Machine - Bucket - Blade
Your bread machine has a hinged lid, a control panel, and perhaps a viewing window. Inside is a bread bucket that works as both your mixing bowl and bread pan, and a paddle/blade (sometimes two) that kneads the dough. The paddle fits over a peg inside the bread pan and is controlled by a gear at the bottom of the bucket.
Bread machine capacity determines what recipes to use. If it is not marked on the outside of the unit, measure water into the bucket to determine capacity. Eight cups makes a 1-pound loaf, 10 cups makes a 1.5-pound loaf, 12 cups makes a 2-pound loaf, and 14 cups makes a 2.5-pound loaf.
Feeding the Machine:
- Yeast: Use Active Dry yeast sold in packets, jars, or bulk.
- Salt: Activates the yeast/controls the rising process.
- Flour: Bread flour has more gluten and is better suited for bread making. Adding a little cake flour lightens the load a bit.
- Sugar/starches: Sugar regulates browning/texture of the crust. Sugar/starches activate yeast.
- Liquids: Liquids should be lukewarm. Milk gives the bread a softer texture than water.
- Fats: Used in solid or liquid form, fats reduce sticking and produce richer dough.
- Feeding order: Usually you can add ingredients in any order. Using the delay cycle, ingredients must be kept inactive until the program starts: add liquids, then flour/dry ingredients, and finally the yeast.
Controls, Bells, and Whistles:
- Stop/Start: Start activates the blade - slowly at first, faster after 10 minutes. Stop speaks for itself.
- Select: Usually includes basic, whole wheat, French, sweet, dough, and rapid options. Cycles take different lengths of time to knead, rise, and bake. Times can range from 1.5 hours to almost 4 hours.
- Dough cycle: Prepares dough but does not bake.
- Crust settings: When available, settings are light, medium, and dark.
- Timers: The control panel indicates hours until completion. To delay, replace the default number with the number of hours until you want the bread completed. Up/down arrows navigate times.
