In response to Debbie Nance's question about the value of a bread machine,
I offer my experience with them.
I've been baking bread by hand ( and incorporating ingredients with my
11-year-old 5-quart Kitchen Aid mixer, which I love, and have never ever
strained or overheated, then finish the final kneading by hand) and have
not bought commercial bread since 1990. I very much enjoy the "zen" of
baking bread and the creative process of turning very banal ingredients into
something fragrant and alive, smooth to the touch of your hands. Yes, it is
almost magical, the making of bread.
I purchased my first bread machine from Williams-Sonoma in 1994, and was
the last person in all of my family to get a bread machine. Ironically, of
all those I know, I use my machine more than anyone. To date, 680 loaves
of delicious bread have emerged from this machine. I have not kept count of
how many batches of dough it has mixed and proofed for rolls, pizza,
pretzels, and foccacia. I also bought a second machine, also from
Williams-Sonoma, in 1998, and have baked 50 loaves to date and made
countless batches of dough with it. Both machines are in use concurrently
on many occasions, whether to
make loaves or to prepare dough. I am extremely pleased with the quality of
my machines and the bread and dough they make. (Williams-Sonoma is a
wonderful company. They have knowledgable sales people, quality products
and they stand
behind their merchandise. I have learned over the years that you get what
you pay for!)
I was hesitant to buy a machine at first, for after having made bread by
hand for so long, it was difficult to consider delegating that control to a
machine, but in reality, you are still the baker and the machine only does
what you tell it to do. It is wise topeek at the dough in the early stages
of kneading to make sure that the dough looks like it is supposed to. The
machine can't think for you; you must adjust flour or liquid to achieve the
right consistency, just as you would by hand when the moisture content of your
flour varies by season. (Please don't just add the ingredients, close the
lid, and walk away!) Delicious, healthful bread can be made with very
little time and effort on the part of the baker. The 5 or 10 minutes of careful
measuring, and a peek or two at the kneading dough is not much to do, to
ensure a successful loaf of "electric" bread.
Many people have written in about problems with dried fruit disappearing
into the dough as well as not being incorporated into the dough. I suspect
these concerns stem from the exuberance (or lack thereof) of the particular
machine's kneading style. I have never had either of these problems, and my
dried fruit goes in at the very beginning.
A bread machine is a great boon in the summertime, when the garden is
exploding, and the last thing you want to do is heat up the oven. A simple
summer meal is pizza made with dough made in the machine, and cooked on the
grill outdoors. In the winter, use the machine to prepare the dough, and
then shape the dough as desired and bake in a conventional oven. Creative
shaping is one of the more rewarding and fun aspects of breadmaking, and
the loaves will look like you took a great deal of time and care in their
preparation. You still get to play with the dough! Beautiful challah and
other ethnic holiday breads can be made with a batch of machine-made dough,
and the baker will get all the kudos and compliments.
Excellent bread can be made with a bread machine. As with anything, much
depends on the quality of the ingredients. Unbleached flour, without added
bromate or other chemicals,produces the best results. The folks at King
Arthur flour feel that the best straight yeast dough is that which is made
in a bread
machine. The greatest potential for gluten development is reached by the
winding action of the paddle. Whether you choose to let the machine mix
the dough and bake the loaf, or use it to make dough, a good bread machine
is a valuable assistant in the cook's room!
Happy Baking!
Carolyn Dandalides