Bread Makers – How to Properly Use Bread Mix
Some may think that after the purchase of a bread maker, all they have to do is throw the required ingredients inside it, close the lid, and turn the machine on, and BOOM – bread!
However, unfortunately, that’s a myth!
Last update on 2024-12-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Even with some of the best rated and easiest to use bread machines, the process is not become a fully automated one. Of course, and you have to tend to a few other things before letting the machine run alone in the kitchen.
One of those things is the bread mix!
It is basically the element that will soon become the bread that you are going to eat. Therefore, it must be treated and prepared accordingly. One little mistake while preparing the bread mix can lead to a ruined loaf of bread – which means you’ll have to start the process again.
Even with a bread maker, baking is still a science!
Of course, we learn as time goes by, but it’s a good thing to get some advice and vital information when it comes to certain things. You can’t send a rocket into space with zero knowledge.
While making bread using a bread maker is not rocket science – it will surely give you an astronomical taste if the bread mix is dealt with properly.
Therefore, without any further ado, let us tell you how you should use bread mix in a bread maker the right way!
Successful Mixing and Use of Bread Mix
Before we get into how you properly use the bread mix in a bread maker – it’s important that the mix is done properly.
The first couple of times you will, obviously, follow the instructions that come with your bread maker.
There, you will be explained what to put inside the machine and in what quantities in order to make the perfect bread. However, most of the times, you will find out that the recipe does not result in a loaf of bread that satisfies you.
This can be quite disappointing!
You’ll now have to develop your own way of making the bread mix and how to use it inside the machine so that the loaf of bread that comes out of it is just as you like it.
The first thing you may notice is that your bread maker does not mix the ingredients well enough for them to make the optimal bread. If that’s the case, you’ll have to get back and pre-mix your mix. However, this only works best when you are using the timer delay setting on your bread maker – and not when the machine immediately starts baking after you put the ingredients in.
But, if you use the timer, let us tell you a good way to mix your ingredients.
First, you have to add the water, salt, sugar, fat, and egg in the bread maker’s recipient – which can be usually removed for cleaning or such.
Then, you can proceed and start mixing the ingredients you have added so far – by moving the container or by using a wooden spoon, for example. As for the flour, you place it in a heap in the center of the mentioned recipient, after which you will make a hole in its center and put the yeast there.
After you’ve done all this, you can set the timer and expect your loaf to come out better than before.
Of course, you can and will always experience with different ways of mixing the ingredients so you’d create the perfect bread mix – you might also change the amount of some ingredients to get the best results.
In short, don’t be worried about making changes to the bread mix recipe and be confident when personalizing it to fulfill your needs.
Interacting With the Bread Mix and the Bread Maker
Another thing you can do to make sure that your bread mix is properly used by the bread maker is to interact with both of these elements.
Don’t be afraid to open the lid of the machine and take a look at the dough as it is being mixed or kneaded. After all, you have to make sure that it has the proper viscosity, and that it’s not too dry or too stiff.
After you made sure that the dough is just the way you want it and after the machine has completed the kneading part of the process, you can use a kitchen towel or a paper towel – to wipe the excess flour that can be found inside the container. The excess of flour can cause floury spots on the loaf’s crust.
Another thing you can do to optimize the use of your bread mix is to remove the paddles inside the machine right before the loaf of bread begins to bake. Timing this can be quite tricky the first few times, but if you get the hang of it, you’ll say goodbye to holes and rips that may appear on the bottom of your bread.
Now, as the final thing you can do to make sure your mix is properly used – you can always shape the dough, while it is inside the container, to give it the form a loaf of bread should have.
Usually, at the end of mixing and kneading, the dough is left with a rather ugly shape, which can lead to an ugly-shaped loaf of bread. But you can change this, and if you do so, the bread mix will be evenly spread inside the container which means that the baking will happen as it should.
Of course, when talking about the proper use of bread mix, some things may come ahead of other – like the order you use to put the ingredients inside the machine or what kind of ingredients you decide to use when making the mix.
But, after all, if you stick to what we’ve said so far in this article, you can be sure that your bread mix is put to good use. Just as if you would make the dough by hand, tending to the bread mix you are going to put in the bread maker before and even during the baking process will provide you with a fine loaf of bread.
If you’re looking for a great gluten free recipe, look no further! Here it is – Best Gluten Free Bread Machine Recipe.
