Help. Would like to find a substitute for a bread machine.

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I have been prepping for y2k with hopes that it won't be that bad. (I'm hoping that we will have power) Prepping pestimistic, being optimistic. Anyway,I have lots of supplies in making bread, and for Chirstmas I received a bread machine. It requiers a special bread machine "flour". (I'm not much of a bread baker. Infact the kids still laugh at the last brick I made)

Is there anyone here who has made bread with a bread machine maker using regular flour or has made a subistute for the "bread machine flour"? I would rather use my preps than buy this pricey flour. Thanks, C.C.

-- C.C. (icemanltd@webtv.net), December 27, 1999

Answers

C.C., don't worry about using bread machine flour in your machine. You can use regular, all purpose flour, whole wheat, whatever you like. Bread machine flour is made from hard red spring wheat, which has a little more protein than regular flour, which is usually made from hard red winter wheat. This extra gluten means the bread will rise strongly, and it can be used alone or mixed with other, lower gluten (protein) flours. The kneading in an electric machine develops the gluten better than hand kneading, which is why it's offered for bread machines.

You don't need the bread machine mixes in a box, either. In my town, I buy King Arthur all purpose or King Arthur Special for Machines flour in a 5-lb. bag, and they are the same price. I don't see why the bread machine flour is more pricey than the regular, unless you're thinking of the boxed mixes.

Enjoy your machine! Start experimenting with some of the recipes in the instruction booklet. There's also a good sandwich loaf recipe on the King Arthur flour bag. Maybe someone can give a good link for a baking site to help answer questions. King Arthur has one at www.kingarthurflour.com

Order their free catalog. Reading one is an education in itself! Have fun with it!

-- Jill D. (jdance@mindspring.com), December 27, 1999.


CC My wife bought a bread machine last week, she got it out yesterday to make bread and found out you need special flour, which we didn't have. So she used our regular flour, worked good just didn't rise as much as it should have but very good.

-- CJ (woody1@netins.net), December 27, 1999.

CC,

It's my understanding that bread flour contains extra gluten. You can buy wheat gluten in health food stores & some markets.

Add 1 & 1/2 teaspoons per cup of flour for whole grain breads

Add 1 teaspoon gluten per cup of flour for white breads

-- flora (***@__._), December 27, 1999.


Reduce liquid by about a tbs. and throw in a raw egg. Makes all the little bubbles of CO2 strong walled so the bread can rise and you don't need expensive flour. Also adds to the flavor.

-- Dusty Miller (bakinit@llthe.time), December 27, 1999.

there's nothing magic about bread machines...or bread!!

liquid (water or milk), flour (any kind or a mix), salt (for flavor, but not too much because it inhibits rising) and yeast. Toss in an egg to make it keep longer.

The variations are infinite.

No offense, C.C., but it's a sad country where people don't know how to make bread and think that a bread machine is magic tool of some sort!

Make a few loaves by hand...with no recipe!! Once you get a feel for flour and yeast and gluten and kneading, and how the bread gets silky after kneading, you're on your way. Bread will become what it should be: the most normal, simple thing there is.

-- joe (joe@adeveloper.net), December 27, 1999.



FYI,

Once you learn to make bread by hand, if power becomes an issue, a solar cooker works fine to bake bread. I tried it. It is important to keep practicing; I second that!

-- Sara Nealy (keithn@aloha.net), December 28, 1999.


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