flavour and keeping quality of the bread.

If we want a constant supply of fresh bread, we need to devise a baking plan.

I imagine that most of the people who eat bread every day usually do it in sandwich form, so that is why I chose sliceable loaves for this demonstration. A medium sized loaf of bread can be consumed in 3 – 4 days while still being fresh enough during that period. That means if we bake twice a week, we could always have fresh bread available.

Of course, I appreciate that not everyone is a sliced bread enthusiast. You can use this baking system for any recipe that you like. The system can be modified and changed in ways to not only fit your recipe but also your schedule. Instead of baking twice a week you could bake once a week. Or you could make a big dough, stick it in the fridge and pull a piece off of it to bake a fresh bread every day provided you have enough fridge space.

I made my choices considering the freshness of the bread, baking frequency, and refrigerator space.

The 7-day baking system.

Baking twice a week sounds easy enough, but it’s even easier when you use this system. It takes very little effort especially because you don’t even have to knead the dough.

A dough is mixed on Day 1. It is then left to slowly ferment in the fridge for 3 days. On Day 4 the dough is shaped, proofed, and baked. On the same day (Day 4) the next dough is mixed and left to ferment in the fridge until Day 7. The current bread is consumed during Days 4, 5, 6, and 7. On Day 7 the next bread is baked and the dough for the following one is mixed and left to ferment in the fridge. This can be repeated indefinitely.

Things to consider.

Fridge temperature is an extremely important factor, so are the ingredients and the hydration of the bread dough. All these things will dictate how much yeast you must use. My fridge is around 5C (41F). From my cold fermentation experience I can estimate how much yeast I will need to use to extend fermentation time. If your fridge temperature is different (which most likely it will be), then you’ll just have to experiment and find out for yourself. Use my parameters as guidance.

If you have followed my cold fermentation methods, you’d know I usually go for 1% yeast in those recipes. That is a perfectly fine amount for most doughs spending 24 hours (and sometimes more) in the fridge. But the longer it is left to ferment the more of the above factors will affect the result.

1% – 0.7% is good for 24 – 48 hours.

0.7% – 0.4% is good for 48 – 96 hours.

0.4% and lower could let you ferment dough for a whole week in the fridge.

Nutritious whole grain flours will make the yeast multiply more rapidly, so keep that in mind when choosing the yeast amount for your recipe.

Hydration also plays a big role. Higher hydration dough usually ferments more rapidly. The mass of the dough also affects fermentation. Larger pieces of dough usually ferment more quickly than smaller ones.

One more thing about fridge temperature is that it is not constant. If you’re like me, you probably peek into your fridge a dozen times a day. Each time you open the door you let a bit of warmth in. Try and place the dough in the coolest corner of the fridge to lessen the effects of that.

Recipes and other advice.

If you’re interested in the specific recipes demonstrated in the video, you’ll be able to find dedicated videos about them in the Cold Fermentation playlist of my channel. You can also use the other recipes of that playlist as guidelines for your process. Simply adjust the amount of yeast.

I simplified the recipes for the purpose of demonstration in this video. Usually, I would suggest folding the dough once or twice while cold fermenting. It not only helps with de-gassing but it also helps with temperature control. You should at least fold the dough once after around 30 – 60 minutes in the fridge. It would be even better if you folded it again a day later.

But as you saw in the video you can skip the folding altogether. It is up to you how simple or elaborate you make your recipes and how you design your baking schedule. Simplicity often comes with trade-offs, but some trade-offs are totally acceptable by some people. It’s your bread – make it the way you want to make it.

I’ve spoken about dough temperature in the cold fermentation guide. But it’s worth reminding that even if the dough will spend days in the fridge you should aim for a normal final dough temperature of around 23C – 24C (73F – 75F). This is because the yeast needs warmth to get going. If you make the dough with cold water and the final dough temperature is below 20C (68F) and you place it in the fridge right away, then it may not ferment well enough in time. It will still work, but you won’t get all the flavour benefits.

For those who prefer pizza, pita, or some kind of bun.

I would suggest making a large enough dough for the required number of weekly portions. Fold it once after 30 – 60 minutes in the fridge to quickly cool the dough down. Fold it again on the next day.

To bake, pull a piece off of the large dough and follow the process as per usual. Using this method, you can bake right from day two and watch and feel the texture and taste of the bread evolve throughout the week as you bake a piece of it very day. Make the next dough as soon as you run out and continue indefinitely.

