Bread Machine (6 page)
EGGS
Eggs are a favorite addition to bread. They add flavor, color, a cakelike texture, leavening power, and liquid to a dough. Use only eggs graded large. Never use fresh eggs when baking using the Delay Timer.
CHEMICAL LEAVENER
Chemical leaveners, such as baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar, are essential in making quick breads. These leaveners create air bubbles when they come in contact with liquid. This is why quick breads need to bake immediately, so that the bubbles have not dissipated before the loaf has set. I like Rumford brand non-aluminum
baking powder
. For more information on chemical leaveners.
Loading the Ingredients into the Bread Machine
One of the big deals in making bread in the bread machine is how the ingredients are loaded into the bread pan. Most of the models call for the wet ingredients to go into the machine first, followed by the dry ingredients. But a few differ in the order that the ingredients are layered into the bread pan. This chart is for easy reference. This book is written with directions for wet, then dry ingredients to be layered into the pan, since this is the prevalent manner of adding the ingredients. If your machine differs, just switch the order around to fit the pattern outlined in your manufacturer’s booklet. As a note, if you are making the dough immediately, it really doesn’t matter in what order the ingredients are placed in the pan. This pattern becomes important when you are using the Delay Timer, so that the yeast does not become activated before the dough is being made.
The Process of Baking Bread in the Bread Machine
To make bread, whether by machine, by hand, or by any method, you follow a set of basic sequential steps that are exactly the same as they were when bread was invented thousands of years ago. The process is as follows: You make the dough, you let it rest as the yeast does its work, and then you bake it, killing the yeast and setting the texture, which makes it edible. There may be shortcuts to this process, but the sequence never varies, even when technology is incorporated. The bread machine’s contribution to this process has been to take all the guesswork out of baking. In the past, the duration, intensity, and environment of each step had to be calculated by the baker. Using a machine, you don’t have to calculate preparation, kneading, rising, or baking times. You don’t have to turn the dough out of the machine and shape it, unless you want to. Because of the sheer ease of this baking medium, people who never had the desire to tackle the work involved with hand baking and those who can’t find the time to bake by hand, produce wonderful breads using a bread machine. The steps involved in creating a loaf of bread in the machine, which is called “baking in a controlled atmosphere,” are described here in detail, in the context of this unchanging sequence of steps that constitute baking. Throughout this book, when the terms Preheat, Mix, Knead 1, Knead 2, Punch Down, Rise 1, Rise 2, Rise 3, Cool Down, and Keep Warm appear beginning with capital letters, they refer to standard segments of all bread machine cycles. The manual for your bread machine will use these terms or very similar ones.
| Manufacturer | Order of Loading Ingredients in Pan | |
| wet dry yeast | yeast dry wet | dry wet yeast dispenser |
| Aroma BreadChef | • | |
| Betty Crocker | • | |
| Black & Decker | • | |
| Breadman/Salton | • | |
| Franklin Chef | • | |
| GoldStar | • | |
| Hitachi | • | |
| Oster/Sunbeam | • | |
| Panasonic/National | • | |
| Regal | • | |
| Sanyo | • | |
| Toastmaster | • | |
| Welbilt * | • | |
| West Bend | • | |
| Williams-Sonoma | • | |
| Zojirushi | • | |
| * If you are using a Welbilt machine, you will need to add 2 more tablespoons to the amount of liquid called for in every recipe. |
Bread Machine Baker’s Hint: Measurement Equivalents
Bread machine recipes call for some unusual volume measurements, such as
1
/
8
or
7
/
8
cup. The little plastic measuring cup that comes with some machines is divided into eighths, but it is awkward to use; I like my old glass measuring cup and Tupperware dry measures. Once you become familiar with the measuring language associated with bread machines, you won’t find it difficult. Use this chart to familiarize yourself with some less common measures and their equivalents; use it for an aid when you are halving a 2- pound-loaf recipe to make a 1-pound loaf, or find out how much of an ingredient to buy when shopping from the bulk aisle of your grocery store.
