Title: Fruit Sweet and Sugar Free - Breads #3
Categories: Info Diabetic
Yield: 1 Servings

Fruit Sweet and Sugar Free By Janice Feuer 1993 Royal Teton Ranch

Breads (cont'd): ****************

Shaping the Dough: ****************** Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surace, as the dough should no longer be sticky.

Using the dough scraper as a knife, divide the dough into the size and number of pieces you will need. Lightly knead each piece and put them at the back of your work space, covered loosely with plastic wrap.

Forming Loaves: *************** Lightly oil or spray the bottom of your pans with lecithin spray.

Form your loaves with as little handling as possible. Otherwise you will again activate the gluten, which makes the shaping of loaves very difficult: You push one direction and it pulls itself away. If you have made an unusually shaped loaf and want to redo it, let the dough rest for 10 minutes, lightly covered with plastic wrap, before you try again.

For loaves, I use a very simple technique, similar to kneading the dough. With 4 to 6 movements, shape the dough into a rectangle to fit a loaf pan. With the second knead you seal the dough into itself using the heal of your hand and pressing to form a rectangle. With the next turn fold the dough in about one-quarter. Another turn and fold the dough in half, once again sealing with the heal of your hand. Give the dough one more turn, then roll the dough tightly towards you, rounding and shaping the loaf as you roll. Press the ends together to seal them as well as the bottom seam, using your fingertips. Lift the dough into the loaf pan, pressing it if necessary to fill out the pan.

Lightly cover the completed loaves with lightly oiled plastic wrap (so they won't stick to the plastic as they rise). Place the loaves in a draft free spot to rise. It is best not to use the oven you will be baking in this time, as you would need to remember to remove the loaves when you preheat the oven halfway through their proofing.

To Form Rolls: ************** Line baking sheets with baking paper or lightly spray them with lecithin spary.

Form your rolls with as little handling as possible. Otherwise you will again activate the gluten, which makes further shaping very difficult. If you have made unusually shaped rolls an want to redo them, let the dough rest for 10 minutes, lightly covered with plastic wrap before you try again.

Rolls come in all shapes and sizes from simple to complex. At the bakery we do a simple shape, our current favourite being a 7-inch rope tied in a knot with the ends concealed in the middle.

It is important when rolling out a rope of dough for shaping to use no flour on the work surface. If there is more than just the flour on your hands, the dough just flops around and refuses to stretch out for more than a couple of inches.

The advantage of simple shapes with rolls (especially with whole wheat bread) is that simple shapes, without intricate turns and twists minimize the amount of crust and maximize the amount of soft interior.

Place formed rolls on a prepared baking sheet. Cover them lightly with a piece of lightly oiled plastic and let them rise in a draft free spot until almost doubled in size.

Baking the Bread: ***************** Be sure to preheat the oven 15 minutes before you will need it, about halfway through the rising of the shaped loaves or rolls. The loaves or rolls will be ready to be baked when they have a spring to them when touched lightly with your finger. Do not poke the dough this time or you will deflate your loaf and you will need to reshape it. Loaves should also have risen over the edge of the pans, doming in the center.

You may wish to glaze the loaves or rolls with an egg wash (made by combining a whole egg with a pinch of salt and a 1/4 cup water) before placing them in the oven. After brushing with the egg wash you can sprinkle on poppy seeds or sesame seeds for extra flavour, texture and appearance.

To keep well-kneaded dough from bursting at its sides in the oven, it is wise to use a serrated knife to slash the tops of the loaves on the diagonal.

Place the loaves or rolls on the middle shelf in a preheated oven and bake according to the instructions in the individual recipes. Large loaves usually take from 40-60 minutes; small rolls require half that amount of time.

You may open the oven door to check on your bread after half of the baking time as elapsed. If your oven cooks unevenly, you may need to adjust the placement of the loaves or rolls for even browning. Close the oven door as soon as possible to minimize the loss of heat.

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