Thanks for asking!
I agree with colleague Pinkfreud that handmade, homemade bread is
wonderful, however, I've used a bread machine quite successfully for
the past 20 years. I'll be glad to share what little "secrets" there
be with you.
Bread was one of my very first cooking/baking loves. I experimented
endlessly with recipes, grains, and additional ingredients. Twice a
week bread baking was part of my normal routine. In my late 20's,
however, due to a combination of conditions in my shoulders and hands,
I found I could no longer knead bread by hand. I was bereft. Quite
luckily, just a year or so later, bread machines were introduced. I
probably bought the first one ever offered. I'm on my second one now.
It has baked over 5,000 loaves, and and still bakes beautifully. I was
also engaged as a technical writer to re-translate a bread machine
manual into understandable English. An early Japanese bread machine
manufacturer used instructions that attempted to explain the
breadmaking process with terms like "gas squeeze out".
Two ingredients exercise the most control in the bread machine rising
process: Sugar and salt.
Salt adds strength to gluten by slowing down the enzymes which
catalyze the breakdown of proteins. "If you add too much [salt], water
flows out of yeast cells by osmosis. Then nutrients are lost and
production of carbon dioxide slows down." [1] Less CO2, less rising.
Yeast attacks starch (from both flour and sugar), breaking it down
into glucose. Sugar is more easily processed. The more simple sugar
used, the more quickly the CO2 molecules are produced.
It usually only takes a bit of experimentation to determine best
proportions for your machine and location. It may require a
recipe-by-recipe as well. Different ingredients have slightly
different reactions. Pick one recipe to start, and go back to the
original ingredients as shown. Bottled water is fine, but I think
you'll do better with hot tap water. First, try reducing the amount of
salt in the recipes by half. If satisfactory results are achieved, it
can be as quick as one loaf away from perfection. The reduction of
salt may be a bit too much. If the subsequent loaf rises too much, add
half again to the next loaf (3/4 of original amount).
Still not rising? Add sugar, 1/2 teaspoon for each successive loaf.
Depending upon the machine, I know breadbakers who must double the
amount of sugar for satisfactory rising.
Temperature
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeast is very particular about temperature. Like Baby Bear, everything
must be "just right" -- 80F - 120F. Never use any ingredient with a
temperature higher than 120F. Yeast (a living microorganism) begins to
die at 120F, which is why the dough stops rising as it is baked.
Most breadmaker recipes recommend "hottest tap water". If too hot,
this may be a contributing factor to poor rising. Dead yeast doesn't
produce a chemical reaction.
But... if too cool, the starting temperature of your water could cause
the bread to rise more slowly, and therefore never reach its full
potential. If using bottled water, be sure to warm it to 115F - 120F.
A cooking thermometer would be an excellent investment.
Moisture
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Moisture contributes to the speed of rising. Bread will rise more
quickly in a humid atmosphere than a dry one. With a 2lb bread
machine, you can increase moisture in the recipe, 1 teaspoon at a time
for each successive loaf. Too much moisture and texture suffers,
becoming brittle. It's best to initially experiment with only one
ingredient at a time, so you know which one is having effect.
Yeast
----------------------------------------------------------------------
As a very last resort, add more yeast. Take all ingredients back to
original proportions, and increase yeast by 1/4 teaspoons until bread
rises satisfactorily. Eventually, this WILL occur. I prefer Bread
Machine Yeast. Once you've gotten the recipe to rise, you can play a
bit with the salt - sugar - yeast proportions until you are pleased
with the texture (size of the holes) created by the CO2 gas.
Order of Ingredients
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Like some siblings, some bread ingredients shouldn't come into direct
contact with others until absolutely necessary. I layer the
ingredients in this order:
Hot water
Other liquid ingredients (including oil/butter)
Flour
Yeast
Dry milk
Sugar
Salt
Actually, I place the sugar, salt and yeast in different corners of
the pan, separating them with dry milk.
Some bread machines, including mine on the Quick Bread cycle, do not
mix the ingredients easily in the initial few minutes of the mixing
process. Poorly mixed ingredients can slow down the chemical reaction.
I solve this by briefly "twirling" the bread pan back and forth by
the handle, using a wrist motion, mixing the ingredients before
fitting the pan into the machine. A bit of stirring with a wooden
spoon will do as well.
The dough should feel soft when you poke a finger at the dough ball
being kneaded in the pan. It should pull away from the sides of the
pan easily. If not, drizzle in a bit more moisture, and 1/2 tablespoon
more oil/butter/fat.
For better crust texture, let the bread stay in the machine 15 minutes
after the baking cycle is finished. Just like handmade bread, lightly
brush the surfaces of the loaf with milk.
