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.

My favorite meal of the entire year is Thanksgiving. It is not only the ultimate comfort food, but the ultimate “comfort day”, with flavors and aromas that allow me to time-travel to my grandmother’s house decades past. The aroma of roasted turkey and freshly baked bread rival my favorite baking aroma: brownies in the oven.

Now that the preparation of Thanksgiving dinner has been handed down from grandmother to mother to me, I’ve been “tweaking” the menu and recipes, trying to create the perfect blend of tradition and creativity. My most recent “tweaks” are brined turkey and pumpkin cheesecake.

I know that for zillions of people, pumpkin pie is a mandatory part of the Thanksgiving dessert table. I like pumpkin pie, but I don’t love pumpkin pie. I do love cheesecake, though, and I really like the melding of these two desserts. Cheesecake is easier to make than most people think; in fact, easier than pie. If you have struggled with trying to make a decent pie crust, then maybe a pumpkin cheesecake with a graham cracker crust is the answer for you.

Most of the questions I receive regarding cheesecakes (I teach baking classes at American River College) have to do with the problem of unsightly cracks in the baked cheesecake. I will share with you my pumpkin cheesecake recipe, along with many tips to help prevent lumpy batter and avoid cracking during or after baking. A “how to” video and the recipe can be seen below.

Happy Baking,

Judy Parks

Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe:
1 – 9″ Cheesecake with Graham or Gingersnap Crust

Crust:

• 1 C Graham Cracker Crumbs Or Gingersnap Crumbs
• ¼ C Sugar
• ¼ C Butter, Melted

Combine all ingredients. Press into bottom of 9″ or 10″ springform pan or 10″ x 3″ deep pan. If you are using a cake pan, first line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper or waxed paper. Bake crust 3500 for 10 minutes.

Filling:

• 2 Lb. Cream Cheese, Softened
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Tbl. Flour
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
• ¼ tsp. Nutmeg
• 5 Eggs
• 15 Oz. Can Pumpkin Puree
• 1/3 Cup Heavy Cream (Optional)
• 1 ½ tsp. Vanilla

Steps:

1. Blend cream cheese, sugars and spices on low speed till softened. Stop and scrape the bowl and beater several times. Do not whip a lot of air into the batter as this can contribute to cracking.
2. Blend in flour.
3. Blend in eggs, 1 at a time, scraping bowl before adding the next egg.
4. Blend in cream if you want a softer cheesecake. Omit the cream if you want a slightly drier, firmer cheesecake.
5. Blend in pumpkin in 3 additions, scraping after each addition. Blend in vanilla.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake in a water bath, 350º F, approximately 1 hour, or until the cheesecake yields a firm jiggle when gently touched. If you want to be certain that the cheesecake is done, check the temperature in the center of the cake with an instant read thermometer. A range of 150º F. to 160º F indicates doneness. Remove from water bath, let cool 5 to 10 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edge of the cake. This will help the cake contract without cracking. Cool to room temperature away from drafts. Refrigerate overnight before unpanning. To unpan a cheesecake from a springform pan, first cut around the edge, then warm the bottom on the stove top, just until the bottom feels warm, then release the clasp. Using a long metal spatula, slide the cake onto the serving plate.
8. To unmold the cheesecake that was baked in a cake pan: cut around the sides, warm the bottom of the pan on the stove top just until the bottom feels warm, then invert onto a plate, remove the cake pan and immediately invert onto the serving plate.
9. Garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Tips:

• A lot of emphasis is placed on scraping the bowl and beater. This helps eliminate lumps. Lumps are pieces of cream cheese that are not thoroughly blended with the other ingredients. Cold cream cheese is more likely to produce a lumpy batter than room temp. cream cheese.
• You can adjust the spices to suit you taste. Maple extract is a nice addition.
• Cracking is caused by several things: oven temperature too hot, whipping too much air into the batter, cooling the baked cake too rapidly, bumping the cake while it is still warm, natural contraction of the cake during cooling.
• Baking at 350º F, in a water bath helps avoid cracking. If using a spingform pan, wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil to prevent water leaking into the pan. (I’ve never found a springform pan that is water-tight.) Mixing on low speed will reduce the amount of air incorporated into the batter. To cool the cake slowly, you can turn off your oven, open the door, and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven.