Why A Bread Machine?
Nothing beats coming home to the smell of bread baking. What better comfort food than a thick slice of warm bread - butter slowly seeping into the top layers? What was once a day's project for Grandma has become so streamlined that even the busy working woman can make fresh-baked bread any day of the week.
By setting the bread machine on the dough cycle, adding the ingredients, checking the consistency for any needed flour or liquid adjustments, and letting the bread machine do the work, you can make multiple batches of bread dough, shape them into loaves, and immediately quick-freeze on cookie sheets. Wrap frozen loaves in waxed paper and zip-lock bags, and store in the freezer for up to three months.
When you're craving homemade bread, unwrap a loaf before leaving for work in the morning, pop it into a greased bread pan, spray plastic wrap with pan coating and loosely cover the loaf. When you get home from work, remove the plastic wrap and bake as directed. The smell of fresh-baked bread will draw the family to the dinner table, and thanks to your bread machine, they will think you spent the afternoon slaving in the kitchen.
Bread Machine Tips
Bread machine tip: Test the consistency of the dough in your bread machine. Flour is affected by weather and humidity and does not always react the same way. Use tried-and-true recipes with your delayed start features, since testing consistency is not feasible at these times.
Bread Machine Recipes
Here's a little tip: replace a small portion of the required flour with one-fourth cup of mashed potatoes, or replace the liquid in your bread recipe with water leftover from boiling potatoes. Potatoes are lighter than flour and the starch quickly activates the yeast. Dough rises better, and the bread stays moister.
Who Invented the Bread Machine?
Today we take for granted the flours available and the loaves that are effortlessly produced by bread machines. In 1000 B.C., Egyptians were the first to add yeast culture to their breads. It is believed that as many as 30 varieties of bread existed at that time.
Gluten-Free Bread Machines
Approximately one percent of our population is sensitive to gluten, found primarily in grass-related grains such as wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten sensitivity results in damages to the lining of the small intestines and chronic malnutrition. Those suffering from the sensitivity are restricted to a gluten-free diet.
