Bread Machines for Dummies: Part I

For those of you who thought bread machines were a thing of the past like fondue pots and lava lamps, think again.

I bought my Zojirushi about three years ago. Like many others before me, I probably tried 20 or so different recipes to no avail. There was no smell of fresh bread wafting through my kitchen and all I had to show for my efforts were lumps of cement-like bread. My bread machine wound up in the kitchen gadget Hall of Shame until last year when I decided to give it one more try. And I am glad that I did. It is now one of my essential kitchen tools.

I've used my Zojirushi to make all kinds of breads, dinner rolls, cinnamon and sticky buns, hotdog and hamburger rolls, perfect pizza dough, dense cakes (like pound cakes), jams and even meatloaf. I'll bet you didn't know they could do all of that!

So read the following tips and tricks and dust off that bread machine!

1. Consistency: Whenever I'm making bread, I always hold back at least 1/2 cup of the liquid until about 5 minutes into the initial knead. Open the bread machine cover and take a look at the dough. It should be moving with the kneading paddles nicely and not sticking to the sides. Test the dough with your finger. It should feel slightly spongy and not stick to your finger. If you think there's too much liquid, add a little bread flour. If there's not enough liquid, add more, one tablespoon at a time, until you get the desired consistency. (Make sure to warm the liquid to 100-110 degrees first.) If there is a second knead in the cycle, check the dough's consistency again.


2. Addition of Ingredients: This is absolutely critical! All liquids should be heated to between 100 and 110 degrees whether your bread machine has a preheat cycle or not. First be sure that the paddles in the baking pan are facing opposite directions. Then add all of your liquids first. Top the liquid with your flour and spread it to create a "seal" over the liquids to prevent them from mixing too early. Create a small "well" in the center of the flour and add your yeast (bread machine works best, but any will do). Now add your sugar, salt and any other ingredients around the sides of the pan making sure they do not touch the yeast. The sugar could cause the yeast to activate too soon and the salt can kill the yeast.


3. Flour: Experiment with different kinds of flour. If you want to make bread that will hold up to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bread flour alone may not do the trick. Try using half bread flour and half all-purpose flour. The type of flour will determine the density of the bread. Or try adding some whole grain or whole wheat flour to the mix.


4. First Rising: If you have added too much yeast and your dough is rising too much, simply take a toothpick and prick the top of it once or twice. That should keep it from rising much more without deflating the dough.


5. Second Rising: If you use the "dough" cycle on your machine, your recipe will probably call for an additional rise after shaping. If you've got the air conditioning on, you'll need to find a warm spot to hurry up the process. I just turn my oven to 'warm' (about 120-140 degrees), then shut it off and put my dough in there to rise which generally takes about an hour or so.


6. Baking: If you don't want a traditional rectangular white loaf, no problem. Set the machine's cycle to "dough". When it's done, take out the dough, place on a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest at least ten minutes. Then shape and bake! For crustier loaves and rolls, put your bread on the top rack in the oven and a baking pan filled with about one cup of ice cubes.


7. Experiment: Once you've mastered the art of making a viable dough, experiment! Try using half white bread flour and half whole wheat flour. Honey instead of sugar maybe? Or add some fresh rosemary or other herbs for a different twist.

Stay tuned for Part II of this series on bread machines for some creative ideas to use with your bread machine.

Cheers,

Chef Mom