[Homestead] Bread machines was: Masonry bake ovens

Akka Homestead akkabhomestead at yahoo.com
Mon Aug 25 15:03:53 EDT 2008


Well, I believe that to be truly successful with a machine, you have to know and understand baking the old fashioned way.  If you understand that a certain dough texture will lead to a certain bread texture, then you are on your way.  I use my bread machine almost exclusively for mixing doughs now. I can't remember the last time I actually kneaded anything.  I use my regular recipes and just put them in the machine in what I call 'machine order', i.e. dry, wet, yeast, clumpy(raisins, nuts, etc.). I have to tweak things, of course, but generally the result is great.  Mine has like 10 settings, but I only use the dough setting.  Once it has been machine kneaded and rested and kneaded again if need be, I remove the dough, place it into loaf pans or freeform it or shape it  or braid it or whatever the case, and then bake it as you normally would.  I personally do not like the shape of machine loaves-the slices are too large and it is hard for me to
 get the crust just right to my liking.
I first learned to bake the old fashioned way, and that gives you a 'feel' for things, how certain breads are supposed to be.  You learn what is important (like temperature so you don't kill or thwart the yeast).  Then you learn to bake with the machine, adjusting recipes on the fly depending on conditions just as you would on your countertop...a bit more oil..a bit more egg, a bit more flax, a bit more flour, etc.  One thing that the machine does help with is temperature control.  On the coldest of days, it brings ingredients up to temp and mixes them.  It is also a warm, safe place to let the dough stand for that first rise.  
If you intend to use one through all cycles to make bread, just get one that has a shaped pan that you like.   I don't like the mixes...have never found one to my taste...I prefer my own recipes or adapted recipes from books.  Besides, Don, if you buy those mixes, you lose control of what goes into the bread..just something to think about.

Akka B

--- On Mon, 8/25/08, Don Bowen <don.bowen at earthlink.net> wrote:
From: Don Bowen <don.bowen at earthlink.net>
Subject: [Homestead] Bread machines was: Masonry bake ovens
To: homestead at lists.ibiblio.org
Date: Monday, August 25, 2008, 12:32 PM

> One of the things I have recently learned is that one can bake bread
> that is far superior to what we all eat, unless we have good access to
> a specialty bakery run by a top baker.

Speaking of which, what are people's comments on bread machines?

Don Bowen  KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html


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