Bread Machine Tips

* Exported from MasterCook *

Bread Machine Tips

Recipe By : Dinner Co-op
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Bread Information
MC

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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Directions Only

Bread Machine Tips

1.Use good quality hard wheat unbleached, unbromated flour that has at
least 12 grams of
protein per cup. (I like King Arthur)
2.Use fresh, quick dissolving active yeast, not rapid rise.
3.Open the machine and check the dough during the first 5 - 10 minutes of
the first
kneading cycle!!! Even if your manual says not to do it: flour acts as
a sponge absorbing
moisture on wet days and becoming dehydrated during dry weather. You'll
have to
adjust for fluctuating humidity and barometric pressure by adding small
amounts of flour
or liquid to the dough.
4.If you've never made bread before and don't know what dough is supposed
to look
like, buy a package of frozen bread dough (available at your local
supermarket), and let
it defrost according to the package directions. Place it on a lightly
floured surface and
play with it until you are familiar with the consistency. This is what
you're aiming for in
the bread machine.
5.Now, to adjust the dough in your bread machine during the first knead
cycle: wait until
the ingredients have been kneaded for 3-4 minutes. If the dough looks
sticky and wet
and is coating the bottom and sides of the pan, then sprinkle in flour,
a tablespoon at a
time (you may need up to an extra 1/2 cup) while the machine is
kneading, until you
have a smooth, supple ball of dough. If the mixture is dry and
corrugated looking or the
dough doesn't hold together then sprinkle in additional liquid, a
little at a time, until the
dough is smooth and pliable and forms a cohesive ball. If you've
wandered away from
your machine only to return to find a wet messy glob or a dry desert
thumping around in
the machine, press stop (you can do this at any time - except if the
machine has gone
into the bake cycle), add a small amount of flour or liquid and press
start. Stick around
and make additional adjustments, if necessary, until the dough looks
right.
6.I have found that when you are either making dough, or placing the
ingredients in the
machine to make bread at that time, you can add either the liquids
first or the dry
ingredients first. The major exception to this is the old dak (no
longer made) where the
yeast must be placed in the bread pan first in a position farthest away
from the kneading
blade. When programming ahead make sure to place any dried fruits away
from contact
with wet ingredients as they will absorb those liquids and throw off
the recipe.

Extra kneads and extra rise times all contribute to the depth of flavor,
character of the crumb
and general personality of a loaf of bread. One of the reasons I dislike
rapid rise yeast and
rapid cycles on the bread machines is that the dough really requires the
entire life span of the
yeast to become the amazing miracle that is bread. If you are partial to
whole grain breads and
are winding up with lower loaves than you wish, then try a double knead
cycle: place the
ingredients in the machine and program for dough or manual. At the end of
the final knead
reprogram the machine for bread (of Whole Wheat) and press start. You've
given the dough
an extra work-out to develop the gluten - that will result in a higher loaf.
For an even higher
loaf you can (if your machine permits) program for a longer rise time, or
simply remove the
dough from the pan after the final rise cycle (but before baking) transfer
it to a bread pan and
allow it to raise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Then bake it in the
oven.

Sweet doughs with lots of butter and eggs also respond well to a second long
rise in a cool
place. I remove my brioche from the machine after the dough cycle is
complete. I place it in a
large freezer strength zip lock bag and refrigerate it overnight. Then I
place it back in the
machine (my Zojirushi has flexible programming), program for 2nd rise and
bake. If you can't
program your machine this way you can place the dough in a bread pan after
you remove it
from the machine, give it a long, refrigerated rise, and then bake it in the
oven. Even non-wheat
and non-sweet doughs can benefit from this extra rise.

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