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Bread Machine
BAKING 101 |
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With
a bread
machine baking, you can take a few ingredients place in the bread
machine in the correct amounts and requested order and push
"start". In a couple of hours you get a delicious loaf of homemade
bread,
with only one pan to wash!
Since being introduced to the USA in the 1980’s, the bread machine is
a popular piece of equipment. |
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Always check the
expiration date of the yeast, printed on its package. If you are not
sure, test or proof it. |
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What went wrong ? |
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BREAD TOPICS:
HOW TO
MAKE BASIC BREAD:
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Many purchase a bread machine in order to easily make their
family favorites. with the intent of making all their own favorite yeast bread
recipes. You can convert your regular
bread recipes to be made in a machine, but it will take some adjusting. Here is
a general and helpful chart to help you with some of the conversions:
Converting Bread Recipes for Use in Machines:
Adapted from Better Homes
and Gardens, Best Bread Machine Recipes, 1997
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Bread machines make
either 1, 1-1/2 or 2 pound loaves. Here's a guide for determining which
bread recipe will fit your machine (from
kitchenlink.com): |
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IF RECIPE CALLS FOR: |
USES A: |
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maximum of 2 cups flour |
1 lb machine |
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maximum 3 cups flour |
1-1/2 lb machine |
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maximum 4 cups flour |
2 lb machine |
SOURDOUGH BREAD IN A BREAD MACHINE
with RECIPES:
Sourdough
recipes do not have the same texture and finish when made in an
automatic bread machine, which generally require dough which rises faster than
sourdough, but it can be done. Recipes for such machines generally require the
addition of commercial yeast to speed up the rising time which - in my opinion
- defeats the purpose of using sourdough.
Of course you can use the
breadmaker for the mixing and kneading stage and finish the loaf in your oven
if you desire.
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BREAD MACHINE
INGREDIENTS & TIPS: |
INGREDIENTS:
Flour - For most breads, you should use
bread flour or all-purpose flour.
 Refrigerated
Ingredients - Anything taken from the refrigerator (milk,
buttermilk, cottage cheese, etc.) needs to warm to room temperature. Let sit
for 20 to an hour minutes, covered on a kitchen countertop. Do not put in a
hot part of the room. |
Yeast - Use
bread machine yeast or
instant active dry yeast; the rapid
rising variety is not recommended. Both SAF Instant and Red Star are excellent
brands. Add it to the recipe as it suggests.
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Learn
to read your dough. Don't be afraid to open the lid to check how your dough
is doing. Do this after about five
minutes into the KNEAD cycle. The dough should be in a soft, tacky ball. If
it is too dry, add liquid 1 teaspoon at a time; if it is too wet, add 1
tablespoon of flour at a time. Let the machine thoroughly combine the
addition before deciding to add more. |
Water -
Water used for instant yeast is typically around 120 - 130 degrees F, but always
follow the package instructions. (Click for
tips).
Milk -
Dry milk powder, not to be confused with instant dry
milk, is used in bread machines, rather than fresh milk since it won't spoil
when using the timing function.
Butter - Melt
butter or margarine in the microwave. Let cool to tepid before adding it to the
machine.
Eggs - I
bring my eggs to room temperature by placing them in a cup of really warm water
for 15 minutes before adding.
Salt - Salt enhances flavors, so don't leave
it out.
 Take care
not to add extra salt or sugar to your dough. Too much will inhibit the
action of the yeast. |
Other Ingredients
- Orange, lemon, or grapefruit peel or zest, as well as cinnamon, garlic and
alcohol, will have a retarding effect if used in large quantities, so use the
amount specified in the recipe.
Vital Wheat Gluten
- Vital wheat gluten is good to add
as well to get a higher rise, especially in rye, wheat grain and high sugar
breads. Add 1 teaspoon of vital gluten per cup of whole grain flour in your
recipes. This will produce a taller loaf. Always experiment with how much you'll
need and mark on the recipe.
TIPS:
- Read the owner’s manual thoroughly. Study the
key features of your machine. Understand the various cycles and functions. Be
sure components are assembled correctly. Read manufacturer’s tips for your
machine.
- Read the recipe carefully. Select appropriate
loaf size for your machine.
- Use top, fresh quality ingredients, stored
properly before using them. Have correct ingredient amounts needed for loaf
size.
- Measure
accurately and organize them up in order of use.
- Don't use light colored fruits because the
preservatives added to them inhibit yeast performance. Add dried fruits or
nuts during the raisin bread cycle.
- Add ingredients in the order specified by the
recipe. The important thing is to keep the yeast away from the liquid and the
salt until the bread-making begins; this is especially important when the
machine won't start mixing the dough for several hours.
