December 10, 2017 - 7:25am
Is toasting baking? What is the perfect loaf?
This may be merely the philosophical ramblings of someone infected by the baking bug, but isn't that what belongs in the Miscellaneous Forum.
The real question is what do I, an amateur home baker, want when I bake. 95% of the bread my family eats is toasted so I want a loaf which is improved by toasting; however, sometimes I want bread for a dinner party when it will not be toasted but might be reheated.
Should this distinction affect my baking? Should my daily bread be a tad moister than a dinner party bread?
Thoughts?
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I often make different style breads for different intended uses. If I'm making a loaf primarily for toasting I tend to make stiffer dough and bake it at lower temps and to a lighter color. I find stiffer dough toasts better (to my tastes) and the lighter thinner crust doesn't become overly hard or dark when the loaf is well toasted. And I make similar style breads if the main purpose is for sandwiches.
If I make "dinner bread" then I tend towards wetter doughs and darker crunchier crusts. Especially if I'm making bread intended for dipping in soup.
I see no reason why we shouldn't tailor the bread we make for different intents. It's good to have an all-around versatile loaf of bread when it will be used for many different things, but if you know that a particular loaf will primarily be used with one purpose in mind, then you might as well make one that's best-suited for that purpose.
Cheers!
Trevor
I agree with TJW that a sandwich loaf works very well for toasting. The sandwich loaves I make are usually whole- or multi-grain and enriched with some honey and vegetable oil.
My first post!
You're not alone, since I freely confess that I gauge most of my breads by whether or not they make good toast, even though obviously some loaves are more suited for this purpose than others. I eat a significant portion of the 2-3 loaves I bake a week, and much of this consumption is as toast in the mornings. Or grilled cheese sandwiches, which I believe are another important consideration. :-)