Try a new type of bread or pastry

To try a new type of bread or pastry is the most forgiving way into baking, because bread in particular tolerates a lot of imprecision in technique while tolerating almost none in measurement. Weighing everything and learning to judge dough by feel rather than by the clock covers most of what separates good results from disappointing ones.

Why try a new type of bread or pastry is worth an hour

Cup measurements vary enormously depending on how flour is packed, which is why the same recipe behaves differently for different people. Weighing removes that variable entirely. Timings are unreliable for a different reason: yeast responds to temperature and humidity, so a recipe's proving time is an estimate about someone else's kitchen rather than yours.

How to try a new type of bread or pastry step by step

1. 1

   Choose something with few stages

   A flatbread, focaccia or simple enriched dough. Laminated pastry is a wonderful project and a poor first one.

2. 2

   Weigh everything, including water

   Scales rather than cups. This one change fixes the majority of inconsistent baking results.

3. 3

   Check your yeast is alive

   Old yeast is the commonest cause of a dough that never rises. Test it in warm water with a pinch of sugar.

4. 4

   Judge the dough, not the timer

   Doubled in size, springs back slowly when poked. A cold kitchen can double every stated proving time.

5. 5

   Let it cool before cutting

   Bread continues cooking as it cools. Cutting hot gives you a gummy crumb and blames the recipe.

Tips to get more out of it

• A very hot oven and some steam produce a better crust. A tray of boiling water on the shelf below works well.
• Wetter doughs are stickier and usually better. Resist adding flour every time it sticks to your hands.
• Bread is done by internal temperature rather than color, which is worth checking if you have a thermometer.

Ways to mix it up

If yeast doughs intimidate you, soda bread needs no proving at all and is finished within the hour. If you already bake bread regularly, laminated pastry is the natural next challenge and rewards the patience it demands.

Try a new type of bread or pastry: frequently asked questions