How To Bake Bread Like A Pro

With many of us at home more than ever before, getting into the kitchen to bake bread has seen a serious revival. Crusty, chewy, soft, bouncy, totally delicious and 100 per cent comforting… however you like your bread, there is nothing stopping you from making some show-stopping loaves in the comfort of your own home.

We spoke to Kami Ramini from Thermomix in Australia for some top tips on how to bake bread like a pro.

“Just like most things in life, with the right tools, the most complex of tasks can become really quite simple. When it comes to bread-making, even novice bakers can get involved by keeping it simple and starting with the basics,” says Kami. “You’ll soon find you’ll never want to go back to the pre-packaged varieties or even artisan loaves which taste incredible but can seriously set you back budget-wise.”

Quality ingredients

Because bread is such a simple recipe in its essence, it really pays to invest in quality ingredients. You’ll still be saving by the bucket-load compared to artisan breads in the shops. Buying in bulk can really help here too.

Firstly, be sure to choose baker’s flour, as this has a higher gluten content than regular flour and is what will give you the bite and chew you’re expecting. Of course, if you’re keen to try flour-less or grain-free breads, then there are heaps of options too. Have a look at our recipe platform, Cookidoo for inspiration as to ingredient swaps to use there.

When we’re baking traditional breads though, including both salt and sugar as the recipe requires, is essential. The salt not only adds to the flavour but it also contributes to the structure of your bread. Meanwhile the yeast in your bread needs sugar to activate successfully and give you that beautifully satisfying rise.

When it comes to yeast, make sure you measure it properly and follow the steps for activation as laid out in the recipe. A great tip is to keep dried yeast in the freezer to prolong freshness and do an activation test, if you haven’t used it for a while. Simply add some yeast to warm milk and sugar, if it doesn’t bubble up, it’s lost its rising properties.

The need to knead

Kneading is such an indispensable part when you bake bread, but it’s really delicate too – as over or under kneading can result in heavy, dense breads (and aching muscles if you’re doing it manually!). This is one of the reasons using the knead function with a Thermomix helps make bread-making foolproof.

A great trick if you’re kneading manually, is the “windowpane test”. Once you’ve kneaded your bread and you’d like to know if it’s ready to proof (which means resting it to allow time to rise), you simply stretch a piece of dough between your fingers. If it rips and will not stretch easily, it needs more kneading. If it stretches enough to form a translucent window, it is ready to proof.

Patience in the proof

Much like kneading, correct proofing is key to creating that perfectly baked bread. Be sure to pay attention to the proof cue (i.e. “until doubled in size”), as opposed to the suggested proof time in a recipe, as this will differ massively depending on the ambient temperature. It’s also great to use a proofing basket to help with getting that perfect shape.

Another great tip for when you’re short on time is to place your dough in the fridge overnight to slow down the proofing. You can then bake it the next day without having waited around for it to be ready.

Secrets for storage

As homemade bread doesn’t have any of the preservatives or additives found in many store-bought breads, its pantry life is considerably shorter than its pre-packaged counterparts. So, when you bake bread, it’s a great idea to enjoy your bread freshly baked for one or two days, and then slice and store any leftovers in the freezer ready to thaw and/or toast when you’d like some. We slice and store ours in sealable silicon bags in the freezer, which makes it really simple.

All recipes are available on our recipe platform www.cookidoo.com.au. You can purchase a proofing basket, sealable silicon bags and a whole heap of other home baking items via www.themixshop.com.au. Also check out our latest recipe collection, Sourdough At Home, for heaps of beautiful sourdough recipes, including how to make a sourdough starter.

Do you ever bake bread? Tell us in the comments below what breads you love to bake.

23 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 09 Dec 2023
    8:22 am
My Dad was the bread baker in our house. The smell of baking bread always reminds me of him

- - yahoo_lou said
  - 07 Jun 2022
    11:17 pm
I love bread way too much!!! I go through phases of bread making with my bread maker, and then I go off it for a while. Great time now to get it out again coming into the winter months. Love setting the bread maker up for the night night before, and waking to nice hot bread in the morning!!

- - mom112217 said
  - 27 Jan 2021
    8:59 am
I use a bread maker and it is just so easy!

- - mom101628 said
  - 15 Dec 2020
    11:36 pm
Love the smell of freshly baked bread – always baked a loaf prior to the agent showing through prospective house buyers when we were selling our home in the country. My breadmaker works beautifully for this chore.

- - CassLee83 said
  - 04 Dec 2020
    3:42 pm
Great article.
Love bread, I’m lucky my hubby is a qualified Baker

- - P&M'smum said
  - 01 Dec 2020
    6:19 am
Great tips! I usually use my bread maker or kitchen Aid stand mixer to knead the dough.

- - happeningsofus said
  - 20 Nov 2020
    12:10 pm
My favourite bread to make is cheese and bacon rolls which we whip up in our thermomix as its so easy and oh so delicious ????

- - rovermum said
  - 19 Oct 2020
    12:08 pm
I absolutely love bread sooo much. Pane di Casa, sourdough, crunchy, crusty bread. I love it. But I prefer to buy it, than bake it.
- mom93821 replied
  
  20 Oct 2020 , 6:54 am
  The smell of freshly baked bread throughout the house is one of the reasons for my baking! The smell is so heavenly!
- - mom93821 said
  - 18 Oct 2020
    3:46 pm
I am a regular baker and everyone loves my fresh bread.

- - Kylie said
  - 18 Oct 2020
    2:11 am
I love the tip about how to know when it’s kneaded enough. I never knew that before. Great tip

- - mom322089 said
  - 17 Oct 2020
    6:23 pm
who doesn’t love a freshly baked loaf of bread. Always quickly devoured in our house. Have had some baking successes and also some fails, but even the fails still taste nice straight out of the oven.

- - tessie said
  - 17 Oct 2020
    2:59 pm
I have a bread maker so we can bake our own bread. It is a money saver as we buy our ingredients in bulk as well. Nothing like the smell of fresh bread
- Ellen replied
  
  18 Oct 2020 , 10:39 am
  Yes, so good !
  - mom93821 replied
    
    19 Oct 2020 , 6:35 am
    
    A bread maker machine and a traditional oven both deliver good results when it comes to baking bread in our household.
- - Ellen said
  - 17 Oct 2020
    7:28 am
Yes I sometimes bake bread. My husband likes the Irish wheaten and sometimes I make him soda bread

- - mom268263 said
  - 17 Oct 2020
    6:10 am
Nice reminder that we can actually make our own bread, though freshly bought baked bread is very tempting.
- Ellen replied
  
  18 Oct 2020 , 10:41 am
  Yes that’s pretty good too
- - mom265671 said
  - 15 Oct 2020
    11:20 pm
I couldn’t bake if I tried. I’ll leave it to the experts hehe

- - mom460689 said
  - 15 Oct 2020
    9:06 pm
These are fantastic tips. I love baking bread. It always tastes so much better then a bought loaf. Especially straight out of the oven.

- - Frankiielot said
  - 15 Oct 2020
    8:53 pm
I’ve made bread a few different times in the thermomix but didn’t find it to be great.
I think because i baked in the middle of winter it took three times as long to rise because there was no heat!
They were okay but they definitely didn’t look like the picture. Bread making is definitely not my forte.

- - Zmijka86 said
  - 15 Oct 2020
    8:00 pm
Good to know. Maybe i will do it one day

- - BellaB said
  - 15 Oct 2020
    7:14 pm
We use a breadmaker, and I’ve got to say our results are very variable.