Want to make the best out of your bread machine? Then check out these tips and tricks I have for you.
• Read your bread machine’s manual. Read it. Follow it. Be an obedient servant.
• Simplicity is beauty… and safe! Start your journey simply. Don’t rush into making difficult recipes just yet. Begin with a loaf of white bread or a pizza dough because they are the simplest.
• Use fresh ingredients. If you want a tasty bread that won’t stale fast, then use fresh ingredients only and make sure that the dry ingredients are stored at room temperature.
• Use bread flour. This is stronger than other wheat flours and will endure the actions of your bread machine better, providing you bread with better volume and texture.
• Mind your substitutions. Not all flour is the same. Whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour absorb different amounts of moisture. Also remember to use ¾ tsp of active dry yeast for each cup of flour and ½ tsp of instant yeast for each cup of flour. If you’re using the express cycle, then the yeast should be doubled or tripled depending on your machine.
• Give the yeast some alone time. Don’t let it have a direct contact with salt or sugar because this will increase its activity. And don’t allow it to get close to water also.
• Invest in quality bake utensils. Get high-quality pans for your baking needs. A dough scraper would also be recommended.
• Want to use margarine or butter? Cut it out!It’s better to cut these two into small pieces if you want to add them to your recipe. This way, they’ll be properly and evenly blended with the rest of your ingredients.
• Remove the kneading paddle using the end of the wooden spoon. Using the wooden spoon will allow you to remove the paddle from the hot loaf of bread safely. Unless you intentionally want to burn your skin, you may ignore this tip.
• Wait for half an hour. Yes, you should wait for a minimum of 30 minutes before slicing your freshly baked bread. Allow it to cool down first.
• Know the distinctions among the different programmed settings.
- Basic or White means you have to use white flour.
- French or Italian require special timing and temperatures for a crispy, nicely browned crust.
- Whole Wheat bread is a yeast bread that’s made with 50% or more whole wheat flour. This type of bread is more healthful than the white bread.
- Sweet bread contains high amounts of fats, proteins, and of course, sugar.
- Gluten-free bread generally has wet dough and have a batter-like consistency. In the gluten-free setting, there is only one rise. Because of the high moisture content, baking time is increased. In this setting, add-ons are also mixed at the very start of the cycle just like the other ingredients.
- Cake or Quick Bread produces bread with a cake-like texture. They get their leavening from baking powder, baking soda, and eggs. Just like in the gluten-free setting, mix-ins must be added at the outset of the process.