Hopefully this guide will help you design your ideal baking schedule so that you can have fresh bread on tap with little effort.

While baking over the years I’ve tested various ingredients and their effects on bread dough. Most of those tests can be found in the Principles of Baking playlist on my channel. Some were my ideas, and some were suggested and requested by viewers. Usually, the ingredients tested were already commonly used in breadmaking.

Some time ago someone asked if they could use MSG instead of salt in bread dough. I put it on my list, ordered some MSG, but later forgot about it. Whilst going through my baking cupboard one day I came across the pack of MSG and finally decided to give it a go. And after seeing that I have a bottle of soy sauce in the fridge I decided to test that out too.

What is MSG?

MSG aka monosodium glutamate is a flavour enhancer which is naturally found in some foods like tomatoes and cheese. It adds umami flavour to food. Umami is the fifth basic flavour after sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. It’s kind of like the balance between all the flavours. Soy sauce also adds umami.

Regular salt contains around 38% sodium while MSG only contains around 12% sodium. Soy sauce contains around 17% sodium.

Salt is also a flavour enhancer. Pretty much everyone consumes too much salt. Even when we think that we don’t, most of the time we do. I am quite conservative with my salt use, and I track my intake. It does not take a lot to go over the daily recommended limit which 6g (0.21oz) of salt.

We can calculate the amount of sodium in salt by using the given percentage above. 6 x 0.38 = 2.28. Sometimes you’ll see 2.3g (0.081oz) as the recommended daily limit which can be confusing. The larger number refers to salt and the lower number refers to pure sodium. 6g salt (0.21oz) and 2.3g (0.081oz) sodium are the same thing.

Using MSG as a replacement may seem like a good option since it only contains 1/3^rd of the sodium. That was also the reason why I was asked to make this video.

The test.

For the purpose of the test, I simply replaced the salt in a dough with MSG at a 1:1 ratio. I calculated the required amount of soy sauce according to its sodium content and subtracted some of the water in the dough to account for the water content in the soy sauce.

Salt has a tightening effect on gluten. Without salt the dough becomes more extensive and less elastic which can be beneficial in some cases and detrimental in others, but it’s just something to be aware of. Since the MSG only has 1/3^rd of the sodium compared to salt it made the dough feel slack and the loaf did not rise as well upwards, instead spreading out sideways.

The recipe formulas –

MSG: 200g (7oz) white bread flour; 4g (0.14oz) instant dry yeast; 4g (0.14oz) MSG; 130g (4.6oz) water.

Salt: 200g (7oz) white bread flour; 4g (0.14oz) instant dry yeast; 4g (0.14oz) salt; 130g (4.6oz) water.

Soy sauce: 200g (7oz) white bread flour; 4g (0.14oz) instant dry yeast; 23g (0.8oz) soy sauce; 110g (3.9oz) water.

The results.

For me, the main goal was taste. First, I sampled the regular bread made with salt to then compare the other two to it. Taking a bite out of the MSG bread I was quite surprised. I thought it would at least be similar to regular bread, but the MSG made the bread not taste like bread at all. There is no way I would ever use this in bread dough. Perhaps a mix of MSG and salt would work, and if you really need to decrease your salt intake for heath reasons, then perhaps that would be an option. But in that case, you could just look at what you’re eating throughout the day and adjust the sodium in everything to decrease your intake. That would make more sense than mixing weird stuff into your bread dough.

As for the soy sauce, it kind of worked. The bread had proper seasoning, the colour was nice, and the soy sauce flavour was ok. On its own though it did add a little bit of bitterness, so I would not use it in a regular lean white bread dough. Of course, it has nothing to do with lowering sodium, but at least it can replace salt in some way.

Practical use.

So, I decided to create a recipe using soy sauce and balancing the flavour with other ingredients to get an interesting bake in the end. Coffee custard, soy sauce buns is what I came up with.

Adding some butter, dark brown sugar, and vanilla paste to the dough mellowed out the slight bitterness of the soy sauce. The coffee custard worked well because it too had a slight bitterness to it but balanced with sweetness from sugar it was a nice addition to dough base. Finally, I decided to add some desiccated coconut because coffee and coconut work well together. This is a recipe I came up with in a few minutes just by looking at the random stuff I had at home.

