Breadmakers anyone?

[bebopdobop]

So, anyone have a bread maker? I have a Just for dinner Westbend breadmaker. It is the best. Makes small loaves in only 45 minutes. Its so nice to be able to have fresh bread in as much time as it takes to cook dinner.
I remember when I was younger my parents had a large bread maker. The loaves were so large. Sandwiches out of the bread were huge. Now that its just me and my husband, having a little loaf of fresh bread is great. None goes to waste.
Just curious if anyone else uses a breadmaker.

 

[bethzaring]

I use my breadmaker several times a week. I make mostly dough and bake things off in the oven; bread for slicing, dinner rolls, pizza crusts...couldn't function without my bread machine!

 

[Katie H]

I have 2 Welbilt bread machines and, often, have both of them running at the same time. However, I only use my machines to knead the dough and put it through the first rise.

Once the machine is done with those two processes, I shape my bread the way I want depending on what I'm making, then bake in the oven. I make ALL the bread Buck and I eat. When I say ALL, I mean it...loaf bread for toasting, sandwich bread, hamburger and hot dog buns, bagels, English muffins, Italian bread, baguettes, dinner rolls, you name it. I haven't bought commercially produced bread in too many years to count.

I wouldn't be without my bread machines.

 

[pacanis]

I make ALL the bread Buck and I eat. When I say ALL, I mean it...loaf bread for toasting, sandwich bread, hamburger and hot dog buns, bagels, English muffins, Italian bread, baguettes, dinner rolls, you name it. I haven't bought commercially produced bread in too many years to count.

I'd love to know more about this.
I hate running into the store to buy large rolls for loose meat sandwiches or hot dog buns when I'm in the mood for hotdogs, only to have the "leftovers" turn moldy if I don't eat them up right away.
Is it feasible for a guy (with a large appetite ) to make his own rolls when needed? Can you make just four rolls of a particular kind? A small loaf of Italian bread?
It's not like bread is expensive, but like I said, I hate running to the store when I'm in the mood that requires a certain type of bread only to throw out what doesn't get used right away.... or having to eat hamburgers three days in a row to use them up.
Freezing or refrigerating just doesn't cut it. Neither did trying to use the Foodsaver.

 

[Cajun Cook]

Been wanting a bread machine for awhile but haven't gotten one yet. The one I have been looking at is the Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine. It is so dang expensive though. So far, we have had too much else to spend money on around here to justify it. There is nothing the like taste or smell of home baked bread.

Jim

 

[Katie H]

Cajun, I can't offer advice on different machines. I bought my first one in 1999 at a day-after-Thanksgiving sale for about $25. The second one I found at a thrift store for $2. They are both Welbilt and I couldn't be happier with them.

They don't have a whole lot of whistles and bells, which is fine for me because I primarily use them to do the kneading and first rise.

 

[Cajun Cook]

Hi Katie, advice and information is always welcome. The reason I was looking at the Zojirushi was because it makes a horizontal loaf and plus a few other features I haven't found on others. I think I understand your point though. Would it not be better to just get an inexpensive one now and enjoy some fresh bread? Point well taken and I appreciate your input.

Jim

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I'd love to know more about this.
I hate running into the store to buy large rolls for loose meat sandwiches or hot dog buns when I'm in the mood for hotdogs, only to have the "leftovers" turn moldy if I don't eat them up right away.
Is it feasible for a guy (with a large appetite ) to make his own rolls when needed? Can you make just four rolls of a particular kind? A small loaf of Italian bread?
It's not like bread is expensive, but like I said, I hate running to the store when I'm in the mood that requires a certain type of bread only to throw out what doesn't get used right away.... or having to eat hamburgers three days in a row to use them up.
Freezing or refrigerating just doesn't cut it. Neither did trying to use the Foodsaver.

