The following are a few tips to help you get the most out of your bread machine and ensure your bread making is successful.
Before you ever begin using your bread machine, it is essential to understand the basic operation and the potential problems that can arise. Never allow a few setbacks to deter you from using your bread maker since most issues can easily be fixed.
1. Make sure you are careful about the order in which you put ingredients in the machine. For most machines, you begin with the liquid ingredients and then add the dry ingredients. The final ingredient is always yeast.
2. Know your machine’s capacity. This is important to ensure that you choose a well-scaled recipe. One way of determining the capacity of your machine is to refer to the instructional manual. If in doubt, choose a recipe that uses a maximum of 3 cups of flour.
3. Around 5 to 10 minutes into the dough preparation cycle, open the lid and check whether the dough looks dry or the machine is struggling, then add water a tablespoon at a time. Soon you will have a nice, consistent dough.
4. If the dough looks soupy or gloppy, continue adding more flour, little by little until nice ball forms. If the dough is too loose during baking, the top will shrink, and even though it will still taste nice, it will not be a pretty sight to look at.
5. Use real sugar. Sugar helps to feed the yeast and allows the dough to rise well. You can also use molasses or honey but never any sugar substitute since they will not work.
6. Bread flour is different from all-purpose flour. It usually contains higher levels of protein and gluten and is important for giving bread its fine grain.
7. Feel free to reduce the amount of flour in the salt in the recipe by half. This usually makes no difference in the results.
8. If the bread starts to rise well but then collapses while baking, the size of the recipe might be too big, or it is rising a bit too fast. The next time, ensure that you cut back on the sugar or yeast or try switching to a recipe that uses less flour.
9. Some breeds tend to be heavy and dense. This is particularly true if you are using a significant portion of whole grains. In case this happens with white bread, try to reduce the amount of salt since it inhibits rising.
10. If you keep experiencing failures, you need to ask yourself whether the flour that you are using is fresh enough. Always use flour that has been stored correctly in a cool, dark, and low humidity area.
The Science Behind Baking Bread at Home
If you want to be successful when baking bread at home, you have to understand its composition and chemistry. Different ingredients have certain important effects on the process. Choosing the right ones will result in a delicious bread with good form that keeps for several days or even weeks. But you have to learn the balance between the best ingredients and getting the most benefits possible.
About Bread Chemistry
The amount of flour and water that you add is very important when making bread because these ratios will change the crumb and texture of the bread. Professional bakers use a system of percentages called Bakers’ Percentage when following recipes and making formulations. They measure all the ingredients according to weight instead of volume. Measuring by weight is more accurate and consistent when compared to volume measuring. Dry ingredients are also easier to measure when weighed.
Flour is always given a value of 100%, and all other ingredients get a percentage off of that amount, according to weight. Common table bread in America uses about 50% water, which leads to a light and finely textured bread. Many artisan bread formulas also have 60% to 75% water. In yeast bread, high water percentages will lead to CO2 bubbles and produce a coarser bread crumb. One pound of flour will usually result in one regular loaf of bread or two French loaves.
Choosing Bread Flour
Flour is a product created from grain which has been ground into a powdery, fairly consistent form. Flour gives the final baked bread its unique structure. Commonly available flours are made from barley, maize, rye, and other grains. Wheat flour is the most commonly used for baking bread at home, but each of these grains will give protein and starch to the resulting product.
Wheat flour, aside from its starch, also has three water-soluble protein groups, globulin, albumin, proteoses, and two non-water-soluble protein groups called gliadin and glutenin. When flour mixes with water, the water-soluble proteins dissolve, which triggers gliadin and glutenin to create the structure of the remaining dough. Glutenin creates strands of long, thin chain-like molecules when kneaded, while gliadin creates bridges between the glutenin strands. The networks of strands created by the two proteins are called gluten. Gluten boosts the quality of the dough.
About Bread Liquids
Water or any other liquid is used to turn the flour into dough or a paste. The volume of liquid needed will change between recipes, although a ratio of 1 cup of liquid to 3 flour cups is basic for yeast bread. Recipes using steam as a main leavening procedure can have liquid content of more than one part liquid to one part flour, according to volume. Aside from water, other liquids can also be used, such as fruit juice, dairy products, and beer. These can provide added fats, sweeteners, and leavening components.
Following Bread Recipes
Bread recipes will differ, but you must stick to the ratios provided. Later on, you will find that you can change the amounts slightly to get the right consistency, flavor, and texture that you prefer. Some cultures have varying components to provide more uniqueness and creativity to the mix.
So, when baking bread at home, keep in mind that the ratios are important and, if you follow them, you will be able to produce magnificent bread.
Bread Making Problem Solving
You are looking forward to that lovely freshly baked bread, but when the bread maker has completed its cycle, you are disappointed with the result. We have all had this at least once or twice in our baking ‘career…’
Today we are discussing some of the common reasons for Bread Making Failures, and we’ll be answering the ten frequently asked questions.
The height and shape of the bread are influenced by the ingredients used, room temperature, and the chosen length of the delay program. Additional accurate measurements when preparing the ingredients are also key to ensure a perfect loaf.
2. My loaf if flat and doesn’t rise
Possible causes could be;
- Yeast was forgotten
- Yeast was old
- Too much salt or sugar was used which ‘killed’ the yeast
- The used liquid was too hot, and preferably you use lukewarm liquids
- The ingredient was not correctly placed in the bread pan while using the timer
3. My Bread has a heavy, dense texture
This could be caused by;
- Not enough water
- Too much flour
- No, not enough or wrong type of yeast
- The wrong kind of flour used
- No sugar or other sweetener was added
- Yeast was too old
- Yeas touched the water before kneading while using the delay timer
4. The center of my loaf is raw
Possible causes are;
- Too much water or other liquids
- The room temperature was too low which caused that the bread machine couldn’t reach the desired temperature
- Due to a power failure, the bread was only partially baked
5. My Bread is sticky and difficult to slice
If the outside of the bread looks great, but the bread is still difficult to slice, reasons could be;
- The loaf was still too hot when slicing
- Using an improper knife, make sure you use a proper bread knife
6. My Bread has a coarse holey texture
A holey texture could be caused by;
- Too much water
- Not enough flour
- Too much yeast
- Salt was not used
7. The top center of the loaf sinks in
Possible causes of a sunken center of your loaf are;
- Too much water
- Not enough flour
- Too much yeast
- Salt was not used
- The high humidity of hot weather might have caused yeast action to accelerate
8. Bread rises too high and overflows the bread pan
When the bread overflows the bread pan, a cause could be;
- Too much water
- Too much yeast
- Bread pan was too small
- No salt
9. My Crust is too light
A lack of sugar or fat could cause this.
10. My Crust is too dark
When the crust turns out too dark (or too thick), it might help to reduce the sugar.
This was the top 10 of the most common causes for bread making failures. I am sure we’ve all had these problems at some point in time. I hope this has helped!