Sari Roti: The 15 Steps of the Bread Making Process

Before we get to how Sari Roti is made, let's look at the history of bread. Bread goes back thousands of years, to when people pounded wheat, mixed it with water and turned it into a kind of paste. Over time, people started baking that paste, which made it harder and longer lasting. Long ago, one of the peoples who produced the bread that eventually reached Indonesia was the Egyptians. They made bread by mixing flour, yeast and water, kneading the dough by treading on it, and baking it in a cone-shaped oven. The Greeks later adopted the Egyptian method, and from there it spread across Europe and on to the rest of the world.

As bread spread around the world, the bread making process kept evolving, right up to the present day. Today you can learn to make bread online with little effort, and detailed step-by-step instructions are only a web search away. With the technology available now, anyone can try making bread like the loaves from one of Indonesia's best-known bread companies, "Sari Roti". The best place to start is by learning which ingredients are good quality and what equipment you need.

The 15 Steps of the Sari Roti Bread Making Process, Explained Below

• Choosing the ingredients
• Weighing the ingredients
• Mixing
• First fermentation
• Weighing the dough
• Rounding the dough
• Second fermentation
• Degassing
• Shaping the dough
• Placing the dough in the pan
• Final fermentation
• Baking
• Taking the bread out of the oven
• Cooling
• Packing

1. Choosing the Ingredients

Even high-tech bread production won't turn out good bread if the raw ingredients are poor. Quality ingredients are one of the key factors in making quality bread. In bread making, ingredients have to be chosen against strict quality control standards and requirements so the bread has a delicious texture, aroma and taste.

2. Weighing the Ingredients

The ingredients also need to be measured exactly as the recipe specifies. Measure and weigh them correctly to keep the bread's quality where it should be. Avoid measuring with spoons or cups; use a scale that is truly accurate instead.

3. Mixing

Mixing usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes. The exact time depends on the protein content of the wheat flour. High-protein flour usually needs a longer mixing time.

4. First Fermentation

While the dough rests, cover it with plastic so it doesn't dry out. This step takes about 10 to 20 minutes.

5. Weighing the Dough

Weighing is usually done after the dough has been divided into as many portions as you want. Weigh the dough on an accurate scale.

6. Rounding the Dough

Make sure a firm skin forms on top of the dough so it can hold in the gas the dough produces. The dough should also be smooth at this stage, which makes the next steps easier.

7. Second Fermentation

Cover the dough with plastic so it doesn't dry out. This step takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

8. Degassing

Press the dough down firmly so the gas inside can escape and the crumb turns out evenly smooth.

9. Shaping the Dough

Once weighed, the dough can be shaped however you like, for example into a round, an oval or a cylinder.

10. Placing the Dough in the Pan

Grease the pan with oil or line it with parchment paper so the dough doesn't stick.

11. Final Fermentation

This last fermentation lets the dough rise until it reaches its best possible quality and shape.

12. Baking

How long the bread bakes usually depends on the type of oven, the material of the pan, the type of bread and how much sugar is in the dough.

13. Taking the Bread Out of the Oven

14. Cooling for About 45 to 90 Minutes

15. Packing

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