I use 2 breadmakers at a time and make bread all the time but like Katie, I only use it for the dough and bake in my regular oven. (I recently got a big KitchenAid stand mixer, which I used for making double recipes of dough for Thanksgiving rolls.) Anyway, I found a recipe in Cooks Illustrated for buttery dinner rolls that I used for the first time for turkey day. The reason I used that recipe was that it gave directions for making the rolls and then freezing them (unbaked but after the second rise).

It said to freeze them on a cookie sheet for about 6 hours and then place the frozen rolls in a big zip lock bag. That way, you can take out how ever many rolls you want and pop them in the oven still frozen to have fresh baked rolls anytime. The testers said the rolls tasted just as good as the rolls baked immediately (never frozen) and suffered no loss of taste or texture as long as they were used within a month. By golly, they were right and the rolls were wonderful!

I think this would work great for someone like you and a bread maker would make the perfect amount of dough.

I'm sure there are many other recipes that can be frozen and baked later but I'm new to this so I don't know any. Katie E.................We need your knowledge and recipes!

 

[Katie H]

Yeah, my first complaint with the earlier bread machines was that they made a "tall" loaf and not the more familiar horizontal one. The other challenge was the "bellybutton" the kneading paddle made in the final product.

Neither of those "problems" bother me anymore because I only use the machine to do the heavy lifting as it were. Once that's done, I shape my loaves, etc. and bake as necessary.

I have a variety of specialty bread pans that take care of all our bread-making needs.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Yeah, my first complaint with the earlier bread machines was that they made a "tall" loaf and not the more familiar horizontal one. The other challenge was the "bellybutton" the kneading paddle made in the final product.

Neither of those "problems" bother me anymore because I only use the machine to do the heavy lifting as it were. Once that's done, I shape my loaves, etc. and bake as necessary.

I have a variety of specialty bread pans that take care of all our bread-making needs.

I have one that makes the tall loaves and one with 2 paddles that makes the horizontal loaf but like you Katie, I bake in the oven. Really, once the dough is made and it's risen, baking is a snap! Plus I tend to do rolls and hoagies and breadsticks rather than loaves.

BTW One of mine (the horizontal loaf) I purchased used from ebay for $50 shipped and the other I got last Christmas from a One Day/One Deal website for $32 shipped (a refurb that looked brand new). So look around. Also check GoodWill and the Salvation Army.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I have a variety of specialty bread pans that take care of all our bread-making needs.

Katie, do you use silicone baking pans? That's all I have so it's all I've ever used. They seem to work great but then again, I have nothing to compare to.

 

[Katie H]

No, don't use silicone pans. For loaves, I use glass and bake at 400 degrees F.

For Italian bread and baguettes, I have perforated metal non-stick "sling" pans that came from King Arthur Flour. My hot dog and hamburger bun pans also came from King Arthur.

For English muffins I use English muffin rings, but empty 8-ounce pineapple cans with the tops and bottoms removed will work just as well. I have 8 rings and 8 pineapple can "rings."

I bake my sandwich bread in a pain de mie pan. I have a standard, if you can call it that, and a commercial one, which makes a very large loaf.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Did you get both of the pain de mie pans from King Arthur Flour, Katie? I would love to have one of them and I think I'd need the large one.

 

[Katie H]

Did you get both of the pain de mie pans from King Arthur Flour, Katie? I would love to have one of them and I think I'd need the large one.

I have their largest one, plus I have a commercial one I purchased at auction that is about 6 inches longer than the King Arthur one. LOVE both of them.

I had to adjust my regular sandwich bread recipe to fit the larger pan but, because I learned "ratios" in school, it was relatively easy to do so. I'm a numbers person. Just ask Buck. Sometimes I make him crazy.

I have other goofy-shaped pans that I've gotten at thrift stores/yard sales/auctions that I make bread in, too.

What can I say, I'm a breadophile.

