1. Raw materials
1.2. Water
An essential element of any recipe, is water , the importance of which is very often overlooked. A bread dough is roughly 40 % water. In making dough, the consistency depends clearly on the amount of water used in making it. The amount of water needed depends on the quality of the flour and the kind of bread we want to make.
What is the purpose of water in bread making ? Water is needed to form the gluten and give the dough consistency. It is also the solvent or medium for substances like sugar and enzymes that are indispensable for the fermentation. The next essential role is its function in homogenizing all this substances throughout the dough during kneading. The water is also needed for swelling and gelatinisation of the starch. This in its turn improves the easy digestion of the bread. The distribution of the heat through the bread during baking is done by water in the dough. And finally water influences the organoleptic properties of the bread.
Besides the amount of water we are using, its quality plays also an important role.
The most important criteria for water is its hardness. This is a measure for the content of calcium and magnesium salts dissolved in the water. Water with a mild hardness is the most useful, because the mineral salts reinforce the gluten network. If the hardness is too high (more then 180 parts ppm or 180 mg per litre) the fermentation slows down because of the too rigid gluten structure. Using more yeast or adding malt to the dough are the best ways to correct this condition. In the opposite case, where water hardness is less then 120 ppm the dough gets sticky. In this case one has to use less water and although the consistency of the dough looks normal, one shouldn’t forget that such a dough retains less CO2 during rise. Bread gets the right volume, but the crumb structure will be shabby when one uses too soft (with low hardness) water. The softness and the keeping qualities are negatively influenced.
Another important factor is the pH of the water used. Acids are responsible for the flavour and the taste of the bread. The acids, necessary for a good organoleptic experience will be neutralized if the alkalinity becomes larger then a pH of 8. The activity of the yeast and lactic acid bacteria drops if their environment becomes alkaline. The enzymatic activity also suffers from a too high pH. Their optimal pH must be in the range 4.0 to 5.5, which is also excellent for the yeast and the lactic bacteria.
The use of too much water is not a suitable practice. The loaf will stay small and flat, the cells of the crumb will be too large, the crust stays pale and the crumb will be wet and not soft. The other error is too little water. The crust will get tough and the crumb dry.
