Cuisinart DLC-XP manual Problems and Solutions with Typical Bread Dough

Proofing the yeast

The expiration date is marked on the package. It is usually, but not always, reliable. To be sure your yeast is active, dissolve it in a small amount of warm liquid (about 1/3 cup for one pack- age of dry yeast). If the recipe calls for a sweetener like sugar or honey, add a tablespoonful with the yeast. If no sugar is called for, add a half teaspoonful of the flour. The yeast won’t foam without it. Let the mixture stand until it foams – up to

10 minutes.

Processing dry ingredients

Put the flour in the work bowl with all the other dry ingredients. If the recipe calls for herbs, oil or solid fats like butter, add them with the flour. Turn the machine on and let it run for about 20 seconds. Cheese, nuts and raisins may be added with the dry ingredients or during the final kneading. To leave them almost whole, add them 5 seconds before you stop kneading. For finer texture, add them sooner.

Adding liquids

All liquid should be added through the feed tube while the machine is running. The temperature of liquids used to dissolve and activate yeast must be between 105° and 120°F (40° and 49°C). Yeast cells are not activated at temperatures lower than this and they die when exposed to temperatures higher than 130°F (54°C).

All liquid except that used to activate the yeast should be cold, to minimize the possibility of overheating the dough.

Kneading bread dough

After the dough starts to clean the inside of the work bowl completely, process it for 80 seconds to knead it. Stop the machine and test the dough to be sure it’s properly kneaded. Typical bread dough should have a soft, pliable texture and it should feel slightly sticky. Stretch the dough with your hands to test. If it feels hard, lumpy or uneven, continue processing until it feels uniformly soft and pliable.

Kneading dough for coffee cakes, batter bread and brioche Process for at least 30 seconds after all the ingredients are incorporated. It will not clean the inside of the work bowl. If necessary, scrape the bowl and process for 5 more seconds.

Rising

Put the dough in a large, lightly floured, plastic bag, squeeze out all the air, and close the end with a wire twist, allowing space for the dough to rise.

Or put the ball of dough in a large bowl coated with soft butter or vegetable oil. Roll the dough around to coat the entire surface. Cover it with a damp towel or a piece of oiled plastic wrap.

Let it rise in a warm, draft-free place about 80°F (27°C). The rising time will vary from 45 minutes to several hours, depend- ing on the type of flour and the humidity of the air. To test if the dough has risen enough, stick a finger into it.

An indentation should remain when you withdraw your finger. If it doesn’t, let the dough rise more and test again.

Punch the dough down.

Shaping, finishing and baking

If you shape the dough in pans, fill them only half full. Let rise until dough is slightly above the top of the pan. If shaping free-form loaves, let them rise on an oiled baking sheet until at least doubled in bulk.

Making large quantities

You can make several batches of bread dough in a row. To avoid overheating the motor, use less than the maximum capacity for each batch. For example, using 9 cups of flour

(45 ounces, 1.3kg) instead of 10 cups (50 ounces, 1.4kg), you can make 5 successive batches of typical bread dough. That’s 4-1/2 pounds (2 kg) of bread dough per batch – a total of

221⁄2 pounds (10 kg) of dough!

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS WITH TYPICAL BREAD DOUGH

Motor slows down:

•Amount of dough may exceed maximum capacity of your food processor. Remove half and process in 2 batches.

•Dough may be too wet. As soon as machine starts to slow down, add 2 tablespoons flour through feed tube.

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