1
/
8
cup = 2 tablespoons = 1 ounce
3
/8 cup =
1
/
4
cup plus 2 tablespoons = 3 ounces
5
/
8
cup =
1
/
2
cup plus 2 tablespoons = 5 ounces
7
/
8
cup =
3
/
4
cup plus 2 tablespoons = 7 ounces
1
1
/
8
cups = 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons = 9 ounces
1
1
/
4
cups = 1 cup plus 4 tablespoons = 10 ounces
1
1
/
2
cups = 12 ounces
1
1
/
2
teaspoons =
1
/
2
tablespoon
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon =
1
/
2
ounce
4 teaspoons = 1
1
/
3
tablespoons
4 tablespoons =
1
/
4
cup = 2 ounces
5
1
/
3
tablespoons = 5 tablespoons plus
1 teaspoon =
1
/
3
cup
8 tablespoons =
1
/
2
cup
16 tablespoons = 1 cup = 8 ounces
Butter
1
/
2
cup = 4 ounces = 1 stick
1
/
4
cup = 2 ounces =
1
/
2
stick
2 tablespoons = 1 ounce =
1
/
4
stick
1 tablespoon =
1
/
2
ounce =
1
/
8
stick (each stick is divided into 8 sections on the wrapper)
Grade A Large White or Brown Eggs
1 whole egg =
1
/
4
cup liquid measure
1 egg white = 3 tablespoons
1 yolk = 1 tablespoon
1 whole large egg = 3 tablespoons commercial liquid egg substitute
1 large fresh egg white = 1 tablespoon egg-white powder and 2 tablespoons cold water beaten together until foamy
Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup = 4
3
/
4
ounces
3
1
/
2
cups = 1 pound
18 cups = 5 pounds
Bread Flour and Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup = 5 ounces
Granulated Sugar
1 cup = 8 ounces
1
/
2
cup = 4 ounces
1
/
4
cup = 2 ounces
1 tablespoon =
1
/
2
ounce
Brown Sugar
1 cup = 6 ounces
1
/
2
cup = 3 ounces
1
/
4
cup = 1
1
/
2
ounces
1 tablespoon =
1
/
3
ounce
Nutmeats (chopped)
1 cup = 4 ounces
Raisins
3
/
4
cup = 4 ounces
1 cup = 5
1
/
4
ounces
2
3
/
4
cups = 1 pound
Chocolate Chips or Chopped Chocolate
1
/
2
cup = 3 ounces
Nonfat Dry Milk or Dry Buttermilk Powder
3 tablespoons dry milk powder + 1 cup water = 1 cup fresh milk or buttermilk. For a richer flavor, use 4 to 5 tablespoons per cup.
Firm Cheeses
3 ounces of a firm, moist grated cheese = 2 tablespoons liquid measurement
THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE/PREHEAT
Temperature is an important consideration throughout the entire process of mixing, kneading, rising, and baking bread. Someone baking by hand attempts to control the temperature of the environs for every step, adding water of a certain temperature, mixing the dough in one area of the kitchen, moving it to another spot to rise, perhaps moving it again, and, finally, setting the oven at just the right temperature for baking. The bread machine has been designed to create just the right environment for each step in the process. The first step, an important one, is to properly activate the yeast, which is the primary leavener in most breads.
Yeast is a living organism and very sensitive to temperature. When it has been properly activated, it remains alive through the process of constructing the dough and is killed in the heat of baking. Yeast needs moisture, food, and an environment between 75° and 100°F to become active. Under ideal conditions, the liquid and the dry ingredients are at the same temperature before they are mixed together. This is what the Preheat portion of the cycle, a feature of many bread machines, accomplishes.
Since the bread machine has been carefully programmed to control the conditions inside of it, you should not have to do any adjusting to the dough or environs. But the machine is not sealed off from its surroundings, so extreme temperatures or humidity can affect the contents of, and effectiveness of, the bread machine. You may find yourself sympathetic to the hand baker’s plight. Pay attention to the weather. Since dough is more active when it is warm and humid, add cooler liquid to slow the yeast action; I often use cool water on very hot baking days. Just as many bakers do not bake in extremely high temperatures, it is probably best not to bake in your bread machine under such conditions either. For the best results from your machine, begin with room temperature ingredients. Make sure any extra ingredients, like sautéed onions or toasted nuts, are cooled to room temperature before they are added. Beginning with all the ingredients at room temperature contributes to the proper consistency of the dough ball and to optimum rising.