Bread Machines - the good, the bad, and the ugly

[Paul2274]

There is NOTHING (except for new car smell) that can beat the bread machine smell, baby!

I know that feeling! When I’m throwing a loaf into the oven and the smell starts to permeate
the house… my kids come running…“Is it done yet?”

I make my own butter too with the food processor. 2 cups heavy whipping cream… turn on and wait about 5-7 mins and the butter fat separates into solids. The liquid can be used
(it’s really milk at this point… about 2% milk) in a loaf of bread (no waste). Run cold water over the solids and start pressing into a small container draining the liquid as much as you can. Cover and refrigerate. I would use it up in about a week.

Have fun!

Paul

 

[GardenMum232]

I don’t use a bread machine anymore. I quit before they started making machines that would produce loaves of bread that actually LOOKED like bread.

I now use my Kitchenaid mixer’s bread hook for adding the flour and kneading and it works great for us.

My best bread secret is buying yeast that lasts for up to five years in the freezer. Really!

It’s S.A.F. yeast and you can buy it in large quantities to store in the fridge and freezer for a long time. I think it’s a 1 lb package and can be purchased at GAF marketplace or other restaurant supply stores.

Hope that little tip helps someone!

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

We have simple pleasures, don’t we, Paul? I think natural and homemade as well as organic food is the way to fly. I don’t trust all the preservatives, pesticides, and other nonsense they stick in food these days. I have my own fruit trees in my back yard; living in Central California in our weather here, there aren’t many types of fruit that won’t grow here! There’s a reason the central valley of California is the third greatest agricultural economy in the WORLD! We have a greater ag output than most entire nations!

I know that feeling! When I’m throwing a loaf into the oven and the smell starts to permeate
the house… my kids come running…“Is it done yet?”

I make my own butter too with the food processor. 2 cups heavy whipping cream… turn on and wait about 5-7 mins and the butter fat separates into solids. The liquid can be used
(it’s really milk at this point… about 2% milk) in a loaf of bread (no waste). Run cold water over the solids and start pressing into a small container draining the liquid as much as you can. Cover and refrigerate. I would use it up in about a week.

Have fun!

Paul

 

[ThyKingdomCome]

There is NOTHING (except for new car smell) that can beat the bread machine smell, baby!

No kidding. Now this may be my pride talking, but… I am not a talented homemaker. When visitors come to my house, I run frantically around picking up dirty clothes and tissues. Even when it’s “clean” for me, people don’t walk in and ooh and ah over the state of my home. Ever. I’m not a great cook and everyone knows it. Everyone knows that my dh cooks many meals and does a lot of housework, and in fact I take heat for it from people. Sure I may homeschool my kids (which scores me a few points), but I have a bit of a complex about this home-making problem. So when someone walks in the house and asks “do I smell fresh bread?” well, that’s pretty much the only moment I get where I have something homemaking-related to be proud of. I relish in the fresh bread smell, partly because it’s delightful and makes the house at least *smell *welcoming, and partly because I need little successes here and there.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Don’t be so hard on yourself, my sister in Christ. I’m tellin ya, being a homemaker and a stay at home mom as well as homeschooler is nothing to sneeze at! My wife quit her job to be home with our children until they are kindergarten age and she does her own preschool with them each day, cooks, does all the laundry, takes night classes to be an RN, and she’s generally trash tired. Our house is a cotton-pickin’ mess all the time but you know what?----I don’t judge her one iota. She’s doing all she can and is being an awesome mom to my kid, an amazing wife, is bettering herself to follow her dreams of being a registered nurse, and she’s done a heck of a job with our children. My son in kindergarten is leaps and bounds ahead at his Lutheran school. And those kids are already bright in his class. He’s reading like a first grader, loves to write, great vocab, at grade level, I’m proud of the job she’s done.

Just keep pumpin’ out that bread, working hard with your kids, and take a moment to be proud of yourself as a wife and mother. You’re awesome!

No kidding. Now this may be my pride talking, but… I am not a talented homemaker. When visitors come to my house, I run frantically around picking up dirty clothes and tissues. Even when it’s “clean” for me, people don’t walk in and ooh and ah over the state of my home. Ever. I’m not a great cook and everyone knows it. Everyone knows that my dh cooks many meals and does a lot of housework, and in fact I take heat for it from people. Sure I may homeschool my kids (which scores me a few points), but I have a bit of a complex about this home-making problem. So when someone walks in the house and asks “do I smell fresh bread?” well, that’s pretty much the only moment I get where I have something homemaking-related to be proud of. I relish in the fresh bread smell, partly because it’s delightful and makes the house at least *smell *welcoming, and partly because I need little successes here and there.

 

[Paul2274]

I bake so much bread that the other weekend I decided to have a beer. I poured it into a glass and my son came over and smelled the beer and said, “Is that bread soda?” Gotta love my kids!

TKC-- Hey I’m a stay at home dad of 3 kids, although I don’t HS, I don’t have a very clean house either. I’m saving that for when the kids leave home. Right now I keep things just on the edge of not having a good science project… if you know what I mean. So don’t sweat it.
If the kids are learning and they have clean cloths and food in their bellies and Jesus in their hearts, you are doing your job and don’t think anything less of it.

