Bread machine manual

BAKING TIMES

Programme:                       Basic:                      French          Whole wheat

(minutes)                 (minutes)      (minutes)

Kneading                           30                            30                 35

Rising                                60                            70                 100

Baking                               40                            50                 45

Total programme time        130                         150             180

Stay-warm phase                60                          60                 60

A FEW RECIPES FOR BREAD

The quantities have been calculated according the measuring cup and measuring scoop provided (the latter has a teaspoon and tablespoon measure on the ends).

White bread

Wheat flour or standard flour 450 grams

Yeast(dry)    4 teaspoons

Oil                 tablespoons

Milk             2 to 3 tablespoons

Salt               1 heaped teaspoon

Sugar            1 1/2 tablespoons

Water            250 ml.

Whole meal bread

Wholemeal flour 450 grams

Yeast(dry)     4 teaspoons

Oil                 3 tablespoons

Milk             2 tablespoons

Salt               1 heaped teaspoon

Sugar            1 1/2 tablespoons

Water            260 ml.

Mixed bread

Wheat flour 400 grams

Waldkorn flour(or other flour type) 50 grams

Yeast                       4 teaspoons

Oil                 3 tablespoons

Milk             2 tablespoons of milk

Yoghurt        1 tablespoon

Salt                1 heaped teaspoon

Sugar           1 1/2 tablespoons

Water            250 ml.

FLOUR

The main ingredient of bread is flour. There are a great many types of flour and flour mixes and the type of grain used for the flour makes a lot of difference to the bread. Wheat flour, for instance, contains so much gluten that it rises better than other denser flour and therefore needs less yeast. Glutens are protein complexes which are present in grains such as wheat, oats, rye and barley. When bread rises this gluten forms a network which prevents the carbon dioxide gas bubbles from escaping so that they remain inside the dough and the bread will rise.

Plain or household flour

Most white flour is called plain or household flour and this contains almost no bran or wheat germ but does contain a lot of gluten. This flour is used to thicken soups and sauces but perfectly good bread can be baked using it.

Wheat flour

Wheat flour is white flour formed from grains of wheat and it is slightly grey in colour because it contains a small quantity of bran and wheat germ as well as a lot of gluten.

Wholemeal flour

Wholemeal flour is ground from the complete, untreated grains of wheat so that all the bran and wheatgerm are still in it. Just like wheat flour it is rich in gluten but denser because of the bran and wheatgerm particles. If only wholemeal flour is used the bread is more compact so that most home bakers also add some wheat flour.

In addition to these varieties of flour there are lots more for you to experiment with including oatmeal, barley flour, buckwheat, spelt, cornflour and rye flour.

YEAST

Yeast is necessary if bread is to rise. Yeast is available either as fresh yeast (blocks) or dried yeast(granules). There are various types of dried yeast which work slightly differently from each other so that once more it is a question of personal preference. Roughly speaking you will need about half as much dry yeast (also known as instant) as you would fresh. Yeast may not work properly if it comes into contact with salt or fats. Salt can kill the yeast while fats enclose the yeast cells preventing them from rising. Therefore, it is important that the yeast, salt and butter are not too close to each other in the breadmaker.

SALT

Naturally salt adds to the taste of the bread but it is also important for making a crisp crust and for the rising process (although salt can stop this if it comes into contact with the yeast). Salt strengthens the gluten structure which gives the bread its form and also helps to prevent the bread from rising out of the pan or collapsing before it is properly baked. It is quite possible to bake low-salt or even salt-free bread but then the ingredients will need to be varied.

LIQUIDS

The commonest liquid used in baking bread is water but you can also try using fresh milk or buttermilk. If you do this it will also affect the amount of rising and the structure of the bread. Because of the amount of fat present full fat milk keeps the bread fresher for longer and the milk sugars present (lactose) improve the rising. Buttermilk gives a lighter loaf that stays fresh longer.

SUGAR

Sugar plays only a minor role in the rising process but it does affect the flavour. Honey, syrup or treacle can be used instead of sugar. It is preferable not to use any hard-grained sugar types or candy sugar in the breadmaker because this can damage the non-stick coating. Do not use synthetic sweeteners when baking as most of these decompose in the heat.

FATS

A fat is really a bread improver, it is not essential but the bread is better if it is used. Fat makes the dough more supple so that it can rise more easily and it also surrounds the gluten structure so that the carbon dioxide gas being produced cannot escape. This makes the bread softer and it stays fresh for longer. Various sorts of fat are suitable. Vegetable oils (sunflower or olive oil) and fresh butter or margarine all give good results. Oils make the crust a little softer while margarine gives a crispier crust and also helps the rising process. Using an oil with an added taste, such as walnut, garlic or basil oil, can help to make very tasty herb bread.

TEMPERATURE

It is best if the ingredients are at room temperature before adding them to the baking tin. Never use hot liquids as these can prevent the yeast from working properly or at all

USEFUL AIDS AND TIPS

Cool on a rack

After baking let the loaf cool down on a grid so that the heat can escape from all sides.

Cut after cooling

Home baked bread cuts best when it is cool. If the bread is still hot it can only be cut with a good quality electric knife such as the Princess 2952 Silver Electric Knife.

Keeping bread

Once cool home baked bread is best kept wrapped in a clean tea cloth. This keeps the crust crispy. Special paper bags for bread are also suitable. The crust goes soft if the bread is kept in a plastic bag or in a refrigerator

Freezing bread

Home baked bread can be frozen well provided this is not done until it has completely cooled down. It is easiest to do this in daily sized portions. Thawing out is best done at room temperature, because a microwave will dry the bread out. Although freezing is possible there will always be some loss of quality.

Darker bread

A tablespoon of cocoa can be added to the flour to make the bread darker. It has hardly any effect on the taste.

Crispier crust

A crisper crust can be obtained by leaving the bread in the breadmaker for 10 to 15 minutes after the baking has been completed.

If the bread rises too much

The rising process can be checked through the viewing glass. It is normally not advisable to open the lid while rising is going on because the bread is then likely to collapse, but if the dough rises up so much that it sticks to the viewing glass (this can also occur during baking) open the lid for a few seconds. The dough will then drop back a little.

A dense, small loaf

Too much liquid results in a small, flat loaf. The dough cannot rise because it is too wet. It could also be that the yeast is too old

Bread is too dry

If there is too little liquid the bread will be too dry. Try using (a little) more water or milk. If the bread is fine after baking but then dries out too quickly use a little more oil or fat.

Bread collapses

If your bread rises properly but then collapses while baking try the shortest programme (Basic). It is generally true that there is more chance of the bread collapsing while it is being baked when a longer programme is being used.