| In both bread machine recipes and oven baked | | | | ingredients is to allow them to settle at room |
| recipes, we only need three primary ingredients to | | | | temperature. If your bread machine recipe |
| make cakes- flour, liquid, and the yeast. Once | | | | requires eggs, you must follow this rule too. |
| these basics are prepared, you can add, mix and | | | | Since active dry yeast is dissolved in warm liquids |
| experiment on some other ingredients that will | | | | (but definitely not hot!), it becomes an exception |
| enhance the taste of simple recipes. | | | | to the rule. One main point to remember in most |
| Baking a bread by hand and with the help of | | | | bread machine recipes is that they seldom make |
| bread machine follows the same basic processes. | | | | use of fresh milk. (Who wants milk that has been |
| The only crucial difference is that rising, mixing | | | | exposed to the external environment for a whole |
| and baking are all done inside the machine. | | | | night anyway?) Instead, we alternate powdered |
| However, this doesn't imply that you must not | | | | buttermilk or non-fat dry milk. However, if you're |
| keep a close observation on what's cooking in | | | | planning to mix the ingredients right away and |
| your bread machine. The little window is there for | | | | bake them immediately, you can substitute fresh |
| a reason, remember? | | | | milk with buttermilk or water then cancel |
| Flour | | | | powdered milk. |
| The structure-giving component in all breads is the | | | | Yeast |
| flour. And this is further supported by the gluten | | | | As we have noted earlier, yeast yields the body |
| content of the cake, bread, wheat and other flour | | | | for the bread. Yeast is a one-celled plant that |
| varieties. | | | | feeds on starches and sugar which in return, gives |
| However, gluten comes in varying levels in | | | | off carbon dioxide- a leading element in raising the |
| different types of flour. Hard wheat has the | | | | size of your dough. Since it is a living organism, it |
| strongest and largest gluten amount per cup. | | | | can be vulnerable to very harsh conditions such |
| (Perhaps 6 grams or more in each cup.) Bread | | | | as too hot or too salty environment. |
| machine flour however, is somewhat identical with | | | | But yeast takes considerable time to activate in |
| that of the all-purpose flour. | | | | the dough, more often 45 to more than an hour. |
| Gluten is important in baking since it gives the | | | | That is why you often see that recipes require |
| body for the bread. It also helps yield chewy | | | | the use of another yeast breed - rapid-rise yeast. |
| texture. | | | | This is a special formulation that can be mixed |
| Meanwhile, vital wheat gluten is a food item that | | | | directly into the dry ingredients. |
| creates the benefits of gluten in non-gluten or less | | | | All bread machines are not created equal. Please |
| gluten content flour varieties such as whole-wheat | | | | note of the maximum size your bread machine |
| flour, rye flour, oatmeal, soy flour and cornmeal. | | | | yields and the estimated size of the recipe that |
| This is usually used when your bread machine | | | | you will bake. Bread machines can either make 1 |
| recipes requires such varieties as we have | | | | pound, 1 ½ pound or two-pound loaves. |
| mentioned. | | | | Please be sure to follow the guidelines as stated in |
| Liquid | | | | your user manual. Make use only of recipes that |
| The most popular liquids used in bread machine | | | | have proportionate amounts of ingredients with |
| recipes are buttermilk, milk and water. The | | | | your bread machine or try to adjust the |
| general rule of thumb in using liquid and other main | | | | quantities accordingly. |