By the time you get to this step, your bread should be rising much
more consistently. It's just a matter of understanding what each
ingredient contributes to the process. :)
For the inside story, you might like these "scientific" explanations
of bread and yeast biochemistry.
[1] Elementary Bread Science
http://www.prosphora.org/page13.html
[2] Biology of Yeast Cells
http://home.earthlink.net/~ggda/biology_of_yeast_cells_simplified.htm
My favorite bread machine recipe. Great for toast, sandwiches, anything.
Maple Oatmeal Bread
-------------------
1 and 1/4 cups + 1 tablespoon very warm water
2-3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1/3 cup real maple syrup (no substitutes)
3 cups bread flour (unbleached)
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dry milk powder
2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast
After layering into pan, twirl ingredients together and bake in bread
machine on Quick or Regular cycle.
A proportion of whole wheat flour can be substituted for unbleached,
however, will require adjustment of salt, syrup, and yeast. Add 1
tablespoon gluten if using whole wheat or graham flour. Whole oats may
be substituted if using a Regular cycle with no changes, but Quick
Oats are best for the Quick cycle. If substituting heavy rolled oats,
add an additional tablespoon gluten, also.
If you want to experiment with bread machines, check out the local
thrift shops. Many people abandon this venture quickly. You can
experiment with different models quite inexpensively. I love my
"ancient" Hitatchi machine so well that I look for them at garage
sales and thrift shops. The pan wears out first, and is much less
expensive to buy an entire secondhand machine than the original
replacement pan from the manufacturer.
I do so hope this helps. If you have any questions about the
information provided, please, feel free to ask for clarification.
---larre
Answer Strategy
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal experience. In my divorce seven years ago, there was more
contention over custody of the bread machine than the children. |
Clarification of Answer by
larre-ga
on
12 Sep 2004 09:31 PDT
My friend and co-baker neighbor read through my Answer, and pointed
out that I'd left out the "environment" speech, the difference in
philosophy between bread machines and handkneaded bread.
In traditional breadmaking, the recipe is sancrosact. The baker
follows the recipe closely, and adjusts the environmental variables.
Warmer or cooler oven, longer rising time, bottled water instead of
tap water, more kneading with heavier ingredients. Many of these types
of changes are made almost instinctively by experienced bread bakers.
The bread machine removes most of these choices. The cycles are fixed
in length and temperatures, identical loaf after loaf. The solution is
to alter recipes to "fit" those environmental constants. Bread machine
recipes are crafted with a specific machine in mind, but
unfortunately, one size doesn't quite fit all. What works perfectly in
one machine is a failure in another. It may be something as small as
five degrees difference in baking temperature, the effectiveness of
machine's insulation holding in the heat, or the size/shape of the pan
itself, and its heat conductivity.
Even the mixes made for bread machine baking do not perfectly solve
all the equations. Most of those are crafted for the Regular cycle. I
don't know about you, but I tend to use the Quick cycle most
frequently. I want my bread as quickly as possible. Many mixes are
designed to produce a one pound loaf. My machine does better with
larger loaves, so I want to adjust the proportions. Most mixes include
regular, rather than fast-acting, yeast. When I use a mix, I add one
cup of flour, a tablespoon each of sugar and dry powdered milk, and
use 2 1/2 teaspoons of my own yeast. I save the included yeast packets
for dough items, like sweetbreads and pizza crust that I just mix in
the bread machine. Experiment with adding one ingredient at a time (in
order, yeast, sugar, flour) until you obtain the perfect loaf.
Finished, I think. :) The bread machine timer just chimed, my
breakfast bread is ready. ---larre
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
bananadine-ga
on
20 Sep 2004 17:16 PDT
I forgot to mention initially that sometimes, when my bread has ended
up too dense, it has risen and then collapsed. This isn't of great
significance to my question, I think, because usually, even before the
bread has collapsed, it hasn't risen as high as I'd like. I don't
suppose you have anything in particular to say about that?
Also, you emphasize the importance of using hot water. But what if
I'm using milk or eggs? Must they be heated to well above room
temperature? And what if I want to make bread overnight?
I am heartened by the idea that I can alter a recipe to make up for
the quirks of my machine. Nonetheless, it sounds as if my problem
does, in fact, stem primarily from those quirks; bread machines are
generally expected to succeed at making bread from commercial bread
machine mixes, and I have a machine that fails at that. If I can find
a way to alter recipes so that they consistently work for me, I'll be
satisfied, but your answer suggests that buying a different machine
might solve the problem as well, and so I am still tempted to do so.
Particularly, you suggest that variations in bread machine performance
stem primarily from variations in the temperatures produced by the
machines, and not from external factors. Is it reasonable, then, to
think that I could solve my problem by buying a machine that produces
more "correct" temperatures? If so, is there any way to find one,
other than by luck?
