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You know, some things are consumed and loved around the globe! Can you think of any? We have chocolate, coffee, bread, and many other things. Yeah, you read it right, bread is one of these groceries that people eat worldwide. There are numerous types of bread, specific to certain regions and cuisines – France is known for baguette, Italy for focaccia, in India there is chapatti, shaobing in China, pupusas in El Salvador and so on.
There are different reasons why bread gained such popularity all over the world that it is practically impossible to imagine a meal without it. Some are purely nutritional, of course, but some go even beyond that since it has quite mysterious cultural significance.
Interestingly, in the western world, recently, an old practice of making bread at home began to come back to fashion, and more and more people are looking into what do you need to make bread. People have various reasons to do so – money, health, and so on. But most importantly, we think it is because when you are making it at home, you can customize it according to your preferences.
Another reason may also be that a lot of people started having health issues, such as celiac disease because of bread ingredients or, more precisely, wheat, barley, rye, and so on. In fact, what is recognized as a primary culprit is gluten that gives elasticity to bread. Because it causes celiac diseases and other gluten sensitivity issues, a lot of people started making homemade bread with alternative flour options.
How Does a Bread Maker Work
So before seeing how to make bread in a bread maker, let’s take a look at the device that we call a bread machine. A bread maker or bread machine is a device that we use to bake bread. It looks like a little portable oven that comes with a pan or tin with paddles, usually in the center of the machine.
The bread machine is designed in a way to do precisely the job that you’d otherwise have to do by hand. The only thing you have to do manually here is put ingredients inside and select the program of your choice. The bread machine then starts mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough. This whole process will last no more than 10 minutes.
When that is finished, the thermostat will begin to raise the temperature so the dough can rise adequately, after which the bread machine goes to baking mode. You need to set the baking mode in advance, and the tool does everything else. When the loaf is baked the device automatically switches off.
What Ingredients Are in Bread
Even if you never in your life tried to make it, you still probably know what you need to make bread. Of course, the main ingredients are flour and water. Then depending on the type of bread, some have yeast, salt, sweeteners, eggs, and fat. Also, for some specific breads, people use liquids other than water, such as milk, buttermilk, cream, and in some cases, even juice.
If you are new to using a bread machine, you might be wondering what is bread machine yeast as well as what is bread machine flour. This bread machine yeast is specially made for this device, and the main feature is that unlike active yeast that needs to be dissolved in water prior to being used, this can be mixed with dry ingredients. As for flour, you can use all-purpose flour or high protein bread flour that you generally use when you are making bread in a bread machine.So if the question is, can i use regular flour in a bread machine – you certainly can. Make sure that you are using the right type and you are good to go.
Also, people wonder what a big deal with the special yeast is, and some asked us can you use regular yeast in a bread machine. Unfortunately, we don’t have such good news. If you use active yeast in this appliance, there is a high chance that bread will be dry and crumbly.
How to Make Simple Bread
When you get a bread machine before you dare to experiment with other types, the first thing you are trying to figure out is how do you make white bread.
For a standard loaf of white bread, you will need 4 cups of all-purpose white flour. One of the bread machine tips that you shouldn’t forget is to sift the flour. It makes an incredible difference. You’ll also need 1 ½ cups of water, yeast, salt, and if you want sugar and oil (but this isn’t necessary). Then all you need to do is mix all the ingredients on the pan and set the white bread setting on the bread machine and let the device do the job for you.
If you want that loaf to stay fresh for an extended time, you should consider buying the best bread box.
You are not happy with how your bread turned out and wondering why is my bread so dense?One reason for density is too much flour. Others could be that for the specific type of bread, you need longer kneading time than you thought or that the dough didn’t rise enough.
You were doing everything by the book to figure out what makes bread fluffy, but regardless of how much you tried, it comes out crumbly and dry. If this is the case and you are wondering why is my bread crumbly, this is for you. The main reason is that it is not wet enough, meaning that you added too much flour. As we mentioned earlier, using active yeast can cause this problem as well.
Can You Make Gluten Free Bread in a Bread Machine
Of course, it is entirely possible. Modern bread machine models come with a gluten-free setting. But there is no reason to worry if your device is older. It is still possible to make perfect homemade gluten-free bread; you need to make sure that the unit is spotless. This is necessary to avoid the risk of gluten coming in contact with your mixture.
How Long Does it Take to Make Bread
The amount of time needed for the best bread machine to make bread varies depending on the type of the device and bread. In most cases, a standard white loaf will be ready in about 3 hours.
What to Do With Failed Bread
Many of us tend to get upset and through everything to the garbage. But there is no need for that. There are really lovely recipes that are made with failed bread dough. Here are some things you can do:
- Bread pudding
- Stuffing
- French toast
- Croutons
Conclusion
Making bread at home is fun and allows you to enjoy a fresh crispy sandwich in the morning without running to the bakery. It is also a useful skill to have. The cool thing is that when you have a bread machine, things become super easy regardless of how skilled or not you are in the kitchen. Have you already made homemade bread? Did you use this appliance? In the end, we want to invite you to revisit us because mykitchenadvisor always has useful texts for you, such as a guide on how to use a toaster oven.