Bread Machines For Dummies by Glenna Vance, Tom Lacalamita
Authors: Glenna Vance, Tom Lacalamita
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models are inexpensive, and quick to use, but over time the spring loses its tautness and thus its accuracy. Balance scales are dependably accurate, but they require the adjusting of weights by hand to coincide with desired weight to be measured. Electronic battery-operated scales are very precise.
Be sure to get a scale that weighs in increments no larger than 1/2 ounce. Glenna uses a small, one-pound spring scale, but if she were replacing it she would purchase â at least â a five pound scale, as she finds that she often wants to weigh heavier foods. Also, get a scale that has a measuring cup and a tray so you can use either.
Weight of flour
One cup of flour can weigh from 3 1/4 ounces to 5 1/2 ounces depending on how it is measured, the blend of wheat, and the weather on the day you measure. Yeah, blame it on the weather; both humidity and temperature affect the weight of flour.
Thermometers
Some home bakers will tell you they never use a thermometer, but we find thermometers indispensable. When you use a thermometer to check the temperature of liquids before you put them into the bread pan, you take the guesswork out of the process and replace it with a quality-control method. Believe me, itâs much better to know for sure than to guess. We suggest liquid temperatures of 75° to 85° for all yeast bread cycles except the one-hour cycle. For the one-hour, 115° to 125° works best.
Do not use an instant-read thermometer to measure the temperature of the inside of your oven. It will melt.
Many bakers tell if their baked bread is done when they tap the bottom of the loaf and hear a certain thud. We compare this to fortune telling: Sometimes itâs right on, but not always. You will know for sure that the bread is done if you use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature. A baked loaf of bread should be between 190° and 200°F.
Check your thermometer for accuracy
Place the stem in boiling water. The thermometer should read 212°. If it doesnât, note the difference and allow for that when you use it. Some quality models have a tiny nut on the back side of the dial which can be turned if the thermometer needs adjusting. If you have one that can be adjusted, and your thermometer does not register 212° in boiling water, use pliers to turn the nut until it reads correctly.
If you do not have a thermometer, the second-best liquid temperature is room temperature.
Instant-read thermometers are sold in the housewares section of department stores, at hardware stores, in kitchen-gourmet shops, restaurant-supply houses, and mail-order catalogs. A couple are shown in Figure 7-4.
Figure 7-4: Instant-read thermom-eters.
Converting Measurements from U.S. Standard to Metric
All of the recipes in
Bread Machines For Dummies
use U.S. standard measurements based on teaspoons, tablespoons, and cups. We want you to be able to enjoy these recipes if you use the metric system, so we have included this conversion chart. All measurements given in our bread-machine recipes are volume measurements. If you are measuring in the metric, use milliliters and liters.
Reasonable replacement measures
The following conversion chart is meant only as a guideline. The measurements given are not exact, but have been rounded up or down for easier measuring.
Temperature conversions
The recipes in this book use the Fahrenheit system. The following chart can help you make conversions to Celsius.
Chapter 8
Working with Dough
In This Chapter
Using the bread machine to make dough
Going beyond a rectangle: Shaping breads
Glazing your bread for effect
Forming rolls
M ost of the time when working with your bread machine, you will simply put your ingredients into the pan, place the pan in your bread machine, select the cycle, and push start. Your machine takes these raw ingredients and what seems like a miracle, turns them into delicious breads fit for casual eating or fine
Be sure to get a scale that weighs in increments no larger than 1/2 ounce. Glenna uses a small, one-pound spring scale, but if she were replacing it she would purchase â at least â a five pound scale, as she finds that she often wants to weigh heavier foods. Also, get a scale that has a measuring cup and a tray so you can use either.
Weight of flour
One cup of flour can weigh from 3 1/4 ounces to 5 1/2 ounces depending on how it is measured, the blend of wheat, and the weather on the day you measure. Yeah, blame it on the weather; both humidity and temperature affect the weight of flour.
Thermometers
Some home bakers will tell you they never use a thermometer, but we find thermometers indispensable. When you use a thermometer to check the temperature of liquids before you put them into the bread pan, you take the guesswork out of the process and replace it with a quality-control method. Believe me, itâs much better to know for sure than to guess. We suggest liquid temperatures of 75° to 85° for all yeast bread cycles except the one-hour cycle. For the one-hour, 115° to 125° works best.
Do not use an instant-read thermometer to measure the temperature of the inside of your oven. It will melt.
Many bakers tell if their baked bread is done when they tap the bottom of the loaf and hear a certain thud. We compare this to fortune telling: Sometimes itâs right on, but not always. You will know for sure that the bread is done if you use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature. A baked loaf of bread should be between 190° and 200°F.
Check your thermometer for accuracy
Place the stem in boiling water. The thermometer should read 212°. If it doesnât, note the difference and allow for that when you use it. Some quality models have a tiny nut on the back side of the dial which can be turned if the thermometer needs adjusting. If you have one that can be adjusted, and your thermometer does not register 212° in boiling water, use pliers to turn the nut until it reads correctly.
If you do not have a thermometer, the second-best liquid temperature is room temperature.
Instant-read thermometers are sold in the housewares section of department stores, at hardware stores, in kitchen-gourmet shops, restaurant-supply houses, and mail-order catalogs. A couple are shown in Figure 7-4.
Figure 7-4: Instant-read thermom-eters.
Converting Measurements from U.S. Standard to Metric
All of the recipes in
Bread Machines For Dummies
use U.S. standard measurements based on teaspoons, tablespoons, and cups. We want you to be able to enjoy these recipes if you use the metric system, so we have included this conversion chart. All measurements given in our bread-machine recipes are volume measurements. If you are measuring in the metric, use milliliters and liters.
Reasonable replacement measures
The following conversion chart is meant only as a guideline. The measurements given are not exact, but have been rounded up or down for easier measuring.
Temperature conversions
The recipes in this book use the Fahrenheit system. The following chart can help you make conversions to Celsius.
Chapter 8
Working with Dough
In This Chapter
Using the bread machine to make dough
Going beyond a rectangle: Shaping breads
Glazing your bread for effect
Forming rolls
M ost of the time when working with your bread machine, you will simply put your ingredients into the pan, place the pan in your bread machine, select the cycle, and push start. Your machine takes these raw ingredients and what seems like a miracle, turns them into delicious breads fit for casual eating or fine
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