>I'm still looking for the "DAK customer service tips" list of bread machine
>tips that was posted to this list a long time ago.
I originally posted it a while back and since it's not that long I
decided to repost it. Hope others find it useful.
BTW, DAK is officially out of business. They're holding a clearance
sale, but I think it's only for local customers. I'll probably visit
them at least once to see what's available...
greg
gkwan@pacesetter.com
gkwan@ece.uci.edu
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Here's the hint book I got with my DAK breadmaker 2 years ago.
In the latest _Gourmet Gazette_ Kaplan says he's preparing a
new list of hints he'll distribute with the next set of recipes.
[my comments are in these square brackets--my breadmaker is now 4
years old and I doubt there's going to be more _Gourmet Gazettes_]
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HELPFUL HINTS FOR DAK'S AUTOBAKERY FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Why this booklet..................................... 1
How much gluten should I add?........................ 2
What's the best water temperature?................... 3
What's the best flour to use?........................ 4
Bread crust is too brown............................. 5
Altitude adjustment.................................. 6
The loaves rise too high............................. 7
The middle or top of the loaf is
uncooked or underdone.............................. 8
Helpful cooking hints................................ 9
How to clean the autobakery..........................10
Self test............................................11/12
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WHY THIS BOOKLET
Dear Fellow Breadmaker,
Welcome to the wonderful world of bread baking using your
DAK AutoBakery!!
Over the past year we've been collecting tips and suggestions
from fellow bread-making DAKonians (and coming up with a few of our
own from the DAK kitchen) and we'd like to pass a few of them on to
you. "Helpful Hints for DAK's AutoBakery from Customer Service" is
a compilation of those ideas. "Helps" include how to perform the self
test; what to do if the crust of your bread is too brown; cleaning
methods; what flour is best to use; and what to do if you live at a
high altitude.
Again, DAK Breadmaker, thanks for your assistance and we look
forward to the opportunity to serve you in the future.
Happy baking!!
Your friends at DAK
1.
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HOW MUCH GLUTEN SHOULD I ADD?
What is Gluten? Wheat gluten is the natural protein derived
from wheat. It is basically wheat flour with the starch removed. It
will promote higher rising, improved shape, enhanced flavor, increased
protein, and extended freshness. Gluten may be ordered from DAK
(#5320) for $1.89 ($0.50 P&H) [this is a 10 oz. box], or you may find
it at a local health food store.
In most recipes, adding one tablespoon of gluten will assist
in the loaf rising, but isn't mandatory.
(SUGGESTION: If bread flour is unavailable, and all purpose flour is
used, we recommend adding one tablespoon of gluten to all recipes
except the oat bran recipes.)
2.
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WHAT'S THE BEST WATER TEMPERATURE TO USE?
The ideal temperature for the water/liquid for use in the
recipe is 105 to 125 degrees F. As a guideline, the water should be
hot to the touch.
What kind of liquid can I use? Very soft water will make a
soft, slicky dough that does not rise well. If your water is very
hard, you'll find that a tablespoon of cider vinegar or lemon juice
added to the water will make a better bread.
Many liquids can be used in baking bread: water, milk,
fruit juice, soy milk, potato water, egg and others.
3.
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WHAT'S THE BEST FLOUR TO USE?
Of the brands on the market, we have found the following
work quite well:
Pillsbury(TM) Bread Flour
Gold Medal(TM) - Better For Bread (Yellow Package)
King Arthur(TM) (East Coast)
4.
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WHAT IF THE BREAD CRUST IS TOO BROWN
We have found these options help keep the crust from be-
coming too brown:
1) Reduce the amount of sugar by one to two tablespoons.
2) Use honey in place of sugar, cutting the quantity in
half.
3) Use the sweet bread setting instead of the recommended
setting.
4) Use a sugar substitute and use the same recipe require-
ments as for sugar. (This may seem strange to those who
use sugar supplements in other ways. There will be no
aftertaste when the sugar supplement is cooked. There-
fore, a one to one ratio is used when using a sugar
substitute.) [Note: be sure that the substitute can
be heated/cooked; not all can.]
5.
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ALTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
Those DAKonians who live in a high altitude area (3500 to
6500 feet) may find it necessary to make some altitude adjustments
in procedure. According to the high altitude directions on the Gold
Medal Better For Bread Flour(TM) package, "Rising time may be
slightly shorter". General Mills recommends that you start with
the minimum amount of flour the recipe calls for. Different brands
of "high altitude flour" may be purchased to compensate for the
difference in altitude.
