Top 10 Questions In My New Baker Head

Good non-google sources of answers to your questions:

1. the TFL search bar on the top left limits the results to information that has been posted on this website by TFL members, who are often highly knowledgeable and helpful.

2. Good bread books that explain the science and reasoning behind processes in addition to providing formulas (again, conducting a search using the search bar on this site will help answer your question about which books are good ones).

no

it depends

it depends

it depends (try water)

yes/yes

$

it depends

yes

it depends

no

1. When recipe calls for adding salt to the soaker seed mix, doesn't the salt get absorbed more into the seeds and then not leaving enough to be incorprated into the dough?  

The salt will equilibrate between the wet seeds and the wet flour (otherwise known as dough).

2. What is the best surface type to work with slack doughs for less sticking?  Wood bench?  Granite? Etc.  

Something non-porous that is durable enough to use a scraper on it.  My current counter-top is some kind of Formica.  The counter-top I grew up with was wood painted with Latex paint.  That was bad.  So was the kitchen table, which was metal covered by contact paper. 

3. When adding in the mix-ins such as seeds, fruits, nuts, etc., at what point is too early or too late to add them in?  

Small seeds that have been soaked can go in during kneading.  All of the rest should be put into the dough at the end of the kneading.  Before that point, large chunks of "stuff" will interfere with the formation of the gluten during kneading.  Kneading in "stuff" after the rising is complete will destroy the effects of the rising.  You can probably put it in after a small amount of rising has taken place, but I wouldn't, myself.

4. What would cause more harm/issues to a dough when kneading/handling - using oil on hands/surface, or using flour on hands/surface?  

Water, oil, or flour are used by different people according to their preferences.  I prefer oil.  My bread has oil in it already so a little more won't hurt.  Doubling it hurts, incidentally.  I just today performed that experiment to satisfy my own curiosity.  Some people prefer either flour or water instead of oil because they want no oil whatsoever in their bread.  The choice of either flour or water seems to depend on whether it is a drier or a wetter dough, but that is just my impression since I use neither.

5. Does the method of leaving the oven door ajar with the bread in oven for a short time after baking to dry out the crust work for all types of crusty breads?  Is there a time that it is NOT recommended?  

Beats me.  I wrap my half-cooled loaves in waxed paper to soften the crusts so I can more easily slice the bread for sandwiches.  I would think you could dry out the bread too much by leaving it in a hot oven after it is done cooking, but I don't know this for certain.

6. Other than preserving, why are there soooo many ingredients in some store bought breads other than flour, water, salt, yeast??  Most of those breads don't even last longer than home baked breads when left on kitchen counter.  

Some store-bought breads are basically manufactured.  Added chemicals enable the dough to be manipulated with machines in a quick fashion while still dependably producing a fluffy loaf of bread.  They also enable the bread to be stored in the refrigerator without becoming much worse than it was to begin with.  When I was a kid, we used to keep Wonder bread for what seems like weeks.  It probably wasn't quite that long, but my home-made bread is only good for a maybe half-a-dozen days so the difference is noticeable.  Putting it in the refrigerator would be a kiss of death for it.

7. For those who have read them, if there was one, and only one bread book to purchase, which would it be and why?  

This one really is a "it depends" question.  The most vital book for me was Emily Buehler's Bread Science, because it provides the science behind baking that was missing in every cookbook and on every website that I visited (not counting Debra Wink's two-part article here).  But no one really buys only one book about something they love, and sooner or later everyone gets to the point where they buy reference books for one or two tips and count it as a good deal.

 8. Can a non-professional really honestly tell the difference between say a King Arthur Bread Flour (or Robin Hood Bread Flour here in Canada) from those high end 'boutique' flours you see in specialty/health stores?  

If the flour is made from hard spring wheat, you can certainly tell the difference between that and the average AP flour.  More gluten equals better rising.

9.What breads are regarded, typically, the most difficult to make and why?  

I've never seen anyone post a 100% whole wheat sourdough bread with really large holes.  Pretty good holes, yes, but not really large ones.  *grin*  Seriously, no bread is really difficult if you have the proper ingredients, equipment, and technique for it.  So if all you have is AP flour, a mixing bowl with a spoon, and an oven with a faulty temperature controller, a lot of breads are going to be difficult for you.  Not impossible, but very difficult.  The wonderful thing about bread is that almost any combination of ingredients, technique,and equipment is going to give a kind of bread.  It just may not be the kind of bread you were intending it to be.

10. Should I seek professional help if I am dreaming of mixing, kneading, baking, and eating bread? :)

Not until your weight exceeds the obesity limit for your height.  *wink*

I'm just as much of a newbie as you are, if I recall - that said, I've picked up a few thoughts on #4 in your list:

• Anything you use on the surface is going to end up worked into your dough eventually.
• Oil (in general) makes a softer-crumbed loaf, but you're probably not using enough of it to affect the dough that much. A cooking spray is probably a relatively safe bet if it actually works for you.
• Extra flour will lower the hydration marginally (depending on how much you use.)
• Water will raise the hydration marginally (again, depending on how much you use.)

Oil just plain doesn't work for me when I use it on my hands, but YMMV. I do use it on the bowl to keep the dough from sticking while I've got it in for the first rise.

Flour on the hands works, but if there's a lot of water in the dough, it soaks it up with a quickness - you've got to add enough flour to prevent sticking that it significantly changes the hydration of the dough. The first few loaves I did were high-hydration until I started kneading it - at which point I ended up adding almost a full cup of flour to it.

Water on a high-hydration dough has worked well for me - just keep the sink running (I've got a closet for a kitchen) and water your hands every time stuff starts sticking. Alternatively, if you've got room, keep a bowl around to wet your hands. Don't worry about washing the gummy flour off every time - it actually seems to help prevent sticking. It also seems like it changes the hydration a lot less than using extra flour does.

Also, bench knife. Best thing I ever bought for 10 bucks. Even if it sticks, you just give it a couple of scrapes, and bam - no more stuck. :)

Hope this helps, for what it's worth. ^_^

I am an avowed different flours junkie.  Some folks don't seem to notice much flavor difference in different brands of flour.  I do.  I hang out on Stan's www.nybakers.com website and try just about everything he has.  Hubby and I are variety junkies when it comes to bread. 

So, will you notice the difference in flavor of different flours of the same type?  Who knows.  But you might start out by just determining if you feel differently about two grocery store brands, e.g. King Arthur Bread Flour and General Mills Better for Bread.  I prefer the GM.  But that's me.  

You will, as others have said, notice different behaviours in different types of flour.  Italian 00 flour was a revelation to me.  I finally was able to make hard rolls like the ones I grew up with in the northeast.

It's important as well, to learn how different flours behave.  For example, let's say you want to substitute whole wheat in a recipe.  You will probably need to adjust the amount of liquid as well.

Meanwhile, just have fun.  I still occasionally make an unintentional doorstop but it's rarer since I've learned so much, thanks to the many folks that share their knowledge here on The Fresh Loaf.

If I have to recommend one and only one book to a new bread baker it is always Rose Levy Beranbaum's _The Bread Bible_.  If you follow her instructions step by step, to the letter, you will get the promised result at least 90% of the time - and that confidence building is in my experience critical.  Hamelman's formulas are more professional and Glaser's taste better from the high-end baker viewpoint, but RLB's are best for the beginner.

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