Every homemade housewife wants to bake homemade bread at least once in her life: fragrant, with a terrific crisp, especially if this bread is also healthy. Ideal in such cases - rye, bran or cooked from a combination of several types of flour bread. The most convenient option is Stolichniy bread, the recipe of which is presented in this article.
Main characteristics
This type of bread in mass production is usually made in two versions: shaped, in the form of rectangular "bricks" and hearth, in the form of oval loaves. The round shape is also found in home bakeries, although it is not standard. The weight of metropolitan bread in accordance with GOST is usually 850 grams.
The color of the loaves varies from light brown to dark brown and depends on the duration of baking. The crumb should be well baked and, with gentle pressure, takes its primary form in a short time. In no case should there be a pronounced peeling of the crust from the crumb, as well as the sour smell inherent in the fermented dough.
Composition and calorie content
The main distinguishing feature of the “Capital” bread is its composition: the flour is taken equally in wheat and rye (often peeled), which gives the baked bread not only a beautiful shade, a fragrant crumb, but also many useful trace elements inherent in rye.
One hundred grams of finished bread contains:
- carbohydrates - 51 grams;
- proteins - 7 grams;
- fats - 1 -1.2 grams.
The standard calorie content of Stolichniy bread is 210 calories. Often bread dough is made on the basis of sourdough, using it instead of ordinary pressed yeast, which makes bread an order of magnitude more useful.
Original recipe
The standard recipe for "Capital" bread according to GOST consists of the following components:
- 250 grams of wheat and rye flour (peeled);
- 140 grams of sourdough for rye flour dough;
- incomplete Art. a spoon of granulated sugar;
- 10 grams of salt;
- 320 ml of warm water.
This list does not include the ingredients necessary for the preparation of the starter culture, their quantity is given separately, since it is prepared in advance, at least four days before the start of baking capital bread on the leaven.
Cooking dough
Cooking according to the classic Stolichniy bread recipe begins with the preparation of the dough: for this, in a small bowl mix the sourdough, 80 ml of warm water and 140 grams of dark flour (from rye).
Stir the mass thoroughly with a spoon and, covering the top with a clean towel, leave it near a heat source (stove, heating battery) for three to four hours. It is important that the dough in the dishes at the initial stage occupy no more than one third of the space - because it will increase in size, which means that there should be enough space. When the bread dough grows two or three times and becomes covered with gas bubbles, which indicates a good fermentation process, which is necessary for tasty and lush bread, you can continue to knead the dough for baking "Capital" bread.
Kneading dough
To the finished dough add the remaining water (it should be warm, but not hot), spices and mix thoroughly. Then add flour of both types and knead the dough, preferably with your hands. Knead it thoroughly until it is easy to stick off from the hands, becomes pliable and elastic. To make the process more pleasant and easy, it is recommended to lubricate the hands and the table on which the dough will be kneaded with odorless vegetable oil.
When the necessary state of the coma is reached, take a clean bowl of medium size, thoroughly and abundantly grease with vegetable oil and place the finished dough there. Cover with a towel again and place closer to a warm place, leaving the dough alone for an hour and a half, it should grow in size two or a little more times. If the room temperature is in the range of 26-30 degrees, then the dishes with the dough can be left just on the table - this is the ideal temperature for fermentation processes in the dough.
Molding
Usually, two variants of "Capital" bread are formed: the hearth and the mold. The first option has the form of a circle or oval and is baked without the use of metal molds, and the second is the well-known “brick”, as it is baked in rectangular shapes.
Put the finished dough on the table, divide it with a knife into two equal parts and, with light movements in a circle, form two neat loaves of round-shaped bread (you can oval - if desired). At the end of the molding, you can sprinkle the table with a little rye flour and lightly roll the dough pieces in it, then when baking a more aromatic and incredibly tasty crust inherent in rye bread is formed.
Bakery products
Place bread rolls on a baking sheet and let them come up a little (30-40 minutes), and then place them in the oven, preheated to a temperature of 280 degrees. "Capital" bread is baked in this mode:
- the first ten minutes at a temperature set earlier;
- lower the degree to 240 and bake bread for another ten minutes;
- lower the temperature again to 220 degrees and bake the bread until cooked.
As a rule, an average loaf of bread of this kind is baked for forty to fifty minutes, but it also depends on the capacity of the oven and the size of the bread itself. When it is ready, take it out to the grill and let it get to condition for half a day - then the crumb of bread is filled to the maximum with the taste of rye flour, which positively affects the quality of the bread.
You should store such bread wrapped in a clean cloth, but you can also wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator - this way it can be stored for a long time, although it will be slightly inferior in taste to its freshly baked counterpart.
How to make sourdough?
As for black bread, for "Capital" bread in traditional cooking, use rye sourdough, which is easy to cook at home. All you need is to be patient and strictly follow the step-by-step instructions. As a result, delicious, and most importantly, healthy bread of our own production will become a table decoration.
