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Fastbake I and II
There are variations on the basic program, with reduced kneading, rising, and
baking times, as
they cut the program times to 55 and 80 minutes respectively,
because of this, your bread will be smaller, denser, and coarser than normal, and
any additional ingredients (raisins, nuts, etc.) may be mashed, or unevenly
distributed.
Speciality
This program is specially designed for the malt loaf recipe.
Ingredients flour
The type of flour used is important. Use bread flour. These “bread” flours contain more
gluten than ordinary baking flour. Gluten is the protein that gives the bread its structure
and texture. It retains the carbon dioxide produced by the yeast, putting the elasticity, the
bounce, into the dough.
Other bread flours
These include brown, wholemeal, and whole wheat (nutty wheat) bread making flours.
These provide an excellent source of dietary fibre, but contain lower levels of gluten than
strong white flour. This means that brown loaves tend to be smaller and denser than
white loaves. Generally speaking, if you substitute white bread flour for half of the brown
flour in the recipe, you can make bread with a “brown bread” flavour and a “white bread”
texture.
Yeast
1. Yeast is a living organism. Given moisture, food, and warmth, the yeast will grow
and release carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide forms bubbles, which are
trapped in the dough, making it rise.
2. Of the various types of yeast available, we recommend using “dried active yeast”,
also known as “dry active yeast”, and “instant yeast” or “easy blend dried yeast”.
These are usually sold in 7 gram sachets and don’t have to be dissolved in water
first.
3. If you don’t use all the yeast in a sachet, throw it away, don’t save it – it’ll go
stale.