Water temperature:
Yeast functions best at temperatures between 30-35°C. To achieve the right temperature, we suggest that about 20% of the water is added as boiling water, the remainder as cold tap water. Loaf volumes will tend to increase in warm, summer months.

Order of addition:
This is very important to produce consistent results: whether you are using either a breadmaking machine or a mixing bowl, always add the ingredients in the following order: boiling water, cold water, vegetable oil, salt, concentrate (if used), flour, bread improver (if used), yeast. Avoid the yeast getting into direct contact with salt or sugar

Vegetable oil:
The addition of vegetable oil up to about 5% of flour weight is recommended by many breadmaking machine manufacturers. Adding it will tend to produce loaves with a larger volume and more open texture but it does make the loaf softer and more difficult to slice. However, it has a significant effect on the volume, dough stability and texture of wholemeal breads, so we do recommend using it in all bread doughs. We use either sunflower or olive oil in our testing.

Salt:
Salt is necessary, not just for flavour but also for its controlling action on the yeast. For best results use the quantity shown in our recipes.

Yeast:
Yeast is a living organism, and its viability can only be guaranteed if the storage instructions are respected. We pack Freebake yeast in 5g sachets in a modified atmosphere to ensure it is in perfect condition when opened, after which it should be used immediately.

When adding ingredients to the mixing bowl, take care not to put the dried yeast directly in contact with salt or sugar as they can damage the yeast and affect the gassing performance.

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