This Bread Machine Dough Recipe Makes the BEST Homemade Bread! (2024)

FAQs

Do bread machines make good bread? ›

Because I was trying the machine with a money-saving mindset, I appreciated that I didn't have to buy any specialty ingredients to get consistent results. In terms of taste, the bread was good—very good—but not necessarily life-changing.

Too much heat or humidity might lead to a too-quick rise and a crevice near the center of your bread. Conditions that are too cold might delay proofing or rising, resulting in a super-dense loaf.

Homemade bread contains no chemicals, artificial additives, preservatives, or enzymes. These are often used in store-bought bread to make them stay fresher for longer and enhance the taste.

King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, with its high gluten, is an excellent flour for bread machines. Numerous people have told us that their recipes worked in the bread machine using King Arthur, when they didn't work with other all-purpose flours.

One disadvantage of using a bread maker as opposed to your hands is that the paddles are typically fixed, meaning they remain in the dough when baking, often leaving a hole in the middle of the loaf. Whilst this is not the biggest hinderance, it can be an annoyance to those who aim for gold standard loaves.

Some attribute the demise of the bread machine to the fact that cooks were just disappointed by their results. Lara Pizzorno, the author of Bread Machine Baking, chalked it up to food snobs who regarded the machine as “the electric equivalent of The Bridges of Madison County” in a 1996 article in The New York Times.

The Very Best: Instant Yeast

Instant yeast is the only yeast I ever use in my baking. Always have and always will. The yeast of choice in most restaurant kitchens and commercial bakeries, it's easy and convenient.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Because of the short rise time, all recipes will require more yeast. That means that any lean bread you make will taste primarily like yeast since you haven't added anything else to cover the flavor.

What are the three most important ingredients in bread? ›

There are all kinds of ways to take your average bread dough to new places. Make it more flavorful and sticky with sugar, or soften it up with some dry milk powder. Here's how to arm your pantry with bread boosters. Sweeteners such as malt and honey are used to add flavor to bread dough.

While bread flour is more than adequate for everyday breads, some professional bakers use high-gluten flour with a 14% protein content to provide extra strength to dense, chewy doughs like bagels and pizza dough. High-gluten bread flour gives milk bread it's taut structure and compact (but tender) crumb.

The acidic environment created by vinegar inhibits mold and bacteria growth, helping your bread stay fresh for longer.

You add the ingredients, and the bread machine makes and bakes the bread in one handy appliance. Liquid ingredients are added first, then oils or fats, dry ingredients, and finally yeast (if your recipe calls for it). The machine will mix, knead, rise, and bake the dough to a beautifully soft bread with a crisp crust.

It'll save time and give reliable consistent results every time - perfect if you're not much of a baker. But if you enjoy the process of making dough and creating rustic artisan loaves, you'll be better off baking them in your oven. A bread machine will feel too restrictive for you and won't be worth the counter space.

The Verdict

Bread machines require some upfront investment and involvement. But they undeniably save significant money over time, especially for frequent bread eaters. The convenience, tastes, and health perks are added bonuses. Taking the homemade approach is the financially smarter choice.

A loaf made from beginning to end in a bread machine tends to have ugly holes where the blades were; a less aesthetic shape; a denser structure, and a thicker crust. Whereas oven-baked loaves rise higher, and the shape and flavor can be easily varied. It also has a better crust and a chewier consistency.

VERSATILITY: Your bread maker will be able to create dough only-this allows you to shape your finished bread into buns, braids, etc. Some bread makers also have a “preserves” function where you can make jam. These are the only two things you can really do with a bread machine though.