Introduction to Handcrafted Breads

Traditional formulas such as hard rolls, soft rolls, Italian bread, white and whole wheat loaf breads, and American-style rye bread form the core of this chapter. It is important to learn the basics of yeast dough production well, and this is easiest to do when you are working on familiar formulas without unusual techniques and exotic ingredients. Not only will you learn how to mix basic yeast doughs but you will also practice making up a variety of loaf and roll types by hand to develop your manual skills. Then you can proceed with confidence to specialty handcrafted items. Working with sourdoughs, in particular, is more challenging than working with straight doughs, so your earlier practice and experience will benefit you.