What is necessary for making yeast from rye flour:
- The first step is to mix one hundred grams of warm, boiled water with 80 grams of rye flour, forming a thick consistency that resembles a cream or paste. This is best done in a half-liter jar: the whole process taking place inside at a glance is convenient, affordable. Cover with a napkin on top, which is very convenient to fix with a regular rubber band. Place a jar of future sourdough in a prominent place that does not fall into direct sunlight. Moreover, it should be warm enough, but not hot (otherwise the fermentation process will be too stormy, but this is not necessary). It is important to remember (or write with a marker on the jar) the start time of the preparation.
- Exactly one day later (hour per hour) add to the mass 50 grams of flour and the same amount (in ml) of warm water. Mix thoroughly and close again, following the main principle. This procedure should be repeated once a day for four to five days, each time adding the same proportion and qualitatively mixing the contents of the jar.
When half a day has passed after the last “feeding”, the leaven can be used for baking “Capital” bread, leaving a couple of tablespoons to form a new one, continuing to feed it once a day, following the above technology.
Some useful tips for working with sourdough
Probably, many hostesses had a desire to bake delicious home-made bread on a sourdough, but two or three attempts - and the desire completely disappeared, because the sourdough just did not work. Below are a few important nuances that must be taken into account if you want to get a product of the necessary condition:
- If you “feed” the leaven with hot water (above 65 degrees), then the bacteria in it lower their activity, and very hot water is deadly for them. Ideal is up to forty degrees.
- If the jar of leaven is in a too cool place, the bacteria do not multiply - this indicates that the product does not have its strength. The same can be said about too warm places (battery, shelf near the stove) - high temperatures are also fatal.
- If top dressing is done at the wrong time, and less often (1.5 days), the yeast will grow moldy, which means it will be unsuitable. Therefore, it makes sense to put a reminder on the phone, so as not to forget in the bustle of the house about the "Capital" bread and sourdough for him. It will be unpleasant when halfway through the cooking process is ruined by simple forgetfulness.
Dry yeast bread
For those who find the leaven recipe too long or complicated, you can offer a simple recipe for dry yeast and kefir, although it is worth remembering that artificial yeast does not bring health benefits and is used only in extreme cases when there is really not enough time for quality cooking food.
So, for the "Capital" bread in a simple version you will need:
- 100 grams of kefir;
- 200 ml of water;
- 250 grams of each type of flour: wheat and rye.
- 2 teaspoons of yeast;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar without sugar;
- 1 teaspoon of salt;
- two tbsp. tablespoons of any odorless vegetable oil.
Cooking takes very little time, as dry yeast grows quite quickly. First you need to mix kefir and water heated to 45 degrees with sugar, yeast and salt. Add two hundred grams of flour and mix thoroughly until smooth.
Leave for half an hour, and then add all the remaining flour, butter and knead the dough, kneading it on the table with quality. Place in a bowl, cover with a towel and place near a warm place for an hour and a half: the dough should increase in size at least twice.
Then knead it on the table again, form a round loaf about 4-5 cm high, roll it in rye flour, which will give the crust a more aromatic flavor. Allow to approach already on the baking sheet, and then pierce the bread with a knife right through in three or four places and place in a heated oven, setting the mode to 190 degrees.
Usually, such a loaf of bread is baked for no more than half an hour, and you can also grease the top with odorless vegetable oil five minutes before the end of baking - this will give the crust a special glossy look.
How to bake rye bread in a bread machine?
This recipe does not quite correspond to the GOST “Capital” bread, although, according to user reviews, it is considered very close in taste, appearance and smell of crumb, so at home it will be more convenient for many.
To prepare you will need:
- 300 grams of wheat flour;
- 250 grams of rye flour;
- 300 ml of warm water, can whey;
- 1.5 tsp salts;
- 1-1.5 tsp dry yeast;
- 1 tbsp. a spoon of granulated sugar;
- two tbsp. tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Cooking A to Z
The process of making bread in a bread machine is always a pleasure, since the machine does almost everything on its own, you can only wait for the result. To begin with, you should study the instructions for the machine, since in different models the loading of ingredients is carried out according to the opposite schemes: in some they are dry ingredients, and in others they are liquid. Based on the instructions, you should do the same and place in the bowl of the bread machine all the components, according to the hierarchy.
Next, select the “French bread” mode, as well as the cooking time, usually four hours. The only important point: it is necessary to control the process of kneading the dough, since its quality largely depends on the gluten of wheat flour. If during the batch it will be seen that the lump of dough is too tight and cannot absorb all the flour, a little liquid should be added. If, on the contrary, it floats too much, then it is necessary to add flour (better than wheat, it absorbs liquid better).
When the mode of kneading the dough is over, close the lid of the bread maker and wait for the timer signal, which will notify about the end of the process. It is important to let the bread cool on a wire rack with a clean towel. Cut no earlier than six hours after the end of the preparation of the aromatic product, then its taste will be revealed as much as possible, reaching the condition, and the crumb will be more malleable when slicing bread into slices. Enjoy your meal!