You have a bread making machine, but no user manual? Maybe you bought it at a thrift store, got it from a relative, or don't know where the guidebook went. Instead of letting the machine collect dust in the kitchen cupboards in hopes of “someday using it”, get ready to make delicious warm buns right now. This article will guide you. So what are you waiting for?
Step
Step 1. Get to know your bread maker
Take the time to check it out. The machine is equipped with a hinged lid that can be opened and closed; there may be a window or small ventilation opening on the lid. Beside the lid, there is a control panel with a few buttons (there may be an indicator light or two if the machine is more sophisticated). Inside the bread maker, there is a baking sheet or a loaf bucket. Usually the bucket also has a handle, which can be folded so that the lid can be lowered. The bread bucket serves as a bowl for mixing dough, and a toaster pan. In the middle of the bucket, you can see a small spatula or stirring blade. This tool serves to knead and mix dough. During the baking process, the dough is baked around the kneading blade. You'll need to remove the blade at the bottom of the bread once it's done.
- To make bread, you'll need all three parts of the machine: the machine itself, the bread bucket, and the kneading blade. If any part is missing, you will have to find a replacement. The kneading blade is the smallest part so it often gets lost, but it's also the least expensive compared to the others. If you need spare parts for a bread making machine, do an internet search and find the contact information of the company that makes the bread machine and their contacts or contact an authorized dealer in your city.
- The bread bucket and stir bar are removable. If you want to remove the bucket from the machine, you will need to pull it firmly, depending on how it is installed. Look closely, grab the handle, and pull. Don't worry, you won't damage the machine. After removing the bucket, check it. If you overturn the bucket, the stir bar will fall. Inside the bucket is a small shaft on which to attach the stirring blade. If you want to put the bucket back in the machine, you may have to push it quite hard. The bucket may snap on easily or you may need to turn it slightly so that the bucket fits into the shaft properly.
Step 2. Determine the capacity of the bread bucket
Remove the bucket from the machine and take it to the sink. Take a measuring cup and fill it with water. Pour water into the bucket. Repeat until the bucket is full. Count how many cups of water you poured into the bucket and get the total. This step is important, you need to calculate it carefully. When choosing a bread recipe, you should adjust it to the capacity of the bread bucket. Do not bake 1 pound bread if the bread maker is designed for pound bread. The result will be messy.
- If the bucket has a capacity of 10 cups of water, you can bake about 500-700 grams of bread.
- If the bucket has a capacity of 12 cups of water or more, you can toast about 900 grams of bread.
- If the bucket has a capacity of less than 10 cups of water, you can only bake about 500 grams of bread.
Step 3. Study the settings on the machine
Look at the buttons and screens on the control panel. You may find Select, Stop/Start, Crust Color and Timer buttons or arrow keys. Unplug the machine from the wall outlet. Put it back. Now the machine will be in Basic (or basic) settings.
- Next to the Select button there are several options, for example White or Basic; Whole Wheat; French; Sweet; Rapid, and Dough. To set a specific setting, press the Select button several times until you get to the desired option. Sometimes, each selection is displayed with a number. For example, White or Basic is usually 1. Whole Wheat is 2. French is 3; etc. You can definitely understand it. Each option takes a different time to mix the ingredients and bake the bread.
- The setting for crust color is not available on all bread makers. If you see a button labeled Crust, there are usually 3 options available: Light, Medium, and Dark. If you turn off the machine and turn it on again, the machine automatically selects the Medium setting. If you want to make the crust lighter or darker, press the Crust button to change the setting. Usually the Crust button does not work before you select the settings for the dough and before you press the Start button.
- How to use the timer will be explained below.
Step 4. Prepare all the ingredients
The main ingredients for making bread with a bread making machine are yeast, flour, salt, sugar, liquid and fat.
- Yeast that is commonly used for bread making machines must always include “Active Dry” on the packaging. You can also buy bottled yeast specifically made for bread making machines. You can buy yeast at the convenience store (in the bakery/cake ingredients section). One pack of yeast usually contains about 2¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast. You can use a sachet of yeast or 2 teaspoons of yeast for most machine-made bread recipes. Excess ¼ teaspoon will not affect the resulting bread. Don't use rapid rise yeast as they are more expensive and less time saved once you get good at making bread.
