Baking Tips

How To Keep Bread Fresh

When you just start to bake your own bread there is a great chance that there won’t be much left at the end of the day, simply because it is so delicious to serve freshly baked bread.

However, once bread making becomes a natural part of your everyday life, then leftovers might start to appear.

So what do you do with the leftovers?

Some people make the mistake of storing bread in the fridge. However, this is not a good idea as it will strip the bread of moist and leave you with some dry, chewy leftovers after a short time in the fridge.

The best thing you can do is to store your bread in a suitable type of bread storage. The purpose is to keep the bread fresh for as long as possible, but it is also important to protect the bread from possible threats like flies, insects or mice. There are several different options that you can choose between.

Breadbox. A breadbox is a good choice. A breadbox is a storage container that you can use to store bread and other baked goods. It is usually placed on the counter top where you have easy access to bread all day long. It keeps the bread from going stale too fast. The breadbox allows you to store your homemade bread at room temperature which will delay the process of decay. The lid of the breadbox is loose which allows an airflow that reduces condensation. This means that the process of creating mold is delayed. A breadbox is usually made from plastic, but it is also possible to find wooden breadboxes, as well as breadboxes made from metal or pottery.

Bread storage container. There are other types of bread storage containers that are made specifically with the purpose of keeping bread fresh for as long as possible. Tupperware or Lock & Lock are good example of airtight bread storage containers. They are good for smaller loaves of bread or just for leftovers.

Bread Bags. There are many different types of bread bags that can be used to store homemade bread. Plastic bags can be used for breads with a softer crust. If you store a crispy bread with a hard crust in a plastic bag it will go soft really fast. Bread with a hard crust can be stored in a paper bag or a linen bag. Linen bags are good as they can be used again and again and they allow an airflow, where plastic bags can produce condensation.

Another good way to keep bread fresh is to freeze it as soon as possible. The faster you freeze the bread the more fresh it will be when you defrost it. You can freeze bread in plastic zip-lock bags or in containers like Tupperware. Let the bread defrost at room temperature and perhaps heat it a little before serving.

How To Use A Bread Maker

Getting your first bread maker can be pretty exiting. Opening the box and unwrapping the machine leaves you time for great anticipation. Setting it up, reading the manual and getting ready – but suddenly you might wonder the most important issue of how to use a bread maker. This article will take you through the different stages of bread making using a bread maker so you will become a pro in no time.

What is an automatic bread maker?

A bread maker is a machine that bakes bread from a-z. It’s an all-in-one baking device that kneads, rises and bakes the bread. All you need to do is to add the ingredients in the right order, and make sure that all settings are correct. The machine will do the rest for you.

The machine consists of a bread pan, that will shape the loaf, usually one or two kneading paddles and a heating element that makes sure that the bread is baked.

How to use a bread maker:

Get to know your bread maker

Make sure you read the instruction book carefully before you start doing anything else. Read if there are any necessary steps to make before you use it.

Then you can start inspecting it. Take the bread pan out, insert it again, observe how it fits together. Take the kneading paddle out a few times and put it back and see how it reacts.

Wash the parts that come in contact with the dough. Make sure you rinse it well in order to remove any left overs from the soap.

Become familiar with the settings. Find out how you adjust the loaf size, the crust settings and the timer.

Measure out your ingredients. It is important to be quite exact when it comes to the ingredients as the bread will not bake well if you are not exact. It is a good idea to weigh out your ingredients before you start adding them to the bread maker so you have it all ready before you start.

Control the temperature of the ingredients. It is best if the ingredients have the same temperature. If you use liquids like milk or yogurt then take them out of the fridge about ½ hour before you start adding them to the bread maker to make sure it has the same temperature as the remaining ingredients. This will allow the bread to rise properly. Some machines have a feature where the machine takes care of the temperature, so it starts mixing when all the ingredients have the same temperature. If your machine has this then you don’t need to worry about taking ingredients out of the fridge before adding them.

Add the ingredients in the right order. As a general rule you add the wet ingredients at the bottom and the dry ingredients last. Be careful especially with the salt and the yeast. The yeast should not touch any of the wet ingredients as this can prevent the bread from rising properly. You can make a little indentation in the flour where you can add the yeast as this will prevent it from touching the liquids when the kneading cycle starts.

Use the timer. Many bread makers allow you to delay the baking process. This is really useful if you want to have bread ready early in the morning so you can wake up to the smell of fresh bread. Or if you want to bake when you are not at home, then you can set the timer to have the bread ready by the time you’ll be home.

Choose your program. Most bread makers come with a large variety of programs that allow you to bake many different types of bread. The most common is the basic bread setting that will let you make a classic, white loaf of bread. Many bread makers also allow you to make whole wheat bread, sandwich bread, dough, gluten free bread, cake, jam, pasta dough, low carb bread ect. Many machines also has an express bake program. You also have to adjust the crust control depending on if you want a light crust or a dark crust.

Press start. If your machine has a feature of temperature control then nothing will happen until the ingredients have reached the same temperature. If your machine doesn’t have this feature then the machine will start mixing the dough.

