In the kitchen

Technique & Troubleshooting

Hydration, kneading and the windowpane test, proofing, kitchen temperature, how to tell when bread is fully baked, why a loaf failed to rise, and how to store and freeze what you bake.

Questions

• Why does dough hydration matter?

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  Hydration is the water weight as a percentage of flour weight, and it largely sets the texture and the handling. Lower-hydration doughs (around 55 to 65%) are firmer, easier to shape, and give a tighter crumb — bagels, pretzels, sandwich bread. Higher-hydration doughs (around 75 to 85%) are wetter and harder to handle but open up into the holey crumb of ciabatta, focaccia, and country sourdough. Each recipe shows a recommended hydration range, and the calculator warns you if you push outside it.

• What is the windowpane test, and how do I knead enough?

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  The windowpane test checks gluten development: tear off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it: when it pulls thin enough to let light through without tearing, the gluten is well developed. King Arthur frames it not as pass-or-fail but as a read on where the dough is in its development. Under-kneaded dough tears quickly and feels shaggy; properly developed dough stretches smooth and elastic.

• What if my kitchen runs colder or warmer than the recipe assumes?

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  Temperature is the biggest lever on fermentation speed: yeast activity roughly doubles for every 18°F / 10°C increase, the standard rule baking references cite. A cold kitchen (under about 65°F / 18°C) needs longer rises; a warm one (over about 78°F / 25°C) can finish proofing in close to half the time. Watch the dough — visible doubling, puffiness, and a slow-filling poke test — rather than the clock, since the recipe timings assume its target temperature.

• How warm should the water be for the yeast?

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  Aim for warm, not hot. Around 80°F / 27°C is a good target for a same-day rise, and cooler — closer to 65°F / 18°C — for a long cold ferment. The thing to avoid is water hot enough to damage the yeast: yeast cells start dying around 130 to 140°F / 54 to 60°C, so anything that feels more than gently warm to the wrist is too hot.

• How do I know when my bread is fully baked?

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  Internal temperature is the most reliable test, more so than color or time. Lean breads like baguette, sourdough, and ciabatta are done around 205 to 210°F / 96 to 99°C in the center; enriched breads like brioche and challah finish lower, around 190°F / 88°C, so the extra sugar and fat do not dry out. Without a thermometer, look for a deeply colored crust and a hollow sound when you tap the bottom — and when in doubt, give it a few more minutes, since underbaking leaves a gummy center.

• Why didn't my bread rise?

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  The most common cause is yeast that was dead or weakened — either old, or killed by water that was too hot. After that come a kitchen too cold for the yeast to work, salt added directly onto the yeast, a dough mixed too dry or too stiff, and simply not enough proofing time. The quickest diagnostic is to bloom a little yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar: if it does not foam within about 10 minutes, the yeast is the problem.

• How should I store homemade bread?

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  Keep crusty lean breads at room temperature in a paper bag or cut-side-down on a board for a day or two, and avoid the fridge — the cold actually stales bread faster by speeding up starch retrogradation, as Serious Eats has shown. Soft enriched breads and sandwich loaves keep two to four days in a sealed bag or bread box. Most homemade bread has no preservatives, so it stales faster than store bread.

• Can I freeze bread, and how?

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  Freezing is the best way to save a loaf you cannot finish in a few days, and it beats the fridge by a wide margin. Slice the loaf first, wrap it well to keep air out, and freeze; then toast or reheat slices straight from frozen. Because freezing pauses staling rather than accelerating it the way refrigeration does, a well-wrapped loaf keeps its quality for weeks.