This Bread Machine Dough Recipe Makes the BEST Homemade Bread! (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour to use in a bread machine? ›

Bread flours tend to have more gluten—the stuff that makes flour stick together—so breads made with it will rise better and be chewier. All-purpose flour works fine, although you'll need to adjust your ratios slightly (King Arthur Flour recommends 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour to 1 1/4 cups liquid if you're using all-purpose).

It's healthier.

The downfall is that homemade bread goes bad much quicker than the standard store bought bread, but that is only because it does not contain the additives and preservatives store bought bread has. Store bought loaves also do not have much nutrition as well.

Because with a little attention to the process, minor intervention, and clever use of presets such as the Dough program, it makes high-quality, homemade bread ever more attainable, and even more of a regular fixture in the kitchen.

Bread machine yeast and rapid-rise yeast are specially formulated for the bread machine and become active more quickly than active dry yeast. You can use active dry yeast in your bread machine, but it should be dissolved in water before being used.

Too much heat or humidity might lead to a too-quick rise and a crevice near the center of your bread. Conditions that are too cold might delay proofing or rising, resulting in a super-dense loaf.

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

'Any nuts, seeds, small or chopped dried fruits, olives, fresh thyme or rosemary can be added without changing the dough.

How do you keep homemade bread light and fluffy? ›

How can you keep homemade bread soft and moist? Store bread in an airtight container or plastic bag: This will help trap the bread's natural moisture and prevent it from drying out. Keep bread at room temperature: Storing bread in the refrigerator can cause it to dry out, so it's best to keep it at room temperature.

Salt adds flavor to bread. If none or too little is used in a recipe, the bread will lack the right flavor and taste "bland." If you reduce the amount of salt, try adding some dried herbs to increase the flavor. Too much yeast in bread will give bread an off-taste.

One disadvantage of using a bread maker as opposed to your hands is that the paddles are typically fixed, meaning they remain in the dough when baking, often leaving a hole in the middle of the loaf. Whilst this is not the biggest hinderance, it can be an annoyance to those who aim for gold standard loaves.

Some attribute the demise of the bread machine to the fact that cooks were just disappointed by their results. Lara Pizzorno, the author of Bread Machine Baking, chalked it up to food snobs who regarded the machine as “the electric equivalent of The Bridges of Madison County” in a 1996 article in The New York Times.

Making bread from a machine is marginally cheaper than buying it, as long as you eat bread frequently enough to offset the cost of the appliance. Specifically, I see this as an investment that's smart for households that go through bread quickly, like large families or homes with multiple roommates.

King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour is perfect for bread machines. Its relatively high protein level (11.7%), and the quality of that protein, allows you to use it in recipes calling for either bread flour or all-purpose flour.

Whole-Wheat Flour

Whole-wheat flour is much heartier than all-purpose flour and produces denser baked goods with a more robust flavor. Milled from wheat berries with the nutritious bran and germ still intact, whole-wheat flour is rich in fiber and essential micronutrients like iron, magnesium and vitamin B6.

Can I Use Bread Flour Instead Of All-Purpose. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, but it can be used in place of all-purpose flour and vice versa. However, keep in mind that the higher protein content of bread flour may result in a dry dough or batter, so you may need to add water.

So yes, you should use bread flour in the recipe. It has higher protein than all-purpose flour and will help your bread rise better and hold its shape.