help with bread making; bread problems.

In my experience, most homemade breads are a little heavier/dense than the breads made by the large factory type bakeries. IMO along with many others I know, this is one of the appealing characteristics of homemade bread.

Factory produced breads usually have various conditioners added to them to accomodate the automated production process.

Think about how a bread would have been made 250 years ago. The ingredients would have been milled grain(s), salt, water/milk and yeast. Non of these would have had any additives or enrichments like you see on the ingredients labels in this day and age.

Compare the above ingredients list with a label from a loaf of bread in this day and age. Some of the chemical looking names you see on the label are things that soften the dough so it can be moved through piping systems. Some of the chemicals/conditioners are mixed in near the end of the production process to give the final bread some strength or stucture so it won't be way too soft to hold its shape.

Too judge your breads characteristics, compare it to other homemade breads rather than comparing it to anything purchased in the stores.

My suggestion is for you to continue making the bread exactly as you are so that you really get the process and feel down and then if you really feel adjustments need to be made start by tweaking the ingredients you use. For example maybe a little bit of a weaker flour, or a little more yeast, or a little more fat or a touch of sugar etc. But before you start trying to tweak things make sure you understand what function each ingredient has.

IF you want a lighter bread use more water. To make cibarta bread I use 80-90% water
to flour ratio in weight. For best results use a kitchen scale. For a ten grain bread I would use about 60% water. Also humidity can effect amount of water used in your recipt. So pretty much I go on feel of dough.I also found that kneading the oil in after letting dough raise for ten mins of so gives a nice crunchy crust.

I agree, use more water AND allow the dough to triple (and not just double) in size. Get yourself a copy of a great breadmaking dvd from King Arthur Flour called Artisan Breads. It'll help greatly, especially with kneading technique.

EDIT: in my baking experience that consists of bread and scones, I find it necessary to withhold approx 1/6th of the flour that the recipe calls for. And I use part of that 1/6th for dusting and minor "adjustments" but not all of it. That withholding allows me to achieve a moister product. And no more doorstops is what it's all about, isn't it!!! :bounce: