Baking Bread and Pastries for Breakfast

Food production method using prolonged dry heat acting by convection.

Baking bread and pastries can be a rewarding and delicious way to start your day. This unit will guide you through the basics of baking, from understanding yeast to kneading and proofing, and then onto creating both sweet and savory breakfast pastries.

Understanding Baking Basics

Baking bread begins with understanding yeast. Yeast is a living organism that feeds on the sugars in flour, and produces carbon dioxide gas and alcohol as byproducts. This process is known as fermentation. The carbon dioxide gas is what causes the dough to rise.

Kneading is the process of working the dough to develop the gluten, a protein that gives bread its structure. It involves folding, pushing, and turning the dough repeatedly. This can be done by hand or with a dough hook on a stand mixer.

Proofing, also known as rising, is when the shaped dough is left to rest and rise a final time before baking. During this stage, the yeast ferments the dough and produces gases, causing the dough to inflate or rise.

Making Basic Bread

There are many types of bread you can make, but we'll start with the basics: white, whole wheat, and multigrain. Each type of bread has its own unique ingredients and methods, but all involve the basic steps of mixing, kneading, proofing, and baking.

Sweet Breakfast Pastries

Sweet breakfast pastries are a delightful treat to start your day. Croissants are a classic French pastry, made with a yeast dough that's layered with butter and rolled and folded several times, then rolled into a shape that's symbolic of a crescent moon.

Danishes are another type of sweet pastry, originating from Denmark. They can be filled with fruit, jam, cheese, or nuts. Cinnamon rolls, a sweet roll served commonly in Northern Europe and North America, are a sweet rye dough filled with a cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Savory Breakfast Pastries

Savory breakfast pastries are a hearty way to start your day. A ham and cheese croissant is a variation of the classic croissant, filled with ham and cheese before baking. Spinach and feta pastries, inspired by the Greek spanakopita, are a delicious combination of spinach and feta cheese encased in flaky pastry.

Quick Breads

Quick breads are a type of bread that's quick and easy to make. They include banana bread, zucchini bread, and muffins. These breads are leavened with baking powder or baking soda, rather than yeast, which allows them to be baked immediately after mixing.

Baking bread and pastries for breakfast can be a fun and rewarding way to start your day. With these basics, you'll be well on your way to creating delicious breakfast treats. Happy baking!