Bread Machine Guide Category:
Using a bread machine can be as easy as pushing a button, if you are already somewhat experienced in making your own bread. But if you’re really a newbie, and the bread machine manual is not well-written, then it’s probably time for you to search online for some good bread machine tips.
I’ve written some tips in my previous post – Bread Machine Tips, but here are more tips to share, and I’ll write some more when I get the time. 
Tip #1
You can let your bread machine do all the work for you, and get a tasty loaf of bread; or you can use the dough cycle. Using the dough cycle means that you place the ingredients in the machine, then let it mix and knead the dough for you. After the first rise, you can take it out and form it into any shape you want, then let it sit and rise for the second time, and finally it goes into the oven for baking.
This is how you do pizza crusts, croissants, dinner rolls, baguettes and more.
Tip #2
If you hate getting a big hole in your perfect loaf every time when pulling out the paddle, pause the machine and remove the paddle when the dough has risen for the last time. This might not be easy to do with some bread machines, or you might think it’s not really worth the effort.
Tip #3
Make sure your ingredients are in room temperature before you put them into the bread machine. Although some bread machines warm the ingredients before doing any mixing, it’s better if you microwave the refrigerated milk to the right temperature first. Anything from the refrigerator like cheese, yeast, eggs or buttermilk should sit at room temperature for a period of time before adding them.
Tip #4
When placing salt and yeast into the bread machine, take care not to let the two sit together. Salt will inhibit the rising action if placed together with yeast, resulting in a less light and fluffy bread. I find that it is better to add the salt after the liquid and before the flour, and the yeast in a small well in the flour.
All right then, until next time, I hope these will help.
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by john on January 18, 2010
If you are looking to bake bread at home, buying a bread maker is definitely worth the money. It’s extremely to bake bread using bread maker.
How to choose your best bread maker? I have few tips to share with you here.
- Space To Put
- Size Of Loaf
- Setting
- Durability
How to choose a bread maker is same as how to choose a bread machine. For more detail, you can check out my previous post: how to choose a bread machine or my best bread machines recommendation
by john on January 11, 2010
As with all things in life, to do something one must know how to go about doing it. When choosing a bread machine, there are a few things to look for to ensure that your bread machine experience will be nothing less than perfect. Anybody serious about the whole process should read on and discover how to choose a bread machine and what finer points to consider before paying good money for a bread machine of your own.
Space To Put Bread Machine
The first thing one should remind oneself with is to make sure that there is space in the kitchen for a bread machine. One of the main problem bread machine owner face is no space to put or store the bread machine. Without storage space, there is no point in buying a bread machine in the first place.
Size Of Loaves
Besides that, the capacity of the bread machine will also count for something. A quick look at the pan in the bread machine will give one a rough idea of the size of the loaves. Never buy one with too large capacity than necessary because home made bread does not last as long as store brought bread due to its lack of preservatives. But do keep in mind that if your family consumes a small amount of bread now, once you purchase your new bread machine, it’s more likely that the bread consumption will be increase so choose a slightly larger size but not too large bread machine.
Setting
Always check the settings of the model you are intending to buy. The specifications are quite important, because they will determine what you can or cannot do with your bread machine.
A bread machine with a delay timer will ensure that ingredients can be placed in the bread machine overnight and fresh bread can be had for breakfast. A bread maker that will only make dough and not bake it as well can make dough for pizza and other baked goods.
A bread maker that can signal you to add ingredients during the bread making process helps make nut bread or add fruits to your bread for a healthier option.
A keep-warm option can also be an inclusion in your criteria if you think you won’t be there when the bread is done. Other specifications to look for include different cycles like whole wheat, French bread, fruit or nut.
Durability
The last thing to remember and to check for is a good warranty and servicing options to safeguard your investment should anything go wrong.
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by john on January 8, 2010
Hi guys! On this site, I’ve basically been giving you my own personal bread machine reviews for your viewing pleasure.
As I was writing them up, I realized that even having a great bread machine suitable for your needs isn’t going to cut it unless you know how to use one properly.
While you can find an instruction booklet included in the box when you make your bread machine purchase, some things you just need to learn when you’re actually using one. I’ve condensed my learning experiences into a few fabulous tips you can use to make sense of your bread machine experience. Enjoy!
Bread Machine Tip #1
When making bread, always use good ingredients. Ensuring that your flour is unbleached, not chemically treated, and made from hard wheat will add nutritional value to your bread and make you healthier.
Besides that, remember that fresh eggs and milk and other perishable ingredients shouldn’t be sitting in a bread machine for hours at end in a bread machine. Don’t use a delayed cycle if you know you’ll be using such ingredients. Rather, try using powdered eggs and milk.
Bread Machine Tip #2
When trying to decide what kind of yeast will work best, try using only instant active dry yeast, which comes in packets and looks like powder. The rapid rising variety of yeast isn’t encouraged.
Adding too much yeast can result in your bread rising too much. In the confined space of a bread machine, this can result in a raw top, which has sunken back down into the bread and not been baked sufficiently.
To counter yeast problems, remember this: Yeast action can be inhibited by certain ingredients like sugar, salt, cinnamon and fresh garlic. Therefore when baking bread with any of these ingredients, always check the recipe twice and be extra careful about measurements.
Bread Machine Tip #3
The cycles on the control panel of a bread machine really do affect how your bread is going to turn out. Knowing which cycle you should use for which type of bread will make your bread turn out yummier and better looking, every time.
Use a whole-wheat cycle not just for breads whose recipes call for whole-wheat flour, but also other flours like rye, cornmeal and buckwheat, which are typically called “heavy” flours.
Use a French bread cycle to make breads whose recipes call for less fat and sugar. The crisp crusts and soft insides of fresh French bread can be yours due to the cycle’s shorter knead time and longer rise time.
Well, that’s it for bread machine tips. More bread machine reviews coming up.
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by john on January 7, 2010
If you being trying to bake some bread, definitely I will recommend baking bread with bread machine for anyone who just start to learn about baking, it’s definitely the simplest way to bake a loaf of bread.
It’s first started in Japan, and slowly become popular in US. I have used bread machine intensively during my early day of baking, and I still do. But there are few things to consider when you first started to bake bread with bread machine, it’s created to bake simple bread. Few things to note here are:
- First, bread machines generally do not deal well with non-wheat flours. So avoid any recipe that requires substantial addition of grain such as rye or corn.
- Second, bread machines also do not deal well with any dough that require unusually large amounts of liquid.
But still bread machine is just the simplest way to create a loaf of bread, it’s work just like a rice cooker. All you need to do is put in the ingredients, set timer and press the button. If you ever use any other bake-ware to bake bread, then you have a lot more things to concern.
Bread Machine Reviews
There are a lot of bread machine out there, for example:
- Black & Decker
- Breville
- Cuisinart
- Zojirushi
- Sunbeam
- DeLonghi
- Kenwood
- Hamilton Beach
- Hitachi
- Morphy Richards
- Panasonic
- DAK
- Salton
- Toastmaster
- West Bend
- And More
Well, it’s definitely easy to bake bread with bread machine, but to pick one good bread machine from all this brand require some research. Well, I will be busy testing, researching and writing up all those bread machine reviews here. Stay tune.
