83. Bread technically always contains a yeast agent. Quickbreads are simulated bread recipes that don’t contain yeast (and are usually quicker as a result of not having to wait for rising time).
84. About to make bread but you’ve just discovered you don’t have any yeast? Don’t panic: You can make incredibly delicious quickbread by adding a cup of beer or sparkling wine. (If you use beer, add a few herbs to your recipe as well for a wonderful, savory treat.)
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365 Cooking Tips & Tricks Every Cook Needs To Know
85. Bread will not rise as well if you use cold milk: The whey contains proteins that damage gluten, so scald your milk first.
86. When adding scalded milk to a bread recipe that contains yeast, make sure it is cooled to lukewarm. If it is too hot, it may kill the yeast. If it is too cool, it won’t help the yeast rise.
87. Use a heavy, stoneware bowl when making bread dough. Cover dough with a clean linen tea towel while setting it to rise.
88. Try setting your bowl of dough on the top of your refrigerator while waiting for dough to rise. The warmth from the fridge can often create the perfect rising temperature. (Bread dough must rise in a
slightly warm place)
89. Dough that is too stiff can prevent yeast from activating properly.
90. Baby your bread machine – contrary to popular belief, you can easily break them if you don’t respect their parameters. Use recipes meant specifically for bread machines (especially the ones that come with your model of machine) – and avoid super-heavy doughs and artisan breads.
91. All-purpose flour is best for quickbreads.
92. If you want to avoid a milky taste to white bread and boost the flavor, replace half the water with yogurt, according to bread expert Dan Lepard.
93. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of your oven, if you want your loaf top to rise and crack artistically for that farm-baked look.
94. Make sure the water or milk you add to your bread mixture is lukewarm to the back of your wrist. If it is too cold, it won’t activate the yeast: If too hot, it will kill the yeast.
95. Add a spoonful of honey or sugar to your liquid while it is still hot, before cooling to lukewarm. Mix well to dissolve thoroughly.
96. When adding cereal-type grains such as oatmeal, first soak them in just enough boiling water to moisten them for at least 10 minutes.
97. Always lightly toast seeds or nuts before adding to bread. Doing so will help them be much more
digestible (and appetizing).
98. Lightly coat your hands with olive oil before kneading bread dough.
99. Make sure there are no draughts where you set your dough to rise.
100. If you want your freshly-baked bread to slice without crumbling, first let it cool completely.
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365 Cooking Tips & Tricks Every Cook Needs To Know
Gluten-Free
101. The most common cause of heaviness in gluten-free baking is too much potato, tapioca or cornstarch.
102. Buy only products that are certified as “Gluten-Free”.
103. Substitute sorghum flour for rice flour and make sure rice doesn’t constitute a major portion of your diet.
Because rice is grown in flooded paddies, it may contain a higher than acceptable percentage of inorganic arsenic.
104. Don’t expect gluten-free flours to behave like wheat flour. You will have to re-learn how to bake through reading directions carefully, checking out anything you don’t understand (Google it online) and following said directions. And after all that, you’ll need to experiment to adapt recipes to your own unique conditions (your oven, heat type and consistency, climate, elevation above sea level, and so forth).
105. Pay attention to the weight of the flour you want to replace with a gluten-free substitute. Replacing a light flour with a heavy flour (and vice versa) would significantly affect your baking results.
106. Don’t forget to ensure your starches and thickeners are gluten-free too: Use potato, corn starch, arrowroot or tapioca starch for thickening or baking.
107. Oats are not always gluten-free. When purchasing oats or oatmeal, be aware of the possibility of cross-contamination with other grains and grain substances. Always choose the best quality – and check labels carefully.
108. Amaranth, buckwheat, pure cocoa powder, cornstarch, millet, oats, rice, quinoa, sorghum and teff are all gluten-free.
109. Spelt is absolutely not gluten-free: It is a grain related to wheat.
110. Barley and rye contain gluten.
111. Teff is an African grain with a nutty quality. It is rich in vitamin C and the highest of all the grains in calcium content.
112. Watch out for foods and cosmetics (yes, cosmetics) that unexpectedly contain gluten. (Look for ingredients like maltodextrin, dextrin and monodiglycerides.)
113. Common culprits containing “hidden” wheat: Soy sauce, corn flakes, instant coffee, canned soup and flavored snack chips of any sort. (Bottom line: Read the labels!)
114. If it doesn’t have a label, don’t eat it.
115. If you want your bread to taste more “whole grain”, add ground flax meal.
116. If you want your bread to have a more chewy texture, try adding Xanthan gum.
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365 Cooking Tips & Tricks Every Cook Needs To Know
117. To prevent bread from collapsing in the middle, bake it in heavy bakeware with a lid. (The lid helps keep in moisture and lets the bread bake more evenly.)
118. If your bread dough is too stiff, add a spoonful of water. (Good gluten-free bread dough should resemble muffin mixture. It should not be leathery or smooth.)
119. If you want to thrill a gluten-free cook for Christmas, give her a heavy Pyrex loaf pan or deep casserole dish with a lid.
120. If you plan to do gluten-free baking, be sure to purchase a good instant-read thermometer to test the center of your loaves and cakes. (The temperature should read about 205°F minimum for done-ness.)