Boris,
I've had trouble getting the paddle out of my Oster ABM as well. I've found
that a few drops of vegetable oil will usually do the trick. Try that, and
use rubber gloves on your hands when trying to get the paddle out. You
might also try a bit of oil on the paddle stem before replacing the paddle
also. This seemed to solve the problem for me and made it easier next time
to get the thing off.
Connie,
I have a friend who can duplicate Great Harvest Bread. I've asked her how
she does it, and apparently the secret is in grinding the wheat berries
freshly. Any flour you buy will have the vitamin e removed and is
"enriched" with other things. This is because the flour will go rancid on
the shelves if the vitamin e is left in it. When you grind the berries
yourself, you end up with all the nutrients that are normally removed in
"store-bought" flours. This aids in the rising of the bread. My friend
also uses SAF instant yeast, and a tofu-based dough conditioner/enhancer.
The dough enhancer is not a preservative, it's just a mixture of a few
ingredients to help the yeast as the dough is rising. The most incredible
thing to me is that my friend can make a loaf of bread in about 90 minutes,
start to finish. She has a Vitamix that will grind the berries. I'm sure
the lightness of the loaf also has to do with the type of berries used; I've
heard that certain kinds of winter wheat are better than others.
Hope this helps.
Jenny