Breadmaker

[skyline]

At the risk of losing my mancard, I'd like to ask a question. Does anyone on here use a breadmaker? I bought one the other day and we're giving it the maiden run tonight. About 2 hours into the 3 hour process and I think I am an absolute failure... It's not looking anything like bread yet, just balls of flour and sugar and a lot of unmixed stuff packed around the edges. I think I broke the cardinal rules of breadmaking by using whole wheat flour that we had stored in the fridge, cold butter from the fridge, and I opened the top once to try to get the stuff on the edges to mix.

Is there anybody on here that can bake a loaf of bread in a breadmaker?

 

[Wewild]

I can.

Got 2 different ones. Best bread you can eat. Mine don't taste like loaf bread.

I think you are right about your error. You do have a book? What kind you got?

 

[skyline]

Wewild, it's an Oster Expressbake 2 lb Breadmaker. Bought it on sale at Walmart the other day. Seems to have all the bells and whistles. I bought it because I'm on a reduced sodium diet (inner ear disease). I've really been missing bread, and I found some low sodium recipes for bread in a book that I have been using. I was looking at the book from the breadmaker and trying to figure out how to use the thing. I didn't heed all of their warnings, but I think I've learned my lesson. I'm gonna go get fresh flour and butter tomorrow and try again. I was really hoping for some hot bread and blackberry jelly tonight.

 

[MO_cows]

We're on our second bread machine, wore the first one out I guess. If you substituted whole wheat flour but the recipe was designed for regular flour, it's probably not gonna come out real well. Not enough gluten; takes more moisture for whole wheat flour, etc.

Most of the time, the instruction book has recipes in it. You have to follow the recipe exactly with bread. Get some bread flour, it has more gluten and works up and rises better. There are recipes for whole wheat and other whole grain breads out of a bread machine, if you would like I can post a couple.

Once you get the hang of it you will love it. And you will be starved after smelling it baking for awhile, does anything smell better than bread baking?

 

[MO_cows]

And let me say that NO, you definitely do not have to turn in your mancard for cooking or baking. Instead you should get some gold, er...make that chrome, stars added to it.

 

[skyline]

Thanks MO, I feel better about that mancard thing... I went ahead and shut it down and threw out the brick that I was making.

I was using regular whole wheat flour. Do they make whole wheat bread flour? Also, do you warm your butter before you put it in or use it straight out of the fridge?

I was following a recipe. I would appreciate any recipes that you have been very successful with. Perhaps idiot proof ones?

Thanks.

 

[Wewild]

And let me say that NO, you definitely do not have to turn in your mancard for cooking or baking. Instead you should get some gold, er...make that chrome, stars added to it.

I'm gona let my wife read this. She does know how to plug it in though.

You will get it Skyline we do use bread flour (white) and mix in other types like half wheat. I am gona have to do some this weekend thanks to you. Thanks.

 

[skyline]

And yes, my little girl (7 years old) was up on the counter with her nose pressed to the vent on the machine soaking in the smells. It did smell good, even though it wasn't turning out right.

 

[grannysoo]

Real men know how to cook. :lol:

We've got a breadmaker and it works great. One rule to remember when baking however, is to follow the recipe. Follow it exactly.

When cooking, you can improvise, add or subtract, and everything can work out well. When baking, changing the ingredients or measurements most often leads to failure.

Look in the book that came with the machine. There will be recipes in it.

And... as to the lower salt diet, stay away from the processed foods and that will get rid of 75% of the salt from your diet.

 

[skyline]

Thanks grannysoo. I'm going to give it another try this evening. You are right about processed food. Eating out is difficult too. Especially fast food. I'm cooking most of my meals from scratch right now. I have a newfound love for fresh veggies and meat. Trying to stay between 1500 mg to 2000 mg of sodium per day.

 

[Jalopy]

Skyline you will be surprised how good everything begins to taste better eventually when you get away from salt. We never have added salt but both of us have blood pressure issues so we really watch our salt intake. When we cook and a recipe calls for salt we really try to decide whether it is necessary for the chemical reaction it adds or whether it is just for the taste. In bread making some times the salt or at least a portion of it is necessary to create the necessary chemical reaction for leavening. I cook and bake both but have never tried to use our bread machine. I fear I would probably make the hardest hockey puck around.Keep on trying you'll get it.

 

[skyline]

Went and bought bread flour this afternoon and the second attempt is in the machine. Looking much better this time around! It's mixing everything in there this time and rolling around in a big ball. Ready for the warm bread and blackberry jelly tonight.

