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Friday, September 16, 2022

The Life of Bread, from Sea Level to 4500 feet!, Tips, tricks and a bit of a confession...

Imagine my surprise when all the perfect loaves of bread we enjoyed while living at the beach, were now nothing more than bricks! That was my sad reality, as we settled into our high-altitude home...so it was time to gather knowledge, tips, and tricks for successful bread baking at high altitudes. 


The Life of Bread, from Sea Level to 4500 feet!

I had always lived at sea level or close to it, for most of my life. Being a West Coast Native and always living in close proximity to the coastline, not once did I come up against any baking difficulties with altitude. Oh sure, I had heard all about them, but could not relate in any way. 

When the decision was made to move to Montana (and from there to Wyoming), never once did I consider that we would be living at a higher altitude. Which would change how ingredients work and work together. When we got here there was so much to do, what with the unpacking, the organizing, and putting it all away! I have to say that bread baking was not my first thought as we got back to regular meals and daily cooking. But soon that itch to bake our bread was tingling...


I might as well confess, right now. I have always been in love with bread baking. Always! And while I have been baking bread for over 45 years, I also need to say, I have not always baked perfect bread...some days as I played bread baker in the kitchen we would have a feast to take to the seagulls right there at the edge of the sea. Then later on wen living in Montana, it is the duck pond down the road. But we still needed a loaf of bread for the bread box, so I would begin yet another batch...because trial and error (the hardest part!) is how a baker becomes a bread baker.  


The Life of Bread, from Sea Level to 4000 feet!

The mistake I made when we first moved to Montana was that I got out all my standard recipes and used the same techniques that I had spent all those years perfecting and enjoying at the coast, only to be rewarded with hard, heavy bricks of what could barely be called bread, but not eaten as such! 

I won't lie, I was very disappointed. After a trip or two to the duck pond to offer up chunks of bread, there was only one thing to do. Figure out what I needed to change (read that learn about high-altitude baking) in order to get fluffy, tender loaves of whole wheat bread we actually wanted to eat. So I did. 

I started reading lots of information on high-altitude baking, hoping to learn what I needed to learn to get back to baking edible bread. And I am happy to say that it is really just a few small changes in process and procedure. Changes I might add also work at sea level for tender whole wheat bread...

I thought it might be handy to share these new techniques, for high-altitude baking in your own kitchen. Ironically our altitude is even higher with our move to Wyoming, but these techniques continue to work just fine! Come and take a look at the simple but effective new techniques for bread baking:

Update: With our recent move to Wyoming, I found I had to review the tips and see which ones I needed to brush up on because we are actually at a higher elevation here in our new home! It seems you are never done learning to be a better baker! But I think that keeps me inspired to improving each loaf. 
 

The Life of Bread, from Sea Level to 4000 feet!
  • Proof the yeast! Even the newer instant yeast. Yeast seems to take a little longer to start working at higher elevations.  If you do not "proof" the yeast to activate it, it will languish in the dough and you will get a doorstop instead of a loaf of bread. Also, it is important to "proof" using water that is between 100 degrees to 110 degrees. Use an instant-read thermometer, and avoid trying to guess...

Proof the yeast, I now use the mixing bowl.
  • Update, I now proof the yeast in the bottom of the mixing bowl. Might as well save some dishes, we wash by hand around here! Also I simply take out the kneading hook and let the kneaded dough rise in the mixing bowl. For the life of me, I don't know why I did not do this before. 
  • Create a warm and moist environment to set your dough for rising. This is really quite easy, place a 9X15 pan of hot water into the oven on the rack below where the dough will rise, and turn on the oven light (only) to maintain the warmth. Not too hot, not too cold. Plus with the light on, if there is a window in the oven door, you can peek without opening the door.
  • Update, the warm and moist environment will produce a tasty loaf in about three to four hours, from start to finish. 
  • I have also learned that proofing the yeast will allow for an overnight/cold rise in the refrigerator. Resulting in a fuller, richer flavored bread. To proceed with an overnight rise, decrease yeast by half. Otherwise, the rising dough will take over your refrigerator! 
  • The second rise happens fast! And should be done at room temperature on your counter or dining room table. Once shaped and in loaf pans, if you let the dough over-rise you may have flat-top loaves. Over-rising the dough will cause it to collapse in the oven when baking. You want a bit of "oven spring" when you put the dough in to bake. But with dough that has risen too far, the "oven spring" happens but the dough is not strong enough to hold the shape and collapses instead. 
  • Do remember the loaves of dough will continue to rise while the oven is preheating. And I have found out the hard way that putting the over risen loaves into the oven while it is preheating will cause them to collapse...the proof is in the following photos.

The Life of Bread, from Sea Level to 4000 feet!
Collapsed in the middle of the loaf...


Where as these beauties do show signs of overrising and collapse (dimpled top crust), it can happen to us all!

The Life of Bread, from Sea Level to 4000 feet!

Whereas these do not! No over-proofing here.  

  • Preheat the oven 50 degrees hotter than you will actually bake at so that when you open the oven door to place the loaves in to bake the oven is still hot enough to bake properly, preventing deflating and dimples. But this is quite important, immediately reset the oven temperature to what you need for baking bread. For example, I preheat to 400 degrees, load the oven with my pans of dough, and immediately reset the temperature to 350 degrees. 
  • On a personal note, I have found that the dough is a bit stickier up here at 4500 feet. I now prepare my bread pans just like a cake pan with shortening and a sprinkle of flour. Plus I let the loaves sit 5 minutes after baking before turning the bread out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Also you will want to bake to temperature, at least 95-110 degrees. 


You might also enjoy the recipe for Whole Wheat and Honey Bread.


#WholeWheatThat’sGoodToEat!

#wholefoodingredients

#scratchmadefoodforyourfamily

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Would you like to comment?

  1. Great information. Many people don't know how elevation changes cooking in many ways. Thank you so much for sharing your artful food with us every week. Hope you have a safe and healthy week ahead.

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  2. I too have heard of elevation effects on baking but have never experienced it (living on the east coast!). Those loaves look yummy and I am glad you figured out how to make them in your new home.

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  3. Good to know! If I visit friends at higher altitudes, I can use this. It's fun to cook in other people's kitchens!

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    1. Simple changes make great improvements in the finished loaf. Thanks for stopping by.

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  4. I'm not a baker but have heard about higher altitudes affecting baking. Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 11, open April 1 to 26. All entries shared on social media if share buttons installed. I’d like to invite you to check out my other current link parties too!

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  5. Bread is my weakness, these are great tips for baking that delicious bread! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome talent with us at Full Plate Thursday,and come back to see us soon!
    Stay Healthy!
    Miz Helen

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  6. Thanks for the great tips. The bread looks So so delicious! Also, thanks for sharing with us on the Homestead Blog Hop. Hope we see more this Wednesday.

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  7. Your bread looks delicious!
    I remember the challenges of cooking at high altitude when we lived in the Colorado Rockies. I learned so much, like weighing my ingredients :)

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    1. Thank you! I agree it is a challenge to learn the little steps that make big improvements in the finished loaf.

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  8. I remember the few years I lived at altitude ... it does take some getting used to.

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    1. This old dog has been so happy to learn these new tricks! Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. Beautiful bread! I've never lived at high altitude. I'm glad you didn't have to change your methods too much!

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    1. Thank you, I am comfortable enough now to work on more techniques. Bread baking is something I will never tire of!

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  10. There is just something about fresh baked bread that makes it taste so amazing! Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks with us over at You're the Star. Hope to see you again soon!

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  11. Thanks for this. It was really interesting. As a gluten free blogger who offers lots of GF bread recipes, I often get asked about why recipes 'fail' at differing altitudes etc. And while I very much live at sea level, it's really helpful to have some ideas that I can refer people to in their quest to make recipes work. So thank you again. Bookmarked and ready to share xx
    #FullPlateThursday

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    1. Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate it. Have a great day!

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  12. This is good to know.
    I found baking things took me way longer when we lived for a short time in the mountains of Northern California.

    I hope many will find this useful!

    Thank you for sharing it at the Homestead Blog Hop 411

    Laurie

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    1. Laurie, you are very welcome. Thanks for hosting, I appreciate it.

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  13. Such great tips! When I moved from very dry lower elevation to a much wetter higher elevation I thought it was the equipment I was using but it was definitely the environment

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    1. Estelle, it was a real surprise for me, but the challenge was fun as well.

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