Receipt for Unfermented Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Mix the dough
In a large bowl, combine the flour and bicarbonate of soda.
In a separate container, mix the cold water and muriatic acid.
Gradually add the water mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until well combined.
Bake
Shape the dough as desired and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) until cooked through.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the baked loaf its structure.
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Reacts with the acid to release carbon dioxide gas, which lifts the dough.
- Muriatic acid
- Reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to produce the gas that leavens the bread.
- Cold water
- Hydrates the flour so the dough binds together and bakes moist.
The step that matters
Adding the water mixture to the flour mixture. The acid and bicarbonate of soda react as soon as they meet, releasing carbon dioxide. Stir only until combined and get the dough shaped and into the oven promptly, so the gas is trapped in the dough rather than escaping while it sits.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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