- Flour is the main component of bread. Bread flour (high protein flour) will produce better bread. Bread flour is made from hard wheat, so it contains more gluten or wheat protein than regular all-purpose flour or medium protein flour. Cake flour is made from a mixture of hard and soft wheat. This flour is more suitable for biscuits, cakes and quick breads that are more compatible with soft flours; and can be used for baker's yeast, which prefers flour to hard wheat. This flour is called cake flour because it can be used for all types of bread and cakes. Bread flour must be used with baker's yeast. If you don't have bread flour, you can use cake flour for most bread recipes. The resulting bread will not be the same as if you use bread flour, but you will still get good and delicious bread. Sometimes, you may need to add a little more flour if using cake flour. Maybe this trick doesn't work for all recipes, but sometimes it's necessary.
- Salt is also an important component for machine-made bread. The salt regulates the dough-rising process so that it doesn't overflow from the bucket and into the machine. Salt also adds flavor to bread. Without salt, bread will not be as tasty as usual.
- Sugar, honey and other sweeteners make dough and bread texture soft. These sweeteners also affect the color and crispness of the bread crust. However, the main role of sweeteners is to provide food for the yeast. Yeast can also use the starch in flour as food, but sweeteners like sugar or honey will make the yeast work better. Almost all machine-made bread recipes require at least a little sugar. However, for best results, don't add too much sugar. If you make the dough for sweetbreads manually, you can add one cup of sugar, but if you want to make sweets by machine, we recommend using only -½ cup of sugar or honey. The reason is that the dough will rise faster and higher in the machine than if the dough was kneaded by hand. Too much sugar means too much food for the yeast to make it very active. As a result, overflowing dough will make a mess and be difficult to clean.
- The liquid used to machine bread should be at room temperature or slightly warmer. Never use hot liquids as they will kill the yeast. A liquid at room temperature is preferably yeast. If the tap water is safe to drink, you can use it. If you're using yogurt or milk, it's best to take it out of the fridge and let it warm up before using it. (This step is not so important if you are baking in Basic mode or earlier. However, if you are using Rapid mode, the liquid should be warmer or at least at room temperature).
- The fat will make the resulting bread richer, softer and prevent the dough from sticking to the pan. In general, use about 1-4 tablespoons of fat for 1 kg of bread dough. You can use different types of fat to make bread, such as margarine, oil, animal fat, chicken fat, or butter. The resulting bread will be the same. Some fats can add slightly different flavors, and the texture of the bread will vary slightly, depending on the type of fat used. There is no need to melt the solid fat before putting it in the bread maker. It's helpful to use room-temperature fat, but this step isn't always practical.
Step 5. Add the ingredients in the right order
If you want to mix and bake the dough right away, there's no need to follow the order as instructed. If you want to program the machine in Delay mode and start the process some time later, it is important to add the ingredients in the order they are. The material must be added in such a way that it will remain in a passive state until the mixing process begins. Therefore, it never hurts to get used to adding ingredients in the right order from the start.
- First, pour the liquid into the machine.
- Then, add flour. When adding flour, try to cover the entire surface of the water so that it locks in the bottom of the bucket.
- After that, add other dry ingredients such as salt, sugar, milk powder and other seasonings.
- Yeast is the last ingredient added. Most recipes ask you to make a small hole in the center of the flour to pour the yeast into. This step is important because then the yeast will not come into contact with the liquid until the engine starts. If the yeast and liquid mix before the machine starts, the yeast will become active and cause the dough to overflow and contaminate the machine.
Method 1 of 1: Using the Timer
Step 1. Put the ingredients into the bread bucket, then install it into the machine properly
- Use a recipe that you've already made and proven to work.
- Place the ingredients into the bread bucket in the correct order, as described above.
Step 2. Select the desired setting
Step 3. Calculate and estimate how long it will take to start the program so that the bread is cooked at your desired time
Step 4. Use the arrow keys to set the time that appears on the screen according to the number of hours you have calculated above
Step 5. Close the machine and press the Start button
You can do other activities and let the machine do its magic.
Tips
- If you've been making bread with water, and want to try something more fun, try adding a spoonful of vinegar to the liquid. The vinegar won't affect the taste of the bread, but the acid in the vinegar will make the bread last longer after it's cooked. This ancient trick is still used today.
- Milk, buttermilk and yogurt make the resulting bread softer and give it a smoother texture. For milk or buttermilk, you can use warm tap water and add powdered milk or buttermilk along with the dry ingredients. If you use whey obtained from processing cheese, the bread will have a very soft texture. Whey also makes bread taste better than you might think. In addition, thin yogurt is also very suitable for making delicious bread.
