• generalize a description of various bread products.
  
• explain the purpose of each step in a typical yeast bread product.
  
• produce a typical yeast bread products.
  

Preparation of the "classic" loaf of white bread can be as simple as combining the basic ingredients: flour, water, and yeast, kneading, fermenting, proofing and baking. However, each ingredient's role and contribution of each step of the process preparing breads can be confusing and difficult. The complexity increases because there are over 200 types, not including specialty breads [Pomeranz, 1983].

Wheat breads are divided into four classifications:

Although a complete understanding of each of these doughs is not reasonable for the beginning student, some understanding can be obtained by exploring the main structural components, the flour proteins, starch, leavening, and baking.

As early as 1912, reports on factors affecting the quality of bread were reported. Dudley (1912) indicated "The quality of flour for bread making depends upon the percentage of gluten in the flour, and the proportion of gliaden and glutenin in the gluten." There is no doubt that this development of gluten in the dough system is critical. A dough system for yeast bread may be made by mixing flour with water. Other ingredients such as yeast, salt and sugar are added for leavening, flavor or other quality factors in bread.

Of the predominant wheat flour constituents, the gluten-forming proteins, both kind, quality and amount are of major importance. The starch fraction is of secondary importance in its contribution to the dough-making and baking properties. Corn, soy and rye flours do not have these proteins to form gluten during mixing. Gluten is formed from the two wheat flour proteins, gliadin and glutenin, the presence of water and some mixing.

During the mixing portion of preparation, the gliadin and glutenin form gluten. The particles stretch, stick to each other, and become elastic. When the dough is mixed the gluten fibers are parallel and cross-bond to form the elastic but strong structure. During the latter stages of mixing, air is incorporated and subdivided. It was been hypothesized that hydrated gluten strands contract around air bubbles and, with proper mixing, supply the dough with well-distributed air bubbles. Good bread texture depends to some extent upon the uniform distribution of such hydrated, aerated gluten nuclei.

One can not disregard the fermentation phenomenon in the development of the typical bread product. Briefly, this process will "temper" the gluten to enhance its elastic and tender cell wall structure. The reaction produces the carbon dioxide which serves to initiate expansion of the cells developed during kneading and mixing. The fermentation process also produces alcohol which not only tenderizes the gluten structure, but it furnishes the vapor for the initial oven spring during baking. Most importantly, the fermentation process furnishes a substantial part of the odor and flavor of the large portion of white breads and some of the varietal breads.

The typical loaf of white pan bread, should have the following quality characteristics.

The above discussion refers to the "typical white" loaf of bread. The market place has increasingly become open to varietal breads. As one becomes more experienced in the preparation of basic baked products, it is expected that there will be branching out into this area of breadmaking.

The "typical" yeast bread product has been defined by the American Association of Cereal Chemists. Reality is that very few loaves of bread meet this standard. The increase in varietal and specialty breads has been part of the reason for this deviation. The other reality is simply that the "standard" loaf of bread is not made very much anymore as ingredients and processing/preparation methods have changed. Following are some representative loaves of bread. These are not necessarily typical.

• batter method of mixing: Yeast Bread is essentially the Straight Dough Method of Mixing with less flour and little, if any, actual kneading. Batter Method is mixing of all the ingredients at one time.
  
• dough conditioners: is a blend of minerals used in baked goods. It is usually contained within yeast foods as a blend of calcium salts, sulfates, and phosphates which toughen the gluten. usage of hard water generally results in better breads so the minerals serve to minimize the effect of variables in water conditions. it is also termed yeast food.[Igoe, Robert S. 1983. Dictionary of Food Ingredients. Van Nostrand and Reinhold Company]
  fermentation: Anaerobic metabolism. Used generally of alcohol fermentation of sugars, also production of lactic acid, citric acid, etc., by micro-organisms. Isthe transformation of organic molecules into smaller ones by the action of microorganisms; for example, yeast ferments glucose to carbon dioxide and alcohol. The products are used for "esthetics" in beverages and leavening in selected baked products such as bread and rolls. [Excerpts from Bender, Arnold E. 1990. Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology. Butterworths, Boston.]
  
• hydration capacity: the ability of a substance, such as flour, to absorb water
• kneading: is the manipulation of the flour dough to develop the structural components desired.
• metabolic: is having to do with any of the chemical changes that occur in living cells.
• oven spring: is the rapid expansion of volume in bread during the early phase of baking.
• precursor: a substance that "comes before"; precursor of vitamin a is a substance out of which the body cells can make vitamin a; something that comes before; in flavor study, it is compound that is nonflavorful but can be changed, usually by heat or enzymes, into a flavorful substance; is a forerunner or predecessor such as a molecule that later develops into a flavor molecule.
• proofing: is the period of rising of the yeast dough after product formation and before baking.
• shred: the area on the sides of a loaf of bread, just above the pan, where the dough rises in the oven before the crust is formed; a desirable shred is even and unbroken. Also this is sometimes called the break and shred.
• sponge: the mixture of liquid, yeast, sugar, and part of the flour to make a thin batter that is held at lukewarm temperature to allow yeast activity for a period before the remaining intredients are added to form a dough.
• sponge dough method of making bread: of yeast dough consists of liquid, sugar, yeast, and part of the flour; fermentation; fat added, salt and remained of flour; kneading; fermentation, molding into pans, proofing, baking.