Recently, I have started to bake bread again and the bread is getting better than ever before. Here are a few things that I think help to bake fluffy and soft crusted dark brown bread. I believe most of these tips apply to all sorts of bread. I do not follow any receipt for how much flower, which type of flower, and liquid is needed. My general rule is to use 500g of flower, usually I mix different types, I add seeds, some salt (usually not enough), yeast and water until the dough feels soft.
I always wanted to bake dark brown bread and never understood what type of flour is used. After googling for a few minutes I learnt that kakao powder does the trick. 1-2 table spoons is enough. The bread does not taste much of kakao, but you can smell it very well.
The first important step is to knead the dough long enough. I try to knead it for about 10 minutes. I do not have a kitchen machine, and use my hands. I try to listen to a podcast or audiobook or talk to somebody on the phone to make time go faster.
I divide the dough into small pieces and form small round breads. Then I let the dough rise for an hour. I cover the bread with a moist towel, and place it in a warm location, for example close to the oven or fire to make the bread rise.
When baking the bread, I add a bowl of water in the oven, to prevent the bread from drying out. This will help to keep the crust soft and make the bread rise completely. There are a lot of rules and tips for how warm and long the bread should be baked. 20 min at this temperature then lower the temperature for the last 5 minutes etc. I have a really old oven and this type of adjustment does not work for me. I bake the bread for 25 min at 200°C, which works in my case.
