People are always asking me questions about bread. Bread is a tricky thing. Your starches have to be just right, and over mixing leads to tough buns. In my baking class, I have to watch my students like a hawk to make sure that they are not making the fatal errors that so many begging bread makers make. So after almost two decades of teaching, I finally decided to write up the 10 steps of making yeast breads. So here you go, and you didn’t even have to take the class!

water and flour amounts will be variable
keep salt from direct contact with yeast
1 package fresh, active dry, or instant yeast will be enough yeast for 1 to 3 loaves, or approximately 3 to 6 cups of flour
2. Mixing ingredients

mixing may be done in a food processor (2 to 4 minutes), in a mixer with a dough hook attachment (7 to 10 minutes), or by hand (10 to 20 minutes). To knead by hand, flatten the dough by pressing it with the heals of the palms of the hands, fold it over, made a quarter turn, and press again. Each fold counts as one stroke. Knead about 200 strokes, or 10 to 15 minutes. If the dough tears, you are kneading too vigorously. After kneading the dough either by hand or machine, the finished dough should feel smooth and elastic.
the three main purposes of mixing are 1). to evenly distribute the yeast, 2). make a smooth uniform dough, and 3). to develop gluten. Gluten is the formation of elastic strands when the proteins in wheat flour absorb moisture and the dough is manipulated or mixed.
you have a choice of two mixing methods: the “sponge” method or the “straight dough” method. The straight dough method incorporates all of the ingredients during one mixing process. The sponge method is done in two parts. First, all of the yeast + all of the water + half of the flour are mixed together to form a batter. This batter is left to rise for a minimum of 30 minutes to a maximum of 24 hours. The remaining ingredients are then added to the sponge, and mixed for the desired amount of time.
The sponge method allows the baker more flexibility.
3. Fermentation

Fermentation is the process by which yeast feeds on the sugars and starches in the dough to produce CO2 and alcohol. Gluten becomes more elastic during fermentation, so that it can stretch farther and hold more gas. After kneading the dough, form it into a ball, place in an oiled bowl,turn the ball of dough once to grease all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel. Place the bowl in a warm environment (70 degrees to 85 degrees) until the dough doubles in bulk and a finger indentation remains in the dough. If the dough is springy to the touch, it has not fermented long enough. This could take 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the dough temperature and environment temperature. The main purpose of fermentation is to allow the yeast to grow and produce CO2.
Factors which will speed up yeast activity include:

higher dough and environmental temperatures:The warmer the dough, the faster the yeast will grow and produce CO2, the faster the dough will expand.
increase the amount of yeast in your recipe
a small amount of sugar (1 tsp. per 2C of flour) will increase yeast activity
using the “sponge” mixing method allows the yeast to grow and multiply
leaving the salt out of a bread recipe will increase yeast activity
Factors which will slow down the fermentation process include High amounts of sugars (approx. 1/4C per 1C of flour), fats, salt (including salty ingredients such as olives or salty cheese), acid ingredients (such as tomatoes) will slow down yeast activity.
No sugars in the recipe will slow down yeast activity
4. Punching

The dough is deflated by pressing down the center of the dough, then folding the dough over on itself. The purposes of punching include: 1). releasing CO2, 2).relaxing the gluten, 3). equalizing the temperature of the dough, 4) introduce fresh oxygen to the yeast, and 5) re-distribute the yeast.

5. Portioning the dough

Divide the dough into portions for loaves or rolls. The average bread pan will hold 1 lb. to 1 ¼ lb. of dough comfortably.

6. Rounding

Form the portions of dough into smooth, round balls. This forms a kind of skin by stretching the gluten on the outside of the dough into a smooth layer.

7. Benching

Cover the balls of dough and allow them to rest on your table or counter for 10 to 15 minutes. This relaxes the gluten to make shaping the dough easier.

8. Makeup and Panning

Shape the dough into loaves or rolls, and place them on or in pans. All gas bubbles should be expelled during makeup. Bubbles left in the dough will result in large air holes in the baked product. The seam should be placed on the bottom.

9. Proofing

This is a continuation of the fermentation process. The covered loaves are placed in a warm environment to allow the yeast grow and produce CO2. Proofing may take 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours. The dough should almost double in bulk. When the dough is touched lightly, it should spring back slowly. If the dough feels tight and springy, it has not proofed long enough. If a finger indentation remains, the dough is probably overproofed. This will result in a coarse texture.

10. Baking

Bake bread products in a preheated oven, approximately 375 to 400 degrees.

The rapid rise of bread in the oven might cause the crust to tear. To avoid this, bread is often “slashed” with a knife or razor before baking. This allows for expansion of the dough without tearing the crust. Water brushed onto the bread before baking will help create a thin, crispy crust. Egg wash is used to to give a shiny brown color to the crust. After baking, a melted butter wash to the hot bread will result in a soft crust.