Common Bread Dough
Ingredients
Directions
Make the sponge
Strain the yeast and water into a pan.
Mix in half the flour.
Beat the batter thoroughly.
Scrape down the sides of the pan.
Pour a spoonful of melted lard on top.
Spread it to prevent a crust.
Cover with a cloth.
Let the sponge rise in a warm place for 4 to 5 hours.
Beat the sponge again.
Make the dough
Add the salt.
Mix in the remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
Knead the dough on a table.
Shape it into a round and press the edges into the middle.
Panning
Brush a clean pan with a little melted lard or butter.
Place the dough in it.
Brush the top with more lard.
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
- Yeast
- Ferments the sponge, producing gas that makes the dough rise.
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the dough its structure and chew.
- Warm water
- Hydrates the flour and activates the yeast, forming the dough's base.
- Lard (in the method)
- Adds fat that keeps the surface from drying and crusting and softens the crumb.
The step that matters
Let the sponge rise in a warm place. Yeast needs warmth and time to ferment properly. Too cool and the dough rises slowly; the gas it produces is what lightens the bread, so the sponge must be allowed to fully expand before kneading.
“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.
More bread dough recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.