Paul

 

[ThyKingdomCome]

Thanks guys.
It is fun though, to have someone look amazed that you have a freshly baked loaf of bread, and then explain that it took all of 10 minutes of your time from start to finish. And it is also such a treat to be able to bake up a loaf so easily if you know visitors are coming. There’s something so special about fresh baked bread that it totally makes up for the fact that you’re serving PB&J on it.

 

[Cracker_Mom]

No kidding. Now this may be my pride talking, but… I am not a talented homemaker. When visitors come to my house, I run frantically around picking up dirty clothes and tissues. Even when it’s “clean” for me, people don’t walk in and ooh and ah over the state of my home. Ever. I’m not a great cook and everyone knows it. Everyone knows that my dh cooks many meals and does a lot of housework, and in fact I take heat for it from people. Sure I may homeschool my kids (which scores me a few points), but I have a bit of a complex about this home-making problem. So when someone walks in the house and asks “do I smell fresh bread?” well, that’s pretty much the only moment I get where I have something homemaking-related to be proud of. I relish in the fresh bread smell, partly because it’s delightful and makes the house at least *smell *welcoming, and partly because I need little successes here and there.

Keeping a home organized just takes practise -not so much talent & there are lots of books & materials available to help make it possible. If disorganization is a source of stress, it’s not hard to start making small changes to overcome it.
Good luck homecshooling & breadmaking!

 

[taye]

I had a Black and Decker machine for several years. It unfortunately had to meet it’s maker a little while ago… I was pretty happy with it as I was able to make some awesome white bread, cinnamon raisin bread and pizza dough. Eventually, we made the switch to whole-wheat bread, and ever since then I have been buying it. I’ve tried to make it in the machine on a few occasions, but it would come out really dense, not fluffy like store bread. Has anyone else ever found a solution for this? Perhaps some wheat gluten?

Part of me would like to buy another machine, but if I’m not able to make w/w bread, it’s not really much use to me… Any ideas, anyone?

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Don’t give up on the wheat bread. My wife makes it in the bread-maker and boy oh boy it’s good! You just can’t make it too often or else you’ll eat a hundred pounds of it. I started eating that stuff like a maniac and gained seven pounds!

I had a Black and Decker machine for several years. It unfortunately had to meet it’s maker a little while ago… I was pretty happy with it as I was able to make some awesome white bread, cinnamon raisin bread and pizza dough. Eventually, we made the switch to whole-wheat bread, and ever since then I have been buying it. I’ve tried to make it in the machine on a few occasions, but it would come out really dense, not fluffy like store bread. Has anyone else ever found a solution for this? Perhaps some wheat gluten?

Part of me would like to buy another machine, but if I’m not able to make w/w bread, it’s not really much use to me… Any ideas, anyone?

 

[ThyKingdomCome]

I had a Black and Decker machine for several years. It unfortunately had to meet it’s maker a little while ago… I was pretty happy with it as I was able to make some awesome white bread, cinnamon raisin bread and pizza dough. Eventually, we made the switch to whole-wheat bread, and ever since then I have been buying it. I’ve tried to make it in the machine on a few occasions, but it would come out really dense, not fluffy like store bread. Has anyone else ever found a solution for this? Perhaps some wheat gluten?

Part of me would like to buy another machine, but if I’m not able to make w/w bread, it’s not really much use to me… Any ideas, anyone?

My whole wheat bread was coming out really dense too. I tried adding gluten, but it didn’t do enough to suit me. I ended up switching to a 1/2 wheat, 1/2 white loaf. It is still a dense loaf, but not as much. One thing that has made my hybrid bread less dense is to increase the rising time. I’ve been fiddling with the custom setting on my machine to get just the right loaf. Right now, I do a custom dough setting:

preheat - 25m
knead - 20m
1st rise - 45m
2nd rise - 45m
3rd rise - 1h, 15m
Then I bake it, starting in a cold oven at 300-325 degrees.

I’m no expert, this is what has worked so far. I would expect something like this to work for pure WW, maybe even a little longer rise time. I don’t know if you can ever get that store-bought squishy loaf. I’d be interested to hear what others have done, or what I could do better as well. I haven’t experimented with increasing the 1st 2 rise times at all.

 

[GardenMum232]

I’ve found – when making whole wheat bread – adding gluten helps a lot, because it’s makes the dough more stretchy, which allows it to rise more.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

My wife never puts wheat gluten in the bread and it is just HEAVENLY! It’s much much better without it IMO…

I’ve found – when making whole wheat bread – adding gluten helps a lot, because it’s makes the dough more stretchy, which allows it to rise more.

 

[Morwenna]

Gosh, what a great thread this turned out to be! I really love the kind and positive spirit that has permeated this thread (much like the smell of baking bread permeates the house on a winter’s day )

Many thanks to everyone who replied. I still don’t know if I’m actually going to ‘take the plunge’ and get one, but if I do, I know I’ll make a good decision based on all this knowledgeable and detailed advice that you have so generously offered.

Thank you again! :thankyou::curtsey::tiphat::flowers:

 

[SunshineZA]

Whole wheat bread: For a small bread in the bread maker I use 1 cup ww fl. and 2 cups cake fl. and increase the liquid slightly. 7ake on ordinary bread setting.

 

[Hatints1941]

Zojirushi BB-CEC20 Home Bakery Supreme 2-Pound-Loaf Bread maker is the latest best bread maker known to me so far… It is a dual-blade bread machine makes rectangular-shaped 2-pound loaves. The bread turns out perfect every time. This machine is so quiet and seems to be very well .