Methods of Bread Making

There are many different method used for making bread, which is why bread will vary from bakery to bakery, even baker to baker in some cases. Most bread eaten today is made from a "no time dough" method predominately used by large plant bakeries as it, as the name suggests, takes much less time to make than traditionally fermented bread. The disadvantage of this method is that because the flour doesn't have time to ferment naturally the dough needs various additives to replace what would happen naturally given the time. But time is money and the producers of mass produced bread need to make bread as cheap as possible. I personally believe that this has a lot to do with why there appears to be a rise in wheat intolerance, as the wheat that is indigestible, stays indigestible instead of going through the natural chemical transformation into edible proteins.

Here at Cornfield Bakery we use a few different methods which I will try to explain without getting too technical.

Method 1: Straight Run Dough

This method is the nearest we do to "no time dough" although it is given a short fermentation time, it will still require a small amount of "flour treatment agent" (vitamin c). We use this method mainly for Roll & in the case of soft rolls we add an emulsifier to help keep the product soft and extend the shelf life.

 

 

Method 2: Sponge & Dough

The sponge and dough process is when you make about half the amount of dough required using only Wheat Flour, Water, Salt & Yeast. It is then left to ferment for about 8 hours after which time you can then add more Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast & Vegetable Fat (Non-Hydrogenated). Once mixed it is divided into the correct weight then left to rest some more before moulding, proving & baking. (Good things can’t be rushed).

Ingredients:          Wheat Flour, Water, Yeast, Salt, Vegetable Shortening (Non-hydrogenated).

We use this method for almost all of our bread production. As you will see from the ingredient it doesn't need any bread improver or any other additives for that matter.

Method 3: Sour Dough

This bread is made using a procces that involves keeping a "starter" or leaven. The procces requires a daily routine of feeding a part of the the leaven with flour & water (in our case our very own Oxford Ancient Heritage Flour), this keeps the natural yeasts fermenting continously in a healhty conditionwithin the leaven culture. when we make the bread we mix some of the leaven with more of our antient flour, water & salt. And nothing else. The dough then left to ferment & it is ready we scale, shape & place into proving baskets where it stays until ready for the oven. With only 3 ingredient & one of them being our unique flour, this product is about as natural as bread can be.

We also keep a Rye Sour Dough used in a similar way which we use to make a range of rye based products which includes the 100% Rye Sourdough.