6.
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WHAT IF THE LOAVES RISE TOO HIGH?
There are two ways to avoid this:
1) Follow the recipe, measuring correctly.
2) As the loaf rises, make a small hole in the loaf with
a toothpick just before it goes into the baking cycle.
(NOTE: Do not use a knife.)
**To Make Cleanup easier: Coat the inside of the dome with
Pam(TM) or other cooking spray.
7.
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WHAT IF THE MIDDLE OR TOP OF THE LOAF IS UNCOOKED OR UNDERDONE?
If this occurs, the following steps will assure that the loaf
is completely cooked.
Between the last stage of fermentation and the baking cycle use
a baking brush to brush the top of the loaf with one of the following:
1) A beaten egg with one to two tablespoons of water, mixed
into a fine glaze.
2) Egg white, cream of tartar, and approximately one to two
tablespoons of water mixed into a fine glaze.
3) Melted butter.
After brushing the top of the loaf and closing the lid, create
an aluminum foil "shield" to cover the outside of the dome.
8.
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HELPFUL COOKING HINTS
When choosing to substitute ingredients, results may vary.
A few attempts may be necessary to obtain a successful loaf. If you
try a recipe substitute and find it successful, we'd appreciate
hearing about it. Please write to:
DAK Industries
Customer Service Department - Auto Bakery
8200 Remmet
Canoga Park, CA 91304
Some recipes call for egg whites. We have found that gently
folding the egg whites into the recipe works much better than simply
adding them into the ingredients.
9.
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HOW TO CLEAN THE AUTOBAKERY
When cleaning the Autobakery, we have found the following
to be the most effective:
1) A mild soap and water solution
2) A cleanser such as "409"
3) A white vinegar and water solution. (A 3 to 1 ratio
of water to vinegar works best.)
Use a damp sponge or cloth, and NEVER "flood" the Breadmaker
with any of the above solutions.
As you know, you can remove the red flexible seal at the
bottom of the well. A gentle tug is all it takes. When the seal is
out, use a toothpick to remove leftover ingredients from around
the motor shaft and seal area. This area should be clean to allow the
seal to be replaced.
10.
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SELF TEST
If you experience problems that suggest your Breadmaker
could be faulty, the unit has a self test which will help you de-
termine what to do.
When performing the self test, the most accurate results
are found when the unit has been cold for at least two hours.
First, please remove the inner pot. This is done to save
the inner pot and will not affect the outcome of the test. Now,
please follow these steps:
1) Unplug the breadmaker.
2) Press the "CLOCK" button* and "CLEAR" button on the
display area and place the plug into the electrical out-
let while continuing to press the buttons.
A display of "8:8" ("12:12" on some models)
should show on the LED. If not, go through steps 1 and 2
again until this display is shown.
3) Press the "CLEAR" button again. You should now see a
sequence of numbers begin to be displayed on the LED.
These numbers merely mean that the machine is going through
its test cycle... the numbers themselves aren't important
to observe.
11.
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*NOTE: On some models there is no "CLOCK" button. Instead, press
"TIME OF DAY" Button.
4) The test will take about 20 minutes. At the end of the
test, you should see a display of "E123" (on some models)
or "11:11" (on some models). Such display values indicate
that the machine is functioning properly.
If you receive a message on the LED screen reading "E55",
please try the following procedure.
Look into the upper left hand side of the baking
unit. You will see four screws and a metal heating sensor
located between the top two screws. Please take a 2 inch
by 6 inch strip of aluminum foil and drape it over this
sensor, allowing the lid to hold it in place. Then repeat
steps one through four.
If any values other that the ones listed in step
four (4) appear on the display, this means the machine
failed one of the test cycles and needs repair. Please
contact DAK's Technical Department for assistance (Toll
Free 1-800-888-9818).
[I tried this self test on my machine and got "8:8" as
the initial value and "11:11" as the final value. Be
aware that the machine will heat up for a while and then
turn on the fan. The test took about 10 minutes for my
machine. The machine remains in the test mode after the
self test--pressing "CLEAR" brought up the "8:8" display
and pressing it again seemed to start the test all over.
I cycled power to it and then reset the clock. As far as
I know, this self-test is only for the original DAK Auto-
Bakery; I don't know if it works with the Turbo version
or with WelBilt machines.]
12.
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