How to put homemade bread on the table in 20 minutes

Homemade bread is the ultimate comfort food, but it’s time consuming to get it on the table.It’s fine to make on it’s own, but when you have a bunch of other dishes to make it’s challenging to juggle everything and make it happen.It’s also difficult because many bread recipes take 2-3 hours to bake (some even longer) so if you work it’s basically impossible to get make homemade bread a part of a weeknight meal.Enter parbaking.Parbaking For Fresher-Tasting BreadLike I said, there really isn’t a ton of information out there about parbaking, but I did find some pretty useful in an old textbook on baking.There’s not a lot to the process of parbaking, but there are some techniques to keep your bread pale and avoid browning when you are baking the first time, and to help your bread keep it’s shape.How To Parbake Your Bread Before Storing It In The FreezerReduce Your Oven TemperatureThis is one of the most important steps when parbaking your bread because it helps you to achieve that pale almost unbaked look you are going for so you can save the browning step for when you are ready to eat your bread. Try reducing the oven temperature to 275-300 degrees Fahrenheit to achieve this.Cook Your Bread To 180 Degrees Fahrenheit To Ensure Done-NessYou will likely have to adjust your cooking time to make up for the adjusted temperature. Start by baking for the recommended time on your recipe and take the breads internal temp and add time until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit.Decrease Yeast And Proof QuicklyToo much yeast can cause bread to spring too much in the oven, which will make it more difficult for the rolls to hold their shape in the freezer. Try decreasing the yeast in your recipe just a little (not more than 25%) and proof in a very warm environment (try this method)Increase Flour SlightlyWhen parbaking bread, you want the dough to be just slighthly stiffer so the bread holds it’s shape well (this isn’t the best technique for those soft and fluffy rolls). Try increasing the flour by just 1/4 C. You want the dough to be soft and workable but not overly sticky.What products can I parbake?I use this technique on loads of baked goods, but my favorites are cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls (these crusty french bread rolls use this technique).Still Afraid Of Making Yeast Breads?Don’t worry you’re not alone! I get asked about making yeast bread all the time, and while it takes some practice it’s truly so rewarding and fun!Because I get asked about it so much, yeast breads are likely to pop-up in my twice monthly live cooking demos that I do in my private facebook group. I’ve already done one demo on my homemade naan bread (a great yeast bread for beginners) and I’ve got more planned for the future. Watch the naan live and any future cooking demos by joining my free private facebook group here!Resources:Baking Science and Technology TextbookFREE facebook group with LIVE cooking demos