 

[pacanis]

It said to freeze them on a cookie sheet for about 6 hours and then place the frozen rolls in a big zip lock bag. That way, you can take out how ever many rolls you want and pop them in the oven still frozen to have fresh baked rolls anytime. The testers said the rolls tasted just as good as the rolls baked immediately (never frozen) and suffered no loss of taste or texture as long as they were used within a month. By golly, they were right and the rolls were wonderful!

I think this would work great for someone like you and a bread maker would make the perfect amount of dough.

Super! That's just what I needed to know.
So is making your basic bread and various rolls pretty cut and dry.... just follow the recipe, or is there a certain learning curve? Other than potatos or pop-up muffins, I've never baked a think in my life.

 

[suziquzie]

I used to use the bread machine for all my dough also, still do when I'm time cramped. But since I got my Kitchen -Aid with the dough hook I've been finding that just as easy, and you can monitor the state of the dough a bit better, the water content always seems to change with the seasons on me.

 

[GotGarlic]

Super! That's just what I needed to know.
So is making your basic bread and various rolls pretty cut and dry.... just follow the recipe, or is there a certain learning curve? Other than potatos or pop-up muffins, I've never baked a think in my life.

I have a breadmaker I use occasionally (don't remember the brand). It came with a recipe booklet. As long as you read the manual first and follow the recipe, you should be fine. I don't bake much, because everything has to be pretty much exact, but the recipes work. HTH.

 

[buckytom]

just an fyi for this thread. a very old post.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f23/breadman-bread-machine-recipe-4390.html

 

[kadesma]

Hi Katie, advice and information is always welcome. The reason I was looking at the Zojirushi was because it makes a horizontal loaf and plus a few other features I haven't found on others. I think I understand your point though. Would it not be better to just get an inexpensive one now and enjoy some fresh bread? Point well taken and I appreciate your input.

Jim

Cajun cook,
although I now do my breads by hand, I use to have a zoji it was at least 15 years ago that I got it and just recently gave it away..But I highly recommend the machine. We loved it and my husband had fun making bread all by himself I just prefer taking out any frustrations on the bread dough and ending up with a good thing....Bread
kadesma

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Super! That's just what I needed to know.
So is making your basic bread and various rolls pretty cut and dry.... just follow the recipe, or is there a certain learning curve? Other than potatos or pop-up muffins, I've never baked a think in my life.[/quote

I can only speak from my experience, as someone who has only recently begun to try and learn to really cook and bake, as opposed to reheating and nuking.

When you get a bread maker, buy a box of Krusteez country white bread mix and make sure you have a measuring cup with good markings and a food thermometer. The only big thing you can mess up in baking yeast breads is the measurements and the temps. With a box mix, everything comes in it and all you add is water. The temp is very important for the yeast to activate properly. The reason I say get a box first is that while you will eventually make much more spectacular breads, this is instant success and it will get you hooked. There are other brands of mixes but some are dreadful IMO. The only one I remember that is good and available everywhere is Krusteez. Maybe the others here will be able to recommend other brands.

What I do is this - set the bread machine for dough. Put the water and then the mix and finally the yeast on top in a little well you make with your finger. Turn it on and go away. It will beep when the dough is done and has risen. Preheat your oven to 400. Take the dough out and divide it into 12 fairly equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a stick, about a length to fit side by side on a baking sheet. (If you line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat, you will never have to wash it.) Once they are rolled out and laid out on the baking pan, you can brush them with melted butter, if you like. You can dust them with garlic powder,too. But they are yummy without anything. Bake for 10 minutes and you will have some fat, delicious bread sticks - similar to the ones at Olive Garden.

I'd also recommend buying a couple of bread maker books. Used book stores are full of them and they all give you lots of info and recipes. The one I use most is called Electric Bread, I think. If you read them carefully, they list all the potential pitfalls and recommendations for brands of flour, etc. Soon, you'll start making your own "mixes" from scratch because they taste great and are really inexpensive.

BTW, if you're trying to sell your house or impress a date, the smell of baking bread is a real turn-on for pretty much everyone!

HTH, Pacanis. Let us know how it works for you.