You could use soy sauce in various other recipes especially savoury ones like steamed buns with some kind of meat filling or some savoury doughnuts perhaps.

For the dough –

100g (3.5oz) water

2g (0.07oz) instant dry yeast

23g (0.8oz) soy sauce

15g (0.53oz) brown sugar

15g (0.53oz) butter

5g (0.17oz) vanilla paste

200g (7oz) white bread flour

For the coffee custard –

100g (3.5oz) milk

25g (0.9oz) white sugar

10g (0.35oz) butter

0.5 egg

10g (0.35oz) cornstarch

3g (0.1oz) instant coffee

To finish –

0.5 egg for glazing

Desiccated coconut

1. Make the custard. Combine all ingredients in a small pan and set it on medium-high heat. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes or until thickened. Cover and leave to cool down.
2. Make the dough. Combine all the ingredients except the flour. Mix well. Add the flour and mix to a dough. *Desired dough temperature 25C (77F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust fermentation time accordingly.
3. Cover and ferment for 45 minutes.
5. Ferment for 45 minutes.
6. Divide into 4 and shape into balls.
7. Proof for 1 hour.
8. Shape, brush with egg, and sprinkle with coconut. Fill with custard.
9. Bake at 170C (340F) fan on for 20 minutes.

Skolebrod recipe – https://youtu.be/5DeMdE9D-Dk

Scalding is a great technique for making bread extra soft and making it stay softer for longer. A portion of flour is mixed with boiling water which gelatinizes the starch in the flour. Adding scalded flour to the final dough gives it an extra soft texture. It also allows us to increase the hydration as the swollen starch absorbs the water a lot more effectively. You can find many recipes on my channel using this technique for good reason. It can replace eggs and fats to an extent, so it is great for plant-based baking.

We have made tortillas using 100% scalded flour and they turned out great. Super soft, flexible, and able to stay soft for longer. But I had never tried making loaves or rolls using such an extreme amount of scalded flour. Someone recently asked me to do it in the comments section of the tortilla recipe, so I thought it would be interesting to give it a go.

Technically, it is very simple. All we need to do is mix all the flour with boiling water, leave the scald to cool down, then add the rest of the ingredients to make the final dough.

A couple things need to be considered. How do we add the yeast and other ingredients to the scald. And of course, there was the question of whether such a dough would even be able to hold its shape. Scalding cooks the gluten forming proteins resulting is a weaker gluten structure. Scalding all the flour may just make the dough too weak.

Adding the remaining ingredients is simple. All we need to do is reserve some of the water so that we can mix the yeast and anything else before adding them to the scald. And the question of whether the bread would turn out ok has been answered because we have a video here.

First, I tried to make a pan loaf with high hydration and cold fermentation. This was just an experiment to see how it turns out so that I can adjust and make a proper recipe afterwards. This loaf proved that the concept works, but adjustments needed to be made to achieve a nice soft texture. Cold fermentation works against softness, so that was one thing to adjust right off the bat.

The second recipe is an actual useable recipe that can be made regularly. You can even turn it into a loaf if you like, freestanding or baked in a tin. Adjust it by using different seeds, swapping the honey for some other sweet syrup or leave it out altogether.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the scald –

200g (7oz) white bread flour

50g (1.75oz) whole wheat flour

30g (1oz) wholegrain rye flour

5g (0.17oz) salt

10g (0.35oz) honey

10g (0.35oz) sesame seeds

5g (0.17oz) caraway seeds

10g (0.35oz) butter

180g (6.35oz) boiling water

To finish the dough –

2g (0.07oz) instant dry yeast or 2.4g (0.08oz) active dry yeast or 6g (0.21oz) fresh yeast

20g (0.7oz) water

If you are using active dry yeast, then you may need to let it sit in the water for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients or else it could take a lot longer to raise the dough.

Method

1. Make the scald. Combine all the ingredients except the flour. Make sure the scald is hot. I re-heated it in the microwave after the first mix. Add the flour and mix until there is no dry flour left. Cover and leave to cool down to room temperature.
2. Make the final dough. Hydrate the yeast in the remaining water. Add the yeast mix to the scald and squish it all together until well combined.
3. Cover and ferment for 1 hour.
5. Ferment for 1 more hour.
6. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and shape into balls. Roll the dough balls in cornmeal (optional).
7. Cover and final proof for 1 hour.
8. Bake at 170C (340F) fan on for 20 minutes.

