\u00a0I prefer to start with natural ingredients as much as possible.\u00a0 I will mill my own flour<\/a> before I get started to ensure that I have the highest nutrient density in my family\u2019s bread.\u00a0 Where possible, I highly recommend pastured eggs.\u00a0 The Omega 3 is clear to see in the bright yellow yolks\u2014bugs and sunshine make the best eggs!\u00a0 Lastly, if you can use filtered water<\/a> you will get better performance with your recipe ingredients (and you will not miss the Chlorine).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Water<\/strong>\u2014Beyond joining the bread ingredients, water temperature is very important for activating yeast<\/a>.\u00a0 You want your water to be approximately 110-155\u02daF.\u00a0 Again, filtered water is going to give the best results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Altitude is another consideration on how much water you need to add to your recipe.\u00a0 Higher altitudes are dryer climates (lower boiling point for water) and will require a higher ratio of water to the dry ingredients.\u00a0 My recipe<\/a> worked for me at both sea level in North Carolina and at 3,000 ft here in Montana . . . however I have to use a slightly higher water-to-flour ratio here at 3,000 ft.\u00a0 When I tried to bake bread at\u00a07,000 ft in Colorado Springs, my low altitude recipe failed<\/em>.\u00a0 Click here<\/a> for a tested high altitude bread recipe.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 Oil<\/strong>\u2014Next to flour, the quality of the oil has the most direct effect on the quality your bread, both in flavor and in nutrition.\u00a0 I almost exclusively use olive oil, because when you examine the finished product, you will know the recipe by ingredients used to make it. \u00a0It is this fat content that makes a tender and moist baked good.\u00a0 The fat interacts with the strands of gluten to shorten <\/em>(why we call them \u201cshorteners\u201d) the length of the gluten strands.\u00a0 This allows the gases more freedom of movement so that your baked goods are more \u201cairy\u201d.\u00a0 Egg yolks also help serve this purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n Honey<\/strong>\u2014I always add the oil first so that the honey will slide out of the same measuring cup without mess or waste.\u00a0 Traditional cookbook recipes just use plain white sugar, which is good for plain white bread<\/em>.\u00a0 But why, when you can take your bread from \u201cboring\u201d to \u201crich\u201d?\u00a0 Honey within itself is the original antibiotic\u2014it is extremely healthy for your immune system, it is easily digestible.\u00a0 Yes, it is one of the more expensive items on the ingredients list\u2014but if you did a blind taste test between two loaves of bread, you would know which one had the honey.\u00a0 I have baked with a variety of sweeteners over the years, to include agave nectar, stevia, and molasses.\u00a0 I find that the honey has the least finicky response in the recipe and is the most versatile.<\/span><\/p>\n Flax Seed<\/strong>\u2014this is a completely optional \u00a0in my list of recipe ingredients, but one I choose for the Omega 3 fatty acids.\u00a0 I know that it is difficult (depending upon your geography) to fill your diet with excellent seafood.\u00a0 If you do not grind the flax seed, you are basically only getting the fiber and the rest of the nutrition passes through undigested.\u00a0 It is an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. If you grind it in a coffee grinder (you can typically pick one up cheaply for about $10.00 at a box store or pharmacy store) that you have reserved only for your herbs and seeds, you will get many precious phytochemicals in your bread.\u00a0 Flax, like other seed grains,<\/a> has a lot of antioxidants, including lignans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We like to use bread for sandwiches, but I commonly hear the complaint that homemade bread can crumble too much for this use.\u00a0 Here’s a great trick:\u00a0 grind your flax seed and add a tablespoon of water to it and let it sit in a bowl for a minute before adding it to your dough.\u00a0 It will work as a binder–just like egg–and will help hold your bread together even while giving you the great nutritional benefit of flax.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Lecithin<\/strong>\u2014This one ingredient single-handedly transformed my early breads to something edible.\u00a0 I did not know WHY back then.\u00a0 Since then I have learned that it is considered a health supplement for its ability to break down fats, to improve memory, and for its promotion of healthy gall bladder functioning.\u00a0 It lowers cholesterol and has been linked to improving women\u2019s reproductive health.\u00a0 In cooking, it is used as an emulsifier to prevent sticking (such as what you find in a cooking spray and chocolate). It provides a tenderness and (perhaps the most important thing of all), it extends the shelf life of the bread!\u00a0 I get several more days at room temperature out of my bread with lecithin, than the bread I have made omitting this ingredient.\u00a0 \u201cLecithin\u201d is a generic term that can mean any emulsifier and it can be made from many sources.\u00a0 Although I typically avoid soy<\/em> due to the GMO factor these days, I have used soy lecithin in my bread in the past.\u00a0 You can live without this ingredient, but its shelf life extension, texture improvement, and health benefits make this one you need to weigh personally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now that I’ve mentioned all the benefits and how I never baked without it in the early years, I must fess up and tell you I do not use it now.\u00a0 I can “read” my bread dough better with years of experience and don’t need the lecithin to help hold it together for me any more.\u00a0 I do have some on my shelf but I rarely reach for it now.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Salt<\/strong>\u2014I have forgotten it more than once.\u00a0 Your bread is flavorless without it, entirely.\u00a0 I have also overdosed on it, and that makes the bread inedible at best.\u00a0\u00a0 Salt also tempers the effect of the yeast; y<\/span>ou usually realize you have forgotten the salt when your bread will not stop rising!\u00a0 Stick with sea salt if you can; it greatly enhances the flavor and nutrition of your bread.