Tips for bread baking please.

[ClaireandGeorge]

Fairly new to baking bread. Make sure my dough is sticky, knead for ten minutes and it seems elastic to me. Rises well, knock it back then shape and leave to prove. It doubles in size but then never seems to rise in the oven. I also find that if the recipe asks that I make a slit in the dough with a knife then some of the aie comes out.

Disclaimer - I am no bread expert, but I wonder if it could be some of these things

• is your oven hot enough?
• how are you proving and for how long?
• are you letting the yeast come into direct contact with the salt? And/or are any of your recipes quite sugary?
• are you using fresh or dried yeast? If dried, are you using enough? If fresh, how old is it?

Get some books like Dan Leopard or any prof bakers. Bread making is a science and those extra 10 mins you could be over proving hence the air is lost (deflates) once in oven. Sounds like you have done most things right and as its risen well then its died so def over proved. Also dont knock back this is a word thats been passed down for years you dont need to knock anything back - you shape gently you want to smooth the dough and tuck in the edges.

The main trick with bread making is to do it slow, you force it with heat or rush it then you'll have failure.

Bread making isnt easy unless you have a tried and tested recipe every room has a different temp, yeast differs and all rises vary - one size doesnt fits all and its all about learning, reading and understand dough. Too many recipes state a set time or size but it does depend more on visual.

Do you know what think I may have jumped the gun here a bit as it actually came out quite nice. I have Paul hollywoods bread book. What I think I need to do is stick to one recipe/ type of flour etc and practise before moving on to another. think my dough could have been slightly wetter and kneaded better,