Add extras if you want. Many bread machines have an alarm that will notify you when it is time to add extras like seeds, nuts, dried fruits, cheese ect. You can make delicious cakes and sweet breads by adding sweet, dried fruits, nuts and spices.

Decide if you want to remove the kneading paddles. Some machines allow you to remove the kneading paddles easily and will reshape the bread before baking. Other machines don’t have this option so you have to remove the dough and put it back in to get the right shape before baking. You can leave the kneading paddles in while baking. This will leave holes as you have to remove the paddles from the finished loaf. This will leave marks where the paddles have been. Some machines have technology that doesn’t make this a problem but other machines are designed in a way that they are hard to remove without destroying the bread. So be aware of this and find out how your model works.

Keep warm function. Most bread makers have a keep warm function that allow you to keep the bread warm for usually up to one hour.

Remove the bread after the baking cycle is finished. Don’t let the bread cool off inside the bread pan, the best is to remove it just after the baking cycle has finished. This will allow the bread to absorb the moisture properly and to let any excess evaporate. If you leave it too long in the baking pan the moisture will collect at the bottom and this can possibly leave you with a too moist bread.

Wash all the parts and the machine is ready for the next time. Most parts can be cleaned just using running water and soap. If you prefer to use the dish washer then check first to make sure that the parts are dish washer safe. However, most of the removable parts of often non-stick which is best to clean with a sponge, a bit of soap and some water. Non-stick is usually not good to put in the dish washer as it will slowly tear down the non-stick coating.

Store the bread. Don’t put your bread in the fridge as it will draw all the moisture out of the bread. Learn how to keep bread fresh and store it in containers, bread boxes or bags.

If you need more guidance you can watch this video for more details.

How to Make the Best Bread Machine Bread

When you first start out using a bread maker you might want to experiment at bit with different bread maker recipes until you find out how to make the best bread machine bread.

Bread machine bread differs from store-bought bread or oven-made bread in different ways. Bread machine bread tend to be fuller, slightly heavier and more dense in the texture. This might sound negative if you are used to airy, fluffy bread, but once you get the hang of it, you can make wonderful bread machine bread that will satisfy any bread loving person.

What exactly is a bread maker

An automatic bread machine is a great tool for someone who likes bread. It allows you to make your own homemade, delicious bread without the usual mess of having to knead the dough by hand.

An automatic bread maker is a machine that mixes the dough, kneads it to perfection and bakes the bread as well – all in one simple process. All you have to do is to measure out the ingredients and add them in the correct order.

There are few steps that you can follow in order to get the best bread machine bread every time. Use these steps as a guideline if you are new to bread making using automatic bread machines.

Get to know your bread maker

This is a really important step as every bread maker is different. Even if you had a bread maker before it might not function in the exact same way as the others. It’s sort of the same as with ovens – not two ovens bake a bread in exactly the same way.

Get to know your bread maker well by reading the manual and understanding the different settings. Then try a simple bread maker recipe on different programs, change the baking time and the crust settings. Compare the bread bakes on different settings and see which one you prefer. Get familiar with the settings of your machine.

Measure out your ingredients

When following a bread machine recipe it is quite important to be exact when you measure out your ingredients. If the recipe says 2½ cups of flour it means exactly 2½ cups of flour. Adding too little or too much will influence the result and since you don’t get to have your hands in the dough then you might not realize it before it’s too late. So always be exact when you measure out your ingredients.

Adjust the temperature

Also, you have to make sure that the ingredients have more or less the same temperature. This applies mainly to the liquid ingredients like water, oil, eggs etc. If your recipe requires eggs or milk, then you have to take these ingredients out of the fridge before you use them. Take them out of the fridge about ½ hour before in order to make sure they are not too cold.

Add the ingredients in the right order

This is extremely important or you risk that your bread machine bread will turn out as a complete failure. Follow the order of the recipe. Different bread machine brands come with a recipe leaflet and they also claim that you’ll only be able to get good results if you add the ingredients in the right order, even to the level where salt is added before flour. So until you have enough experience to make your own recipes you will probably want to stick with the instructions.

As a general rule, the wet ingredients have to be added first so they are at the bottom of the baking pan. The dry ingredients are added last. This allows the kneading paddles to move freely at first to ensure that all the ingredients are mixed together well before the actual kneading process starts.

Know your settings

As you have already studied the different programs of your bread maker then this step should be fairly easy. It is important that you use the right program according to the type of bread you are baking. Your bread maker will have different programs for example for white bread, wheat bread, whole wheat, gluten free etc. Most bread machines will also allow you to change the settings of the crust to be light, medium or brown according to your preferences.

Bake – clean – store

As the baking cycle has finished, many machines have a keep warm function that allows you to keep the bread nice and warm for usually up to an hour.

After removing the bread from the bread pan, you need to clean the bread pan in order to make sure that it is clean for the next time you need to use it. If there should be any left overs from the bread around the paddles then you remove these with warm water to make sure nothing stays.

Then it’s time to enjoy your fresh bread. Homemade bread tends to dry faster than store bought bread as there is no preservatives inside, so store your bread in a suitable container if you don’t eat it all the same day. Keep in mind that it stays fresh for up to 2-3 days if you store it well.