There’s nothing better than biting into a slice of freshly baked bread right after it comes out of the oven. Baking your own bread is also a great wintertime activity – it’s fun to learn how to do, plus the reward at the end is so tasty! If you want to learn how to really master the art of baking bread, try these 4 easy ways to help you elevate your loaves from basic to beautiful. You’ll be able to transform your freshly baked bread into incredible works of art in just a few simple steps. Forget fancy bakeries, you’re the expert now!
4 Bread Designs to Impress Everyone
Learn how to master the art of baking bread with these 4 easy ways to help you elevate your loaves from basic to beautiful.
Equipment
- razor blade or bread lame
- flour
- Teaspoon
- water
- cocoa powder
- sunflower seeds
- black & white sesame seeds
- vegetable oil
Ingredients
- 6 cups flour
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp dry yeast
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp cane sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Combine the water and milk in a large measuring cup. Dissolve the cane sugar and yeast in the milk mixture, then let it rest for 10 minutes. Combine the flour, vegetable oil, and salt in a large mixing bowl, then add in the yeast mixture. Knead everything together by hand for about 7 minutes until a smooth dough forms. Cover the dough, transfer it to the refrigerator, and let it rise for 2 hours.
- Once the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and mold it into the shape of a rectangle. Fold the rectangular piece of dough over, then roll it up tightly. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, place the rolled-up piece of dough on top, and let it rise for another 2½ hours.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F. Sprinkle flour on top of the risen dough, then carefully use a razor blade or bread lame to cut a leaf design into the top of the dough. Place an oven-safe container filled with hot or boiling water in the oven. Place the baking tray with the loaf of bread on it on the middle rack of the oven and bake the bread at 475°F for 15–20 minutes. Remove the oven-safe container filled with water from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F, and bake the bread for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F. Sprinkle flour on top of the risen dough, then carefully use a razor blade or bread lame to cut a rose garden design into the top of the dough. Place an oven-safe container filled with hot or boiling water in the oven. Place the baking tray with the loaf of bread on it on the middle rack of the oven and bake the bread at 475°F for 15–20 minutes. Remove the oven-safe container filled with water from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F, and bake the bread for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F. Sift some flour onto the risen piece of dough, then carefully spread it over the surface of the dough by hand. Dip the back of a teaspoon in water, then coat it with some cocoa powder. Use the teaspoon as a stamp to make small ovular cocoa powder prints on the loaf of bread so that they look like the spikes of a stalk of wheat. Use the razor blade to cut a stem in the middle of the cocoa powder leaves. Place an oven-safe container filled with hot or boiling water in the oven. Place the baking tray with the loaf of bread on it on the middle rack of the oven and bake the bread at 475°F for 15–20 minutes. Remove the oven-safe container filled with water from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F, and bake the bread for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F and fill a large mixing bowl with a mix of sunflower seeds and both black & white sesame seeds. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, making one segment twice as big as the other. Roll the larger piece of dough into a ball and place it in the bowl filled with the mixed seeds. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise briefly. Roll out the smaller piece of dough until it becomes thin, then brush vegetable oil over the center of it. Place the ball of dough covered in mixed seeds on top of the piece of rolled-out dough with the seed-covered side facing down. Cover the entire large piece of dough with the rolled-out piece. Transfer the dough to a baking tray lined with parchment paper, making sure the sealed edges are on the bottom. Make a cross-shaped cut in the surface of the dough with a razor blade or bread lame, exposing the layer of mixed seeds below. Fold down the 4 corners of dough, then score a cross in the top of the segment of dough covered in mixed seeds. Pull the 4 corners of dough back up towards the center and make 1 vertical cut in each of the sections you just positioned. Place an oven-safe container filled with hot or boiling water in the oven. Place the baking tray with the loaf of bread on it on the middle rack of the oven and bake the bread at 475°F for 15–20 minutes. Remove the oven-safe container filled with water from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F, and bake the bread for another 20 minutes.
VIDEO
Everyone knows that the best food is a treat for the eyes as well as for the tastebuds. These 4 scoring techniques will bring your bread baking technique to the next level!