ingredients used in breadmaking

• the four key ingredients used in breadmaking are: wheat flour, liquid, yeast and salt
• fat is sometimes used and will extend the keeping qualities of freshly baked bread
• wheat flour: adds bulk to the bread, different flours add different flavours, absorbs a lot of water to make a dough, has a high protein content to produce a good quality loaf that wont collapse and provides starchy carbohydrates, protein and is fortified with vitamins and minerals
• moisture: helps create the right conditions for yeast to grow, hydrates the flour - helping with gluten formation, provides the ideal temperature of 37 degrees for yeast to grow, turns into steam to help the dough rise and binds everything together to make the dough
• yeast is a living organism that, when given the ideal conditions for growth, respires and produces carbon dioxide
• the ideal conditions for yeast to grow are: body temperature - 37 degrees, moisture, sugar as food and time for the yeast to ferment
• salt: helps with the gluten formation and improves the flavour of the bread
• too much salt can stop the yeast from fermenting
• fat: allows the other ingredients to slide over each other so the bread can rise, enhances the flavour and improves the texture, keeping it moist and preventing staleness
• sugar: provides food energy for the yeast so it can respire and grow, turns to caramel when cooked and makes the crust brown, adds sweetness to the bread
• ascorbic acid: speeds up the time it takes to make the bread