Bread-Making Terminology
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It is hard to do better than the French when it comes to bread. With that in mind, we found this great book about delicious bread and bread baking. The book is called "The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking," by The French Culinary Institute. Here is an excerpt from the book about bread-making terms:
Bread-Making Terms and TechniquesIt is essential that the novice baker learn the following techniques and terms, as they will be used over and over throughout this book, as well as in any professional bakery.
Amylase: A natural enzyme that speeds the transformation of starch into sugar; used in some French bakeries in a product called levit as a food for yeast. Ash content: The mineral content of any flour, usually around .5 to .6 percent. The higher the ash content, the grayer the crumb will be. |
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Aspect: The final, overall look, texture, aroma, and crumb of a baked loaf of bread.
Autolyse: This is the resting period after the first stage of mixing flour and water together at low speed. The dough is allowed to rest for a designated period of time, usually no more than 30 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate to its maximum, the gluten to develop, and the enzymes to organize the gluten structure as the dough rests. No other ingredients are added during this preliminary stage; yeast would acidify the dough and salt would tighten it. Although it is an additional step in the process, it reduces mixing times, improves the handling ability of the dough, and boosts the quality of the finished product by reducing oxidation of the carotenoid pigments in the flour.
Bench rest: The period, usually from 5 to 20 minutes, whereby scaled, shaped pieces of dough are set aside to rest and allow the gluten to relax before further shaping is attempted. Because the relaxed gluten is not resistant, benching allows smaller pieces to be stretched and formed into more defined finished shapes.
Biga: A pre-ferment used in making Italian breads. With a hydration of 50 to 100 percent, a biga is usually denser than a French poolish or a sourdough. It creates a bread that has an open crumb with a slightly nutty flavor.
Bloom: This describes the overall external look of a baked loaf of bread, including its color and the completion of properly opened slashes or cuts.
Boulanger: French for baker of bread, it also means to shape dough into a boule or round loaf. This is the word from which the French word for bakery, boulangerie, was derived.
Boulangerie: French for bakery or bake shop.
Autolyse: This is the resting period after the first stage of mixing flour and water together at low speed. The dough is allowed to rest for a designated period of time, usually no more than 30 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate to its maximum, the gluten to develop, and the enzymes to organize the gluten structure as the dough rests. No other ingredients are added during this preliminary stage; yeast would acidify the dough and salt would tighten it. Although it is an additional step in the process, it reduces mixing times, improves the handling ability of the dough, and boosts the quality of the finished product by reducing oxidation of the carotenoid pigments in the flour.
Bench rest: The period, usually from 5 to 20 minutes, whereby scaled, shaped pieces of dough are set aside to rest and allow the gluten to relax before further shaping is attempted. Because the relaxed gluten is not resistant, benching allows smaller pieces to be stretched and formed into more defined finished shapes.
Biga: A pre-ferment used in making Italian breads. With a hydration of 50 to 100 percent, a biga is usually denser than a French poolish or a sourdough. It creates a bread that has an open crumb with a slightly nutty flavor.
Bloom: This describes the overall external look of a baked loaf of bread, including its color and the completion of properly opened slashes or cuts.
Boulanger: French for baker of bread, it also means to shape dough into a boule or round loaf. This is the word from which the French word for bakery, boulangerie, was derived.
Boulangerie: French for bakery or bake shop.
Build: To create a levain large enough to be used in the final dough; synonymous with the term elaborate.
Chef: Another term used to describe a wild yeast starter. It is also known as the mother culture or simply as "mother."
Couche: A sheet of natural, untreated fabric, often linen, used to hold and separate loaves while they are rising. A piece of clean white cotton duck or a plain white linen kitchen towel can also be used for this purpose.
Coups de lame (knife cuts): Incisions made on the surface of the bread dough just before it is placed in the oven.
Crumb: The interior texture of a baked bread, which includes its hole structure, the gelatinization of the starch, and the flavor.
Desired dough temperature: Since yeast activity is affected by even the smallest change in temperature, when dough does not ferment at the proper rate, both the final product and the production schedule will be adversely impacted.
- from "The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking," by The French Culinary Institute
Chef: Another term used to describe a wild yeast starter. It is also known as the mother culture or simply as "mother."
Couche: A sheet of natural, untreated fabric, often linen, used to hold and separate loaves while they are rising. A piece of clean white cotton duck or a plain white linen kitchen towel can also be used for this purpose.
Coups de lame (knife cuts): Incisions made on the surface of the bread dough just before it is placed in the oven.
Crumb: The interior texture of a baked bread, which includes its hole structure, the gelatinization of the starch, and the flavor.
Desired dough temperature: Since yeast activity is affected by even the smallest change in temperature, when dough does not ferment at the proper rate, both the final product and the production schedule will be adversely impacted.
- from "The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking," by The French Culinary Institute