Jamaican Cookery

A lot of people tried to conquer the skill of bread making and failed miserable. Our bread (Jamaican) has known to have the 'swag tun up' (just right) Here are some tips to guide you when baking bread, especially Jamaican.

1. Read the recipe all the way through; ensure you have all the ingredients and understand the mixing method.
2. Use the freshest and best quality flours. The high gluten content of hard-wheat flour makes it best for bread making.
3. Soften active dry yeast in warm water, about 110 degrees and compress yeast about 85 degrees. The water should be lukewarm to avoid killing the yeast.
4. Salt retards the growth of yeast and should not be added to yeast mixture until it is strong and lively from feeding on sugar and starch. Also too much sugar also retards yeast, so follow recipe carefully.
5. Develop the gluten in wheat flour by beating batter thoroughly before adding other flour that have no gluten.
6. When bread is raised twice, you may use two different methods: one way is to let the dough rise until double while in soft dough stage until double in bulk. Then knead in all the flour to make a stiff, smooth dough. Then let it rise in the baking tin until double.
7. The second method for letting bread rise twice is to knead in all the flour at once. Let it rise in bowl until double in bulk. Punch down. Divide into loaves. Let it rise in the prepare baking tins until double.
8. For one rising, knead in all the flour little at a time until dough is stiff and smooth. Divide into loaves. place into prepared tins; let it rise until double in bulk
9. To knead, turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Curve fingers over dough and push down with heel of palm. Fold over and push down again. A poor job of kneading cannot be remedied. It usually takes 10 minutes or more. The more dough is kneaded, the finer texture , you will  have.
10. For two rising place dough in a clean large bowl, cover with wax paper and towel to prevent crust from forming. Let it rise in a warm place, not hot as (80-85 degrees) until it double. An off-flavour will develops in the bread that gets too warm and if the temperature is too cool it will prolongs the rising.
11. When dividing into loaves, use as little flour as possible to prevent dark streaks and coarse texture. When making oil-less bread, you may find it necessary to dip hands into a bowl of water when dividing bread into loaves
12. Place loaves on oven racks in a preheated oven, leaving space between baking tins for heat to circulate. When baked, remove from tins; cool loaves on rack
13. Bread should be thoroughly baked with no trace of yeast.
14. Bread that is freshly baked is difficult to digest. Bread should be at least six hours old before it is eaten.

Happy bread making