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.

Cast iron pans come pre-seasoned from the factory. They have a coating of oil baked on to them for protection of the surface and to make them non-stick. As the pan is being used the protective coating (seasoning) can wear off. Especially if it is not cared for correctly.

I only use my Lodge combo cooker for breadmaking purposes which does not damage it that much. But it gets abused from time to time especially when I use the pan as a steam generator. Sometimes I pre-heat it with the oven and when the bread gets placed inside, I pour a cup of boiling water in the pan to create a cloud of steam. While being an extremely effective method for producing steam it does wear off the seasoning and makes it more susceptible to rusting.

Washing and handling can also cause some wear on the finish. If the pan is not dried well or if it is placed on a wet surface, it may rust.

What you will need to wash and refinish a cast iron pan.

Dishwashing soap to wash off any grime and rust. A scrubber like a metal scourer or Brillo pad. Kitchen roll or a lint free towel for drying and applying the oil. Oven gloves for handling the pan. Oil for seasoning.

Many oils can be used for seasoning like rice bran oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, canola, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, olive oil, shortening, and coconut oil. Some like olive oil and coconut oil will leave a flavour behind. And peanut oil will leave an allergen, so if you are going to cook for other people then do not use peanut oil just in case.

How to wash a damaged cast iron pan.

Whether your pan has lost only some of the seasoning and has developed a little surface rust or whether you’ve inherited a super rusty pan, the cleaning and seasoning process will be the same.

First, get the rust off. All you need is warm soapy water and something to scrub the pan with. I think the metal scourer is more effective, but a scouring pad also has its place because it has straight edges it can be more effective at cleaning around the lip of the pan.

Dry the pan. Use thick kitchen roll or a lint free towel. Do not try and use tissue paper because it will break up and make a mess, and it will be even worse when you try and rub a hot pan with it when seasoning.

After drying the pan, I would suggest placing it in a pre-heated oven (250C or 480F) for 1 minute to flash off any remaining moisture and ensure it is completely dry.

How to season a cast iron pan.

Remove the dry pan from the oven and pour about a tablespoon of oil into it. Use a piece of kitchen roll to pick up the oil and spread it all over the surface of the pan covering every millimetre of it on both sides. Use a fresh piece of kitchen roll to pick up any excess oil. Place the pan in the oven on a rack close to the heating element. Bake at 250C (480F) for 1 hour.

Remove the pan from the oven and repeat the same steps for coating it in oil, then place it back into the oven to bake for another hour. Repeat until the finish is nice and even and black all over. I applied three coats in total because my pan was not very damaged. It could take up to seven coats or more for a very rusty pan.

Be extremely careful when handling and coating the hot pan! If you don’t feel confident, then leave it to cool down completely between coats. It will take longer, but at least you won’t have any accidents.

How to clean and store a cast iron pan.

Most of the time all you may need to do is to wipe the pan clean with kitchen roll without even needing to wash it. If there is food stuck or burnt to the surface, then scrub it off with a Brillo pad and wash it in warm water. Using soap can wear off the seasoning, so you should only use soap when you are going to refinish the pan anyway.

After washing dry the pan with kitchen roll (and then in a hot oven for an even better drying effect), rub it with a light coating of oil, and store it in the oven until next use. The inside of an oven in the prefect place for it.

How to avoid damaging a cast iron pan and to prolong the life of the seasoning.

Try not to cook very acidic foods (tomatoes, vinegar, fruits) in the pan as they will eat away at the seasoning. Do not scratch it with sharp and pointy utensils. Do not pour boiling water in the pan to create clouds of steam for breadmaking, and then forget to wash and oil after use (note to self!). Do not place the pan on wet surfaces.

The more you use the pan for cooking the thicker the seasoning will become. As you apply oil and cook with it some of the oil will stick to the surface and strengthen the seasoning layer.

If you’re like me and only use it for breadmaking, then owning a cast iron pan takes no effort at all. I’ve had mine for many years, and this was the first time I seasoned it. It took quite a lot of abuse (even deliberate) to get it as rusty as it was in the video.

A cast iron pan with a lid is a home baker’s best friend. It is extremely effective at keeping steam inside it and making the bread rise better, colour more evenly, and develop a crispier crust. It’s the next best thing after an actual bread oven. Definitely a good investment that will last a lifetime and more.