Why Baking Bread at Home is Easier Than You Think
Could there be anything more welcoming than the scent of home-baked bread wafting through the front door?
If you believe that nothing is more satisfying than a home-baked loaf, we’d have to agree. But the perfect crust can be hard to master without full control over your proving, baking and moisture processes. So we’ve got some tips and tricks up our sleeve to help you nail your homemade bread recipe – every time.
With the Dough Prove, Steam jet and Bread Baking settings on a NEFF oven, there’s very little room for fault. Instead, you’ll have family members of all ages reaching across for a warm, fluffy slice of bread in no time at all – no complicated processes or stress required.
Pick your bread recipe, add some more sophisticated flavours if you’d like to experiment, and follow these foolproof tips:
You don’t need to knead too much
The secret to a light, fluffy crumb? Don’t over-knead your dough. If you’re using an electric mixer, make sure you use a dough hook on medium speed – only until your dough feels springy to the touch. When manually kneading, some extra flour on the workbench will help avoid sticking.
If kneading is not your style, try our no knead bread recipe.
The proof is in the proving
Proving is the first essential stage of the rising process, giving the yeast time to ferment, swell and aerate your loaf before any real baking has taken place. You can simply leave your dough to rest in a warm place (such as a warming drawer or the bench of a hot kitchen) for a few hours, kneading gently at intervals, or the Dough Prove setting in in your NEFF oven can control this step for you. Select “Dough Prove” level one, follow the recipe’s instructions about switching racks, and watch your dough double in size. This NEFF oven setting provides warm, moist air, turning the oven into an optimal climate zone without unwanted drafts, thus creating the ideal conditions for yeast dough to rise.
Inject steam into your bake
Now you’re ready to bring your loaf to life. Don’t remove your dough from the oven after proving – simply select Bread Baking, set to 220°C, turn the steam injection levels on your Added Steam oven or use steam inject feature to manually inject steam to your dough during the baking process, and bake for 30 minutes. The increased moisture produces a soft, delicate crumb with a glossy crust – giving you perfect bread every time.
To find out more about our added steam function, click here.
Let it rest
It can be tempting to tuck right into a loaf out the oven but cutting the bread when it’s cooled for around 20 minutes makes for a much cleaner slice. But if you just can’t resist, we understand…
Looking for recipes? Here are our favourites:
To learn more about NEFF steam ovens for your kitchen, book a FREE cooking demonstration with a NEFF specialist.
About NEFF
NEFF is a German-engineered kitchen appliance brand, with a product range that includes ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, coffee machines and dishwashers designed to make life in the kitchen a daily pleasure. For people who love to cook, NEFF gives you the tools to create meaningful connections, express your creativity and make memories. Because real life happens in the kitchen.
