2. Use Combination Flours
For your first bread experience, you’ll probably be tempted to bake a loaf of whole-wheat bread. This strategy is a mistake you’ll end up regretting as soon as you cut into it with your bread knife. Whole-wheat flour produces a loaf of bread that’s far to firm and doughy, and it takes a master chef to get it right.
The whole-wheat dough doesn’t have the same amount of gluten as all-purpose white flour. Therefore, it cannot rise well when resting before kneading. Gluten is a vital component of bread dough, and if you choose a whole-wheat dough as your first project, you may be disappointed that you wasted your precious time on it when you experience the soggy results.
Instead of wasting your time trying to bake a loaf of whole-wheat bread, mix your flours and get it right the first time around. If your first recipe is a success, it’s a simple process to replicate what you did right and get the same results time and time again.