NSAHMR: Bakers, come in please.

Fulbri05 · May 2011

I've been trying to make my own rolls and breadsticks this past week, and every batch comes out really... dense? They're very heavy... not light and fluffy at all. They still taste good, but aren't as airy as I would like them. I wait for the yeast to foam and then let the bread rest as long as the directions tell me to. Any suggestions?

charlatti · May 2011

How do you measure your flour? If you don't already, try lightly spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off with a knife (rather than scooping the flour). Too much handling of the dough could also make for dense bread. You want to knead well but not overdo, which IMO just takes trial and error to learn.

Mc_Newlywed · May 2011

charlatti:
How do you measure your flour? If you don't already, try lightly spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling off with a knife (rather than scooping the flour). Too much handling of the dough could also make for dense bread. You want to knead well but not overdo, which IMO just takes trial and error to learn.

And in addition to these tips, I would make sure that the dough rises more. Sometimes if the dough isn't resting in a warm place it can take longer for it to double (or whatever your directions say).

Also, do you have fresh yeast? And are you using the proper temperature for the water?

bugsmami · May 2011

There are also more additives (natural ones!) that will help your bread be more airy. https://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_wheat_bread This site talks about it in more detail.. you kind of have to scroll down to find it. I'm still learning about the bread baking process, but if I try to do 100% whole wheat, it alway turns out really dense. I usually end up using 1/2 and 1/2.

Fulbri05 · May 2011

Thank you! I will try all of these suggestions. It's probably a mixture of not having it rest in a warm enough place, and not sifting the flour enough. I know my yeast is fresh since I just bought all of my baking supplies, and I'm assuming my water is warm enough (as warm as my faucet gets, but not boiling). And I did try to make 100% wheat rolls, maybe I'll try to make it 50/50. Bread is so hard, too many variables!

lbaby08 · May 2011

All of the above is great advice. I would just add that if you plan to do a lot of baking a scale is a really useful tool. The measurements are more accurate than measuring cups which is super important when baking. Plus, once you are used to using it, you will probably find you use it for all of your cooking not just baking. At least I do!

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