 

[skyline]

Skyline you will be surprised how good everything begins to taste better eventually when you get away from salt. We never have added salt but both of us have blood pressure issues so we really watch our salt intake. When we cook and a recipe calls for salt we really try to decide whether it is necessary for the chemical reaction it adds or whether it is just for the taste. In bread making some times the salt or at least a portion of it is necessary to create the necessary chemical reaction for leavening. I cook and bake both but have never tried to use our bread machine. I fear I would probably make the hardest hockey puck around.Keep on trying you'll get it.

Jalopy - you're right. I've been at this for a few months now. Haven't used table salt since I was a kid, but cooking without salt is whole new adventure. Amazing how you begin to appreciate the other spices and seasonings when you stop using salt in your cooking. Onion is my new best friend.

 

[skyline]

Better, but more like a less dense brick than I expected. Back to the drawing board...

 

[I luv herfrds]

Well it takes some trial and error.
All of my recipes that are whole wheat call for some white flour in them.
Soft butter, not hard. The machine cannot mix hard butter. Look at melting it even.
I stopped using my bread machine, but from what I remember you put in the liquids first then the dry.

Hope you have better luck.

 

[grannysoo]

You are right about processed food. Eating out is difficult too. Especially fast food. I'm cooking most of my meals from scratch right now. I have a newfound love for fresh veggies and meat. Trying to stay between 1500 mg to 2000 mg of sodium per day.

Not trying to hi-jack your breadmaker thread, but a couple of things more on reducing your sodium...

Canned vegetables, beans, etc. Rinse well before using. That will remove a lot of salt.

Fast food - avoid like the plague. If the salt don't kill you, the fast food will. See if you can find the movie "SuperSize Me". It's an eye opening movie.

Eating out? Get away from that period. Make your meals at home and take them with you. We do it all the time, and most people are envious about what we eat. :nod:

There are a couple of sodium free "salt" type products out there in the spice section. They're not great, but they help when making the switch away from salt.

It's just as easy to make a big pot of something as it is a small one. Many times, it's actually easier to get your seasonings right. Make the big pot, eat, ziplock freezer bag the rest of it for another meal. You can get to the point where you can make a complete meal out of different ziplock bags in the freezer.

And always remember - spices are your friend!

 

[skyline]

Well it takes some trial and error.
All of my recipes that are whole wheat call for some white flour in them.
Soft butter, not hard. The machine cannot mix hard butter. Look at melting it even.
I stopped using my bread machine, but from what I remember you put in the liquids first then the dry.

Hope you have better luck.

Yep, I figured that cold butter was what was making my first batch look like a bunch of big marbles rolling around in the bread machine... :lol:
I melted it for the second batch and it worked a lot better. And yes you are right about putting the liquids in first.
I'm gonna give it another try after I choke down this first loaf. Hate to waste...

 

[skyline]

Not trying to hi-jack your breadmaker thread, but a couple of things more on reducing your sodium...

Canned vegetables, beans, etc. Rinse well before using. That will remove a lot of salt.

Fast food - avoid like the plague. If the salt don't kill you, the fast food will. See if you can find the movie "SuperSize Me". It's an eye opening movie.

Eating out? Get away from that period. Make your meals at home and take them with you. We do it all the time, and most people are envious about what we eat. :nod:

There are a couple of sodium free "salt" type products out there in the spice section. They're not great, but they help when making the switch away from salt.

It's just as easy to make a big pot of something as it is a small one. Many times, it's actually easier to get your seasonings right. Make the big pot, eat, ziplock freezer bag the rest of it for another meal. You can get to the point where you can make a complete meal out of different ziplock bags in the freezer.

And always remember - spices are your friend!

Great tips. I travel a fair amount for business, so packing cooked food on long trips is problematic. I've figured out how to survive in restaurants on a low sodium diet. Just takes a little longer to order and sometimes I feel like Meg Ryan ordering in that movie with Billy Crystal. Pretty high maintenance.

But I do cook when I'm here. I've been cooking most veggies from scratch - dried beans and frozen veggies. Fresh meats. No sausage, bacon, or lunch meats.

My doc said my sodium and chlorides were too low last week, so I must be doing too good of a job. Trying to find the sweet spot.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Cooking and bread making, etc., is like filling out your tax forms...

READ instructions, FOLLOW recipe EXACTLY. It's amazing how many people read stuff but don't pay attention to what they read or understand...lol!

;-)

 

[skyline]

I'm one of those guys that's too stubborn to stop and ask for directions too.... :nod: