Self-Taught Lesson #8: The bread formula

Bread is one of our oldest, cross-cultural foods. When fire was invented, shortly after followed bread.

But bread across the world, or across one bakery, can vary extremely.

How do you determine whether a bread rises into the classic rounded loaf, like a sourdough, or whether it stays flatter, like a focaccia? What about sweeter breads, like brioche, compared to chewier and richer breads, challah?

The general formula that I’ve gleaned is this:

flour + liquid + a bit of salt + rising agent = brea...