Knowing your ingredients
Introduction
Waking to the smell of homemade bread baking in the kitchen is one of the most comforting memories of childhood. Can you remember rushing downstairs to taste the bread, hot out of the oven, with butter melting on top? What a great way to start the morning. The breadmaker can create that same experience every morning.
There's very little effort on the part of the baker, because this automatic breadmaker is a sophisticated counter top appliance with a computer memory that does all the work for you. Just follow the recipe instructions, and wake up to fresh baked bread in your automatic breadmaker. But don't stop at baking bread in this appliance. Besides being able to do all kinds of speciality breads, including wholemeal, you can also prepare doughs for croissants, bagels, doughnuts, pizzas and more. Everything is easy and tastes homemade, because it is.
Understanding baking
It is often said that cooking is an art relying on the creativity of the chef while baking bread is much more of a science. This means that the process of combining flour, water and yeast results in a chemical reaction that produces bread. You have to remember that when the ingredients combine with each other they produce a specific result. Read the following information carefully to gain a better understanding of the importance each ingredient plays in the breadmaking process.
Important special note on flours
Flours, while visibly similar, can be very different by virtue of how they were grown, milled, stored, etc. You may find that you will have to experiment with different brands of flour to help you make that perfect loaf. A Baking Tips Guide has been provided on pages
All purpose flour/plain flour
Strong plain flour/bread flour
Bread Flour is a high gluten/protein flour that has been treated with conditioners that give dough a greater tolerance during kneading. Bread Flour typically has a higher gluten concentration than All Purpose Flour; however, depending on different milling practices this may vary. Strong plain flour or
bread flour are recommended for use with this Breadmaker.
Whole wheat flour/wholemeal flour
Whole wheat flour/wholemeal flour is milled from the entire wheat kernel which contains the bran and germ and makes it heavier and richer in nutrients than All purpose flour. Breads made with this flour are usually smaller and heavier than white loaves due to the sharp edges of the bran and the germ cutting the gluten strands. To overcome this whole wheat flour/wholemeal flour is usually mixed with Bread flour or strong plain flour to produce a high light textured bread.
Self-raising flour
Self Raising Flour contains unnecessary leavening ingredients that will interfere with bread and cake making. It is not recommended for use.
Bran
Bran (unprocessed) & Wheat Germ are the coarse outer portions of the wheat or rye grains separated from flour by sifting or bolting. They are often added in small quantities to bread for nutritional enrichment, heartiness and flavour. They are also used to enhance the texture of bread.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal comes from rolled or
Yeasts (active dry yeast)
Yeast through a fermentation process produces gas (carbon dioxide) necessary to make the bread rise. Yeast must be able to feed on sugar and flour carbohydrates in order to produce this gas. Active dry granular yeast is used in all recipes that call for yeast. There are basically three different types of yeast available, fresh, dry and instant quick rising. It is recommended that traditional dry yeast be used, however, instant quick rising can also be used in lesser amounts. (Note: The recipes in this cookbook were developed using traditional dry yeast). Fresh or compressed cake yeast is not recommended as they will produce poor results. Store yeast according to manufacturers instructions. Ensure your yeast is fresh by checking its expiration date. Once a package or can of yeast is opened it is important that the remaining contents be immediately resealed and refrigerated as soon as possible for future use. Often bread or dough, which fails to rise, is due to stale yeast being used. The following test can be used to determine whether your yeast is stale and inactive:
1Place half cup of lukewarm water into a small bowl or cup.
2Stir 1 tsp. of sugar into the water then sprinkle 2 tsp. of yeast over the surface.
3Place bowl or cup in a warm area and allow to sit for 10 minutes undisturbed.
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