Knead to Know Basics

• Three words: Use bread flour. Nothing else will do if you want to produce homemade bread with truly nuanced, intricate texture. Save the all-purpose for pancakes and chicken cutlets. Bread flour is the highest in gluten of all wheat flours. Gluten, or wheat protein, gives bread structure and resilience. When you knead and stretch dough, the longer and more numerous the flour's gluten strands become, imparting dimension to the dough. General kneading standards call for 10 to 12 minutes by hand or 8 to 10 minutes with a stand mixer. Well-kneaded dough is smooth and elastic, holds its shape and bounces back when you poke it.

The Bread That Overslept

• Cold fermentation, or retardation, is a prized strategy among pizza-makers and seasoned bread-bakers. Yeast behaves differently at lower temperatures, slowing down and excreting different enzymes that make for tangier, more cultured and buttery flavors in a finished, baked bread product. The same slowed-down yeast activity and enzymes impact and expand gluten structure, amounting to huge pockets and abstract shapes within a given bread sample. When cold fermenting your dough, cut your initial knead time in half or omit it entirely. After the initial knead, cover your dough and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature. Then refrigerate it and let it cold ferment for up to 7 days.

Don't Kvetch for Stretch

• There are two ingredients that can give your bread stretch. The first is gluten. Eggs, the second, are the secret to the unique volume, stretch and chewiness of breads like brioche and challah. Eggs have protein, fat and lecithin, an emulsifier; these three ingredients work in tandem, providing structure and moistness, which equals stretchiness without added density. Each extra large egg is roughly 1/4 cup of fluid; when adding eggs to a bread recipe, subtract the corresponding amount of another liquid, such as milk or water.

In Wash We Crust

• One quick route to crusty bread is a hearty egg wash. Brush the risen loaf with a mixture of egg white and water before placing the loaf in the oven. There are a variety of washes, and each gives the exterior of bread a different degree and type of crust. Whole eggs give shine and golden brown colored crust. Milk wash caramelizes to luscious brown crust. Butter and sweeteners, such as honey or syrup, result in a sweeter, softer crust.

Crust Me on This One

• Lo and behold, plain water yields the lightest, extra-crispy crust. Simply spray or brush water onto the unbaked loaf just before baking it in a very hot oven. For a European-style crust, preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. With a sharp knife, slash 1/4-inch deep cuts into the bread, cross-shaped or parallel and on the bias. Transfer the bread to the oven. Place a shallow pan in the oven on the lowest rack; pour 1 cup of hot water into the pan and close the oven door quickly. Bake the bread until its a deep golden brown.