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.
Bread Machine Tips 2
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.