(pinkfreud: Though I suspect you would take exception to my use of
the word "correct", rest assured that I respect your purism and only
lack the resources to engage in it myself, in breadmaking at least.)
|
Clarification of Answer by
larre-ga
on
21 Sep 2004 12:39 PDT
Hello!
Bread machine mixes are not quite as standardized as you might think
at first. Bread mixes are typically formulated for a one pound, or a
one and a half pound finished loaf of bread. Your machine is intended
to bake a two pound loaf. A mix intended for a smaller machine will
not produce a loaf that rises to the top of the bread pan in a larger
machine. You'll have to add additional ingredients in order to
increase the size of the recipe to fit.
Continental Mills, maker of Krusteaz bread mixes has an excellent
Bread Mix FAQ. Several questions and answers are particularly
applicable to your query:
"My loaf does not reach the top of my bread pan, should I add more yeast?
To maintain your loaf texture and flavor, we recommend increasing a
combination of all the ingredients. Start with 1/4 more mix, yeast and
water. Too much yeast will cause the structure to be very open and
fragile."
http://www.continentalmills.com/brands/krusteaz/faq_central/bread_machine_mixes/#FAQ_39
"How can I tell what size loaf my bread machine will make?
Bread machines have different pan sizes and shapes. Typically your
machine has a 1 lb, 1 1/2 lb or 2 lb pan size. These sizes are not
standardized so we recommend you determine your pan size by measuring
the cups of water the pan will hold. If your pan holds less than 11
cups, it is a 1 lb pan; if it holds 11-13 cups, it is a 1 1/2 lb pan;
if it holds more than 13 cups, it is a 2 lb pan."
http://www.continentalmills.com/brands/krusteaz/faq_central/bread_machine_mixes/#FAQ_38
Yankee Grocery (Mister Baker's San Francisco Style Sourdough Baking
Mixes) also offers a page of Frequently Asked Questions About Bread
Machines:
"My bread loaf is short and dense?
Certain bread flours, such as whole wheat, rye, and flour blends,
create heavier products than all purpose white flour. We recommend
that you check the consistency of the dough, after 5 minutes into the
machine kneading time. If the dough is too dry, add room temperature
liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time. Use a proper baking measuring spoon,
not a kitchen table tablespoon.
I like light, airy bread, what machine cycle should I use?
Typically, the regular, basic white bread cycle will make light, airy
bread with a thin, light crust. Read your bread machine instruction
manual to check which cycle has a longer proof cycle with a shorter
bake time. On our sourdough package of mix, we recommend the cycle
that will best compliment the flavor and texture of the sourdough
bread."
Common Symptoms and Solutions
http://www.yankeegrocery.com/sourdough_bread/faq.html
I always check the dough 5-10 minutes into the cycle, and adjust if
needed. Mixes tend to be dryer than my machine prefers. I have become
experienced in adding the proper amount of liquid or
oil/margerine/butter at one time. You'll probably need to experiment
to find the perfect adjustments for your machine. I don't hesitate to
stop the machine and start the cycle over during the first 5-15
minutes of the mixing cycle. Sometimes heavy ingredients need a bit
more mixing time.
You can search for a machine that makes a perfect loaf, but honestly,
I'd recommend a used machine for experimentation first. An upright
machine will nearly always outperform a horizontal loaf machine, in my
experience, especially if you like a variety of recipes. The
horizontal loaf machines are actually quite excellent for making basic
loaves (white or graham wheat) over and over, but do not produce
consistent loaves of variety breads. They are based upon the same
principles of commercial bread machines without some recipe testing
involved. Recipes for commercial baking are developed in the same way,
by experimentation, then standardized.
Rise and Fall
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dough that rises and falls is generally too wet. Too much water has
been used, and the gluten has not strengthened the flour enough to
support the larger, yet frailer structure. The gas bubbles are larger,
and the surrounding matrix is just too fragile to support its own
weight. Solutions: Decrease liquid, and choose a cycle with longer
proofing (rising) time.
Delayed Baking
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Even with all my experience, I haven't had a great deal of luck with
delayed baking. Sometimes it'll turn out ok, on other occasions, the
ingredients just don't mix up properly, whether due to settling in the
pan, or mixing together during the delay. If it really counts, I
either get up early to bake, or start the machine when I go to bed,
with the bread finishing in the middle of the night. In the morning, I
reheat what I need to use. Though this feature is touted as a benefit,
no bread machine has a chilling cycle. The way it *should* work is
that the ingredients are mixed immediately, then the dough chilled,
kneaded periodically during chilling, and only warmed, allowed to
rise, and baked at the proper time. Bread chemistry just doesn't adapt
well to the bread machine delay as currently implemented.
A number of Bread Machine Reviews are available at ePinions. See what
other owners say:
http://www.epinions.com/bread_machines/
Hope this helps!
---larre
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