Tips for the Bread Machine

There is nothing better than baking healthy bread for your family. Baking made extra easy with your very own bread machine! With a little know how this can be done manually. However it can also be a lot of work. This is particularly true when your family consumes several loaves a week. A bread machine can be one of the best investments that you can make. It doesn't have to cost you a lot and it can help save a ton of time. Once you have decided on a machine, there are a few guidelines that will help with your baking.
Tips:
1. Get familiar with your machine - Make certain that you learn about your bread machine's features on day one. You should become very comfortable with it. Don't be scared to kick the tires. Review the owner's instruction booklet, observe how the machine opens and closes etc... You should be familiar with most if not all of its functions and the control panel.
2. Determine your machine's capacity - Look for your bread pan's capacity in the owner's manual. You can also test it yourself. You can complete your own calculations using a simple measuring cup to fill the bread pan up with water.  Just add one cup of water unitl your bread pan is full.  Remember for a 1 1/2 pound bread pan it should take a little less than 10 full cups of water. You should be able to fill up a 2 pound bread pan with about 12 cups.
3. Understanding your Bread Machine's Settings - Now the first time you do this, make sure that you have your instruction manual handy.  You will be amazed by the different things that your new machine can do and hence its settings.  Make sure you cover at minimum the basics, Start/stop, timing functions and cycles.
4. Ingredients - Now this next section is extremely important.  Your ingredients determine your success.  It doesn't matter whether you are using a family recipe, one from online or one from a cookbook.  As you know, the basic ingredients are flour, butter, salt, sugar, yeast and water.  When utilizing a recipe from online or a family recipe, you must remember to adjust your ingredients accordingly.  Was your recipe for a 1 1/2 pound loaf or a 2 pound loaf?  Any modifications that you make should contain ingredients that are in the same ratio as your original recipe.  Your owner's manual should have a few recipes for comparison also.  The amounts and your ingredients are extremely important so be prepared to devote some time to this area.
As you know there are a number of bread making machines on the market, all of which you can choose from.  For the most part, they all do the same thing.  How well your loaves come out depends largely on the items mentioned above.  The proper care of your bread maker and the proper preparation of your bread should allow you and your family to enjoy tasty loaves for many years to come.  Let's bake something fresh tonight!

For more tips, recipes and Bread Making Machine resources, head on over Bread Making Machines Now.

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