How To Use Your Bread Machine To Make More Than Just Bread

If you own a bread maker, you know how convenient it can be to make homemade bread. But did you know that it can be used to make a variety of different bread products such as rolls, buns and even pretzels? It's true. If you know a few simple techniques you can turn any bread maker into a source for delicious homemade baked goods.

The advantage to a bread maker is that it provides a warm, draft free environment for yeast dough to rise. Many people do not have a problem with the mixing and kneading, it is the warm environment for letting the bread rise that can be an issue. Bread makers will heat the chamber so that it can remain undisturbed and allow the yeast to do its job.

If you look at a bread maker, most will have a dough setting. This is the setting that you will use to make everything from dinner rolls to pizza crust. The dough setting has the same mixing, kneading and rising periods that the bread settings do, but you do not need to worry about getting the dough out before the baking chamber heats and bakes the dough.

Many bread makers come with a recipe book that will give you recipes for different types of dough. They may range from pasta dough to coffee cakes. They are a really good starting point for making other types of baked goods, since they will give you an idea of how long to bake these items and what temperature you should be baking them at. It may take a bit of work to adapt the baking times to your oven, but it is well worth the effort.

If you have a favorite bread recipe that you love to make in your bread maker, it can be adapted for use as rolls. You simply add the ingredients as per the instructions and after it has been mixed, kneaded and the dough has risen, you can take it out and form it into buns or other items. Many people who do not like the shape of a bread machine pan will always take out their bread dough and bake it in a conventional bread pan.

There are many different bread machine cookbooks on the market that have amazing recipes in them. It is also possible, with a little practice and experimentation, to adapt most standard bread recipes for use in a bread maker. You just need to remember not to allow the salt and the yeast to come into contact or the bread will not rise. You may also need to experiment a little with baking times and temperatures if you are transitioning a bread recipe for use as dinner rolls.

If you want to find ways to make your bread machine even more versatile, you should try making the dough you create into other foods such as rolls and buns. You will be amazed at the different ways that you can use this useful machine to introduce nutritious homemade breads into your family's diet on a daily basis.

There is nothing more delicious than sourdough bread hot from the oven. While you can get wonderful sourdough bread from your local grocery store or baker, it is even better if you can make your own at home. The key to being able to make sourdough bread is a good sourdough starter.

Sourdough starter is what gives the bread its distinctive taste and is often used instead of yeast to allow the bread to rise and become light and fluffy. The main active ingredients in sourdough bread are the lactobacillus bacteria and naturally occurring yeast. It is this and the fermentation process which takes place that gives sourdough bread a tangy flavor. It was used for many years as a way to leaven bread (cause it to rise) and it is still popular in many areas for its flavor and texture.

There are many different recipes that you can use to make sourdough starter. You may have one that has been handed down through your family, or you might be able to find one in a recipe book that you have just purchased. There are as many variations on sourdough starter as there are bread makers and each one has its own basic flavor.

Purists recommend making your own starter by leaving a mixture of flour, water and other ingredients out to attract natural yeast. Another method is to purchase a small amount of starter from a recipe or bakery and then feed this in order to grow it large enough to use in baking. Either option is good, but you can be more certain of success if you use a commercially available starter.

A sourdough starter uses live bacteria in order to cause the bread to rise. Because of this you need to make sure that you are feeding your starter so that it does not die. When you are keeping sourdough starter, you will want to make sure you are feeding it with flour and water. This feeds the yeast in the starter and keeps it from spoiling.

You can keep your starter on the counter or in the fridge. Where you keep your start will depend on how frequently you use it. If you do not use it often, you will want to keep it in the fridge. If you are using it ever day or every other day, it can stay on the counter. Be on the lookout for changes in color and smell. It should smell yeasty and as if it is fermenting. If your starter goes pink or grey, or if it has a very unpleasant odor, you may have allowed it to spoil.

You should always feed your starter when you use some of it to make bread. However, even if you have not used any to make dough, you will need to feed it every three days or so, in order to keep the starter fed and happy. If you keep your start happy, you can keep baking bread with it for years to come.

Great sourdough bread begins with a delicious starter. If you find a good recipe and pay attention to your starter you will be amazed at the wonderful things you can create.