My recipe says 1 tablespoon of sugar per loaf.
This seems like too small an amount for flavor.
The recipe is as follows:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons active-dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup water
- knead, wait 1 hr, knead again, wait 1.25 hr, bake for 30min @ 350
Is this for flavor, or is there another purpose?
Best Answer
Sugar has a few effects in bread:
It helps make it soft and tender by absorbing some of the water and slowing down the formation of gluten strands.
It feeds the yeast, resulting in a faster rise.
Via caramelisation, it aids in the browning of the crust.
It acts as a preservative, keeping the bread fresher for longer (though 1tbsp probably doesn't make a lot of difference).
It does have some effect on the flavour.