Are you wondering what “The Most Important Tip When Using a Bread Machine” could be?
If you haven’t been doing this already, the quality of the bread you get out of a bread machine will start to improve immediately.
Your bread machine has no brain. It may have a timer and a thermostat, but your bread maker can’t think for itself.
Are you disappointed in your bread machine?
A lot of people buy a bread machine hoping it will magically make the perfect loaf of fresh yeast bread with the press of a button. You might get lucky, and it happens.
You have a good chance of experiencing success if you just happen to hit all of the following points.
- If you use the right recipe
- If the humidity is the same as wherever the recipe-developer resides on the particular day he was experimenting
- If you measured your flour in the same way the recipe-developer did
- If the ambient temperature where your bread machine sits is the same as the recipe developer
- If you use the same brand of flour
Whew! That’s a lot of luck!
However, making bread is an art, not an exact science. Sometimes you will make adjustments based on the environment, the ingredients you use, and the finished product you desire.
Knowing when-what-and-how-much requires experience, a sixth sense, and sometimes, good luck.
So, what is the most important thing you should do when using a bread maker?
Are you are using your bread machine as a mix-knead-rise appliance (like I do)? Or, do you want your bread machine to also bake the bread? Either way, my advice is to open the lid and check the consistency of the dough inside.
Do this approximately 10 minutes after starting the machine and then again after the bread maker has been kneading for 15 minutes. If you walk by 18 or 20 minutes into the cycle, open the lid and peek to see if all is well.
The only time you do not want to open the cover is in the middle of the proofing period. You don’t want to let heat escape, thus prolonging the rising time.
How will I know when my bread dough is just right?
#1
The goal is for the dough to stick to the side, then pull away cleanly as it kneads.
The dough in the video below is the perfect consistency for the average loaf of yeast bread. It’s pliable, shiny, smooth, and not too sticky.
#2
Is the dough too dry?
Does it refuse to form a ball, or does it make a ball that slaps loudly against the side of the pan? Add a tablespoon of liquid, give it a chance to mix up for a couple of minutes, and check again. Keep doing this until the dough looks right.
#3
Is the dough too wet?
Does it look gooey and sticky? Add a tablespoon of flour at a time, watching until you see the dough stick to the sides and then pull away cleanly. Allow a couple of minutes to incorporate the flour before adding any more.
Remember, some doughs need to be quite wet, like a brioche or ciabatta. If you are a beginner, avoid those kinds of recipes until you have dependable success with a simple loaf.
p.s. If you are new to the bread machine world and want to increase your chances of success, I suggest you start with a bread machine mix from the grocery store. Alternatively, use a basic recipe from the manual that came with your bread maker.
Or, try using one of my bread machine recipes formulated for using a bread machine as I do. Check out my recipe index for loads of possibilities.
Posts Related to The Most Important Thing You Should Do When Using A Bread Machine:
BYRON WILLS
Dear Girl,,
You are right in many ways. I used the bread machine many times. I never had the book that comes with them. I looked up the book for my old REGAL type,,,,, and found different recipes I didn’t have.
I THINK YOU ARE RIGHT,,,,, LET THE MACHINE DO THE MIXING AND STIRRING,,,, BUT USE THE OVEN FOR THE BAKING,,,,
TAKE CARE AND THANKYOU.
Paula
Thanks for the confirmation, Byron. Happy Bread-Eating!
Susan
At the end of the baking cycle my bottom paddles are stuck inside the bread. Is there a way to remove them without wrecking the bread.
Paula
Hi Susan,
Your dilemma is one of the main reasons I never bake my bread in my bread machine. You can read more reasons here. The only way I know to avoid those holes is to note when your machine is just starting the final rise. Remove the bread dough and the paddles. Place the dough back into the machine and let it rise and bake normally. The problem? You will still have holes where the posts are but they won’t be as big. In my opinion, it’s better just to run the dough cycle, remove the dough, shape it, place it into an appropriate bread pan and let it rise before baking it in your conventional oven. The loaf will turn out far superior and you will have no ugly holes. Thanks for writing.
Rickajho
The most important tip? IMO put the measuring cups aside and buy a digital scale to measure ingredients.
Measuring the big stuff like liquids, flour etc. is faster and accurate to one gram using a scale. OTOH when I checked them against the scale my Kitchen Aid measuring cups were adding 14% too much flour per cup. And even that can be a “give or take” depending on how finely the flour is milled. For anyone who has had consistently inconsistent results making bread – machine or no machine – using a scale to measure makes all the difference in the world. (I know you watch those British baking shows. There is good reason why they are dumping all those ingredients into a bowl sitting on a scale. lol)
Added bonus: You can measure ingredients right into the bread machine pan. Put the pan on the scale, zero the scale and start adding ingredients. End result? No extra bowls or multiple measuring cups to wash.
The sensors in today’s digital kitchen scales have improved remarkably to the point where it’s almost impossible to find one that is not accurate – for less than 10 dollars even. (Check out the line made by Ozeri.) And the KAF website has a huge listing of practically any bread ingredient you can think of that converts cups to ounces to grams. Huge help when measuring by weight.
Using a scale might seem a bit intimidating at first but once you start using one you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. The results in the bread pan don’t lie.
That $9.47 I spent on a digital scale is the best thing I have brought into my kitchen since… my bread machine. Collapsed loaves of bread have been banished!
Paula
Hi Rick,
You make a good point. But realistically, it’s not going to happen in most American kitchens. Bakers can make up for most inaccuracies in measuring by learning to check the dough and adjusting the liquid or flour accordingly.
Sharon
This is, of course, the magic advice to make bread. A great machine, no thinking capacity. Each day, each flour, each liquid is slightly different. I don’t close my machine until the ball is slapping happily on the sides, slightly sticky (ooooonly slightly), cleaning up the flour. THEN I put the lid down and my work is done until I hear the end signal.
Paula
Hi Sharon,
Sounds like you and I are in complete agreement. I often say “a bread machine has no brain,” but I like the way you put it, too.
Audrey Obach
I have made several loaves of bread by machine only, including baking and have had almost no problems with any of the results. I have made cinnamon raisin to sesame to plain breads and they were all wonderful using instant fast rise yeast. The wet ingredients all go in the bottom before I add the dry and I use proportions I used to use for oven baking. The only issue I have is putting the raisins in too soon and they get broken up by the machine if I don’t add them until nearer the end of the kneading time.
Betty
A good reminder…sometimes I don’t know the dough isn’t just right until the bread machine starts thumping and trying to walk across the counter! 🙂
Paula
Whoa! That would be some dry dough for sure!
ben
What model bread machine is that?
I’ve been looking for a one that can do small loafs.. any thoughts on this one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhbVAsijGrQ
Paula
Ben, You can read about my Zoji here. The one pictured in the Youtube video looks like this one. I suspect it is excellent for smaller loaves although I haven’t tried it personally. Mine is also good for smaller loaves because it has two blades. I almost never use my bread machine to bake bread so don’t know how well it actually bakes a small loaf.
Becky
Gosh, you mean you want us to think? Geez, Paula, that’s no fun! LOL! But as a bread machine user, I can second that advice. It is crucial to making good bread. I didn’t think a few times when my karma was not good, and I had failures. This is excellent advice.
Paula
Thanks for the confirmation, Becky. I’ve had my share of failures, too.