Butter has the following three main functions in bread baking:

1. The butter in the dough makes the dough more extensible and more shapeable

Knead the softened butter evenly into the dough. Because butter has good emulsification properties, it can lock the moisture in the dough, change the wet viscosity of the dough, and increase the extensibility of the dough. The dough with good extensibility will also expand better after being put into the oven, and the finished bread will taste more fluffy and soft. (Butter is added to soft bread, and the finished product is fluffy and soft.)

When making croissants or Danish bread, wrap thin slices of butter inside, taking advantage of the unique properties of butter at 13-18 degrees Celsius. The plasticity and extensibility of the dough, through folding, rolling, shaping and other steps, make it multi-layered and distinct. When baking at high temperatures, the butter in the dough melts to form an open film layer. Together with the evaporation of water in the dough and the fermentation of the yeast, the dough expands upward, forming the unique honeycomb structure and crispy texture of open-crust bread. Taste. (The structure of crispy bread is honeycomb-shaped and the texture is crispy)

2. It can bring changes in taste, aroma and color to the bread during the baking process

In butter Containing protein, amino acids and a small amount of sugar, it can produce a Maillard reaction when heated, coloring the bread and releasing the pleasant, sweet smell of soft bread. (Usually bread with a higher oil content is darker in color due to the Maillard reaction.)

3. It can delay the aging process of the finished bread

After the bread is baked, The internal moisture will slowly evaporate. During the evaporation of the water, the starch will change due to aging. This process is the aging process of bread. Adding fat to bread can prevent the evaporation of water to a certain extent and emulsify the free water present in the bread, thereby locking in moisture and delaying the aging of starch and hardening of bread. (The aging time of soft bread containing butter is longer than that of French bread without butter.)

Although butter has the above three major functions, excessive use can also have side effects, such as affecting the growth of yeast. Osmotic pressure hinders the fermentation process, affects the gluten of the dough, etc. In addition, butter contains a large amount of fat, and the calories per 100 grams of butter are about 888 kcal. Therefore, when making bread, try to control the amount of butter. Generally, the amount of butter used in staple bread is controlled within 6.