Most of us can agree that carbs are one of life’s greatest pleasures, and while millions of humans have started preparation for their upcoming Thanksgiving dinners, we can’t help but think about all of those delicious rolls being baked and how heavenly those homes must smell. And all of these thoughts led us to think about the science behind bread making. (And drooling. We’re also now drooling.) Let’s get into the science of bread-making!
(image via: king arthur baking)
Now we won’t get too into the history of bread, just know that bread has been around for thousands and thousands and thousands of years, and the process of making bread isn’t really that wild and crazy, so to really get scientific, we think it will be best to walk through the breadmaking process.
(image via: attic paper)
First up, as you start mixing your ingredients, the flour, salt, yeast, etc. you’ll start to notice the dough is forming and binding.
This is typically the point your dough has to sit for a while, and after about ten minutes you’ll notice your dough will start producing an aroma, more specifically a sour smell from the alcohol produced by the yeast, and a more sweet smell from the sugars in the flour.
As you knead the dough, the folding motion traps the air, the pressure adds energy, and the warmth creates stretchiness. At this point, the cough gets pretty weird because it is now both plastic and elastic; this means that it changes shape, but also tries to return to its original shape once the pressure is removed.
(image via: kitchen seer)
While the dough sits and the yeast does its thing, you’ll notice your dough double in size. If you can poke your dough and it doesn’t spring back, it’s ready for the oven.
Baking will turn all of your hard work into the beautiful art we know as bread. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of interesting tidbits surrounding the cooling process, but luckily the butter and eating come next! And of course, you have to have a hot, fresh roll smothered in butter. It’s science.
If you don’t have a recipe for bread handy to conduct your own bread experiment at home, allow us!
Whether this is your first loaf or your fiftieth loaf, this is a super simple recipe for a basic loaf of bread. We think an interesting hypothesis is that homemade bread is significantly better than store-bought. Go ahead, prove us wrong. Get the recipe here!
Another simple recipe, this one is just specifically for the ciabatta lovers, snag it here!