\u00a0 It makes it something richer. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Flour<\/strong>\u2014The single most important of all the ingredients, which is why I only use home-milled flours because of the marked health benefits.\u00a0 Store bought flours,<\/a> even the gourmet ones, have had to strip some of the nutrients out in order to give it shelf life.\u00a0 Flours in the frozen section maintain most of the nutrition but freezer life will take its toll on that as well.\u00a0 Milling your own flour<\/a> is easy, affordable, and the most nutrient dense way to bake bread.\u00a0 You can substitute bean and other flours (chickpea, for example) for some of the wheat, but do not go over 25% (you will likely need to add gluten) of the entire flour content or it will not rise properly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Not all wheat is the same.\u00a0 \u201cHard\u201d wheat has higher gluten and is best for yeast breads.\u00a0 \u201cSoft\u201d has lower gluten and better for lighter baking products like cake that use other rising methods, such as egg yolk, baking powder, and baking soda which also appear in quick breads.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Hard Red<\/span>\u2014this has the dark, wheaty flavor.\u00a0 I started with Hard White and began adding this in slowly.\u00a0 This can be an acquired taste, now I love it!\u00a0 Hard Red wheat responds very well to yeast recipe breads.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hard White<\/span>\u2014Less wheaty flavor.\u00a0 Very tasty, excellent to use in yeast products.<\/span><\/p>\n Soft White<\/span>\u2014This is the best for quick breads, cookies, baking items with lighter structures.\u00a0 I sometimes mix some in with bread flours for yeast bread, but never more than 10-25% of the total flour.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Durum<\/span>\u2014This is your pasta wheat!\u00a0 Very tasty and you will see a difference, but in a pinch, use soft white instead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Spelt<\/span>\u2014This is delicious and versatile wheat substitute.\u00a0 You can use it in both breads and quick breads.\u00a0 Some people who have sensitivity to wheat breads do well with this flour.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Eggs<\/strong>\u2014This is the binder in your bread.\u00a0 I have tried to live without them and I have tasted several loaves from other bakers without it and I come to the same conclusion every time\u2014use eggs (even better, get your own chickens<\/a>)!\u00a0 The bread crumbles more easily without it\u2014so if you want sandwich bread you cannot skip this step.\u00a0 You might want to play with how many you use.\u00a0 Eggs also provide another source of healthy fat for your bread, which helps lighten the overall texture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0There are likely thousands or even tens or thousands of bread recipes across the world, but each one will differ based on the ingredients.\u00a0 The food science is the same though, so choosing recipe ingredients that are fresh, quality and wholesome will yield a superior product.\u00a0 If you come across a recipe that you want to modify, you can as long as you which bread ingredients do what and why.\u00a0 If you come across any ingredients <\/a>that I did not mention here, please leave a comment below and let me know what you like to see in your bread recipe.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Chaya<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Photo Credits:<\/span><\/p>\n Pitcher of water\u00a0 http:\/www.freedigitalphotos.net\/images\/view_photog.php?photogid=1857%22%3EImage:%20zirconicusso%20\/%20FreeDigitalPhotos.net%3C\/a%3E%3C\/p%3E<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Oil\u00a0 http:\/www.freedigitalphotos.net\/images\/view_photog.php?photogid=681%22%3EImage:%20m_bartosch%20\/%20FreeDigitalPhotos.net%3C\/a%3E%3C\/p%3E<\/span><\/p>\n Honey\u00a0 http:\/www.freedigitalphotos.net\/images\/view_photog.php?photogid=851%22%3EImage:%20Danilo%20Rizzuti%20\/%20FreeDigitalPhotos.net%3C\/a%3E%3C\/p%3E<\/span><\/p>\n Salt\u00a0 http:\/www.freedigitalphotos.net\/images\/view_photog.php?photogid=345%22%3EImage:%20Carlos%20Porto%20\/%20FreeDigitalPhotos.net%3C\/a%3E%3C\/p%3E<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Eggs\u00a0 http:\/www.freedigitalphotos.net\/images\/view_photog.php?photogid=1758%22%3EImage:%20Rawich%20\/%20FreeDigitalPhotos.net%3C\/a%3E%3C\/p%3E<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Proviso:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nothing in this blog constitutes medical advice.\u00a0 You should consult your own physician before making any dietary changes.\u00a0 Statements in this blog may or may not be congruent with current USDA or FDA guidance. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bread Ingredients The Role of Each Ingredient in the Final Product I would like to explain what each of the ingredients does and how it interacts in my bread recipe.\u00a0 Once you understand this, it is easy to modify a recipe and make it your own.\u00a0 Perhaps you avoid eggs, or want a 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\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"pitcher](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/media\/blog-images\/water_for_what-I-put-in-my-bread.jpg\" "\\"water\\"")
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\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"honey\"](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/media\/blog-images\/honey_for_what-I-put-in-my-bread.jpg\" "\\"honey\\"")
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\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"flax](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/media\/blog-images\/BrownFlaxSeeds.jpg\" "\\"flax")
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\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Palouse](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/media\/blog-images\/palouse_flour_cropped.jpg\" "\\"Palouse")
<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"eggs\"](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/media\/blog-images\/eggs_for_what-I-put-in-my-bread.jpg\" "\\"eggs\\"")
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