I recommend
placing ingredients in the pan in the following order - Table adapted from
Plugged In by Lora Brody (William Morrow, 1998)
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- Liquid (milk, water)
- Eggs, oils, melted or softened butter
- Salt, sugars (including honey, molasses)
- Dried milk
- Dried orange or lemon peel
- Dried herbs, dried flavorings, seeds
- Whole wheat flour
- Bread flour or all-purpose flour
- Yeast
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Use non-perishable ingredients if using the
delayed cycle, such as powdered eggs and nonfat instant dry milk instead of
fresh eggs and milk. Follow the constituting instructions for mow much water
you should add the the bread's liquid ingredients.
If using the bread machine just to make dough,
stop it before the bake cycle.
Dough "heavy" with whole wheat, lots of added dried fruit
or sugar benefits from an
extra rise in a cool place. Place the
dough in a gallon-size heavy-duty zippered plastic bag in the refrigerator for
2 to 24 hours.
If the paddle sticks to the shaft inside, try
applying a little nonstick vegetable spray next time -- before you add your
ingredients to the pan.
If possible remove the pan from the machine
and the bread from the pan before the cool down cycle starts. This will
prevent soggy crusts. Cool for at least 20 minutes on a wire rack before
slicing.
Raw tops are the result of bread that has
risen too high, hit the top of the machine, and sunk back down. Try adding
less yeast next time.
"Bake up Winter Warmth with Homemade Herbal
Breads" and "Convert Your Handmade Bread Recipes for Use with Bread Machines",
Herb
Companion, by
Susan Belsinger, December 1, 2005,
While handmade
bread is great, for those who prefer to use a bread machine, converting recipes
is fairly simple. In general, most handmade bread recipes are designed to make
two loaves of bread, while most bread machines are designed to produce one loaf,
so you can simply halve all the ingredients to use your bread machine. However,
you do not want to halve the amount of yeast used. Usually, you can stick to the
amount of yeast your normal bread machine recipes call for.
In some cases, when the recipe you are using does not make roughly two times the
amount you plan to make in your bread machine, you must do a sort of estimation
and multiplication game. For example, take the total amount of flour (make sure
to include all flour amounts together, if more than one type of flour is called
for) required by your usual bread machine recipe. Then figure out by what number
you must multiply the flour requirement in your handmade bread recipe in order
to equal the amount you would normally use in your bread machine. For example,
if your handmade recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, and your bread machine
recipes normally call for 11⁄2 cups, you would have to multiply the 2 from the
original recipe by .75 in order to get the 11⁄2 cups needed for your bread
machine. You then can multiply each ingredient amount by the same number — in
this case, .75 — to yield the appropriate amounts to use in your bread machine.
The one tricky element here can be eggs, since you can’t very well include 11⁄3
eggs. Simply round off to the nearest number. Sometimes making the proper
adjustments takes a little trial and error, but converting recipes in general
should be fairly simple, so long as you are pretty familiar with your bread
machine and its needs.
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OVEN BAKING BREAD MACHINE DOUGH: |
| I
like to make my breads
by hand,
but my neighbor mixes 98% of her
artisan bread doughs
on the 'dough/manual' setting. She then removes the dough from the machine,
shapes, lets it rise and bakes in her oven with a
baking stone. |
Many use the machine to do
the the steps all the way until fully risen, stop the machine and punch the
dough down in it and then take the dough out. Then you can shape the dough and
give it a second rise, and bake in the oven. I like baking my bread in the oven
more than having it baked in the bread machine. I find that it comes out much
better. I can shape the loaf in any way I see fit, and can add toppings to it
before baking.
STEPS:
- Place the recipe ingredients in your machine.
Select the dough or manual cycle and press start.
- When the dough is complete, turn off machine
and deflate the dough in the machine.
Knead it.
- Shape
the dough. Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm place. Allow to
rise until doubled this could take an
hour or so.
- Preheat the oven. At this time you can put on
some finishing touches before baking.
- Bake
the dough in the oven as directed.
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HOW TO
CHOOSE A BREAD MACHINE: |
| Bread
Machine Manufacturers - The following links will take you
directly to the bread machine page of the major manufacturers. In addition,
you can also find replacement parts and contacts for questions. from
about.com
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With so many models, how do you know which bread
machine will meet your needs?
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The following chart tells you
how many servings you can expect from specific pan sizes to help you
determine which size pan is right for you. |
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Pan Size |
How many slices per loaf: |
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1 Pound |
8 |
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1-1/2 Pounds |
12 |
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2 Pounds |
16 |
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2-1/2 Pounds |
20 |
Some models give you the flexibility to make
different sized loaves from 1 1/2 -2 pounds.
Several bread machines
make a tall, square-shaped loaf with a round top. Other models make a typical
rectangular loaf.
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