The smell of baked croissants in the morning can put a big smile on your face. I usually bake a bunch at home and during the week I make egg sandwiches for breakfast or lunch. It’s better than spending $3-$5 for a croissant sandwich when you can make a batch at home and save money. It’s just as good or even better. Here is an easy way to create the perfect baked croissant for when you eat it with coffee or if you want to make an egg sandwich with it. It’s easier than you think.
INGREDIENTS
5 cups of flour (all purpose)
2 packages of yeast
1/4 cup of sugar (white)
2 teaspoon of salt (kosher)
1 cup of water (warm)
3/4 cup of evaporated milk
1/4 cup of butter
2 eggs
1 cup of butter (cut in small pieces)
1 tablespoon of water (warm)
DIRECTIONS
Start by mixing the 1 cup of flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt. Then in a saucepan, heat the milk, 1/4 cup of butter and warm water. Once It’s warm, add the flour mix and 1 egg. Mix until It’s moistened then beat it at medium speeds for approx. 3 minutes. Leave it on the side.
Next you want to put 1 cup of butter into the rest of the 4 cups of all purpose flour until it’s the size of large peas. After that pour the yeast mix over the flour and butter mix then fold them together until the flour is moist. You want to cover it up and let it sit in the fridge for about 2-3 hours.
After time has passed, sprinkle some flour on the surface and place the dough so you can knead the dough approx. 6-7 times so all the air bubbles are released, then divide them into 4 equal pieces. Roll each of them into a 1/4 piece in a 16 inch circle then cut into 10 pie shaped wedges. Begin with the wider edge and roll the dough towards the point. After you do that place it on a un-greased baking sheet and make sure it’s point side down with the curve into a croissant shape. Cover it and let it rise for an hour.
Mix the 1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water then brush the rolls with the egg mix. Put them in an oven and bake them for 15 minutes at 350 degrees until they are golden brown. Once they are done, put them on a cooling rack or baking sheet. Enjoy!
ExpressBake Breadmaker Cycle Bakes in under 1 hour
3 shade/crust selections
13-hour delay bake
LED display
Easy-Clean Touch Control Panel
Non-Stick, Removable Baking Pan
Instruction Book With Bread Recipes
Dimensions (W x D x H): Measures approximately 14 x 13-1/2 x 19 inches
Weight: 19.2 pounds
Electric Rating: 120 volts / 600 watts
1-year limited warranty
Price: Under $60
The Sunbeam 5891 outperforms its low price. It’s so easy to use, compact, has a jam cycle and a crust-color selector, along with bake-only and dough-only settings -all the needed basic functions. Some owners complain about durability and the recipes book that comes with it. But still, you’ll love this machine.
Overall, the Sunbeam 5891 bread machine receives very good ratings. Among the relevant owner’s reviews, I specially liked the following one by Frau Schott because he expresses faithfully my feelings about this excelent machine, together with some useful hints.
Customer Opinion
Great Machine, Great Price By Frau Schott (USA)
Not having owned a Bread Machine before, I did my online research and decided to try a reasonably priced “good-enough tester” machine… Well, I’m very glad that I decided to purchase this “more-than-good-enough” model!
This particular model is fairly quiet while in operation, beeps after the 1st rest to indicate that it’s time to add the nuts/raisins, etc., and beeps after the baking cycle is completed (if the bread is not removed from the machine as soon as it’s done, it might lose moisture during the autokeep-warm cycle). I’ve twice made the recipe with pine nuts and twice made raisin-pistachio bread (from “the Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes”)… delicious.
The best part about this machine baking process is that it’s not at all difficult in any way.Here is the typical baking process:
Warm the liquid in a glass measuring cup in a microwave, stir in the salt/honey/sugar/butter in the warm liquid, pour the mixture into the baking pan, place the pan on the scale, adjust the scale to zero, add the required flour (1 flour cup = 4 to 4.5 oz), level the flour, add the yeast, twist to lock the pan into the breadmaker, plug in the breadmaker, select the crust color (best to try the “Light” color first), select the baking setting, after about 5 min. check the dough and add water/flour if necessary (very important step), remove the bread to a cooling rack as soon as it’s done, then wipe the baking pan when it’s cool enough. (It’s helpful to have a portable timer on you to remind you to remove the bread, wherever you might be.)
The clean up is so minimal that the bread tastes just that much better! And, whenever we want oven-baked loaves, I’d simply use the breadmaker’s dough cycle to lessen the clean up and do the rest as usual.
However, there are some negative aspects related to this bread machine:
1. The user manual is very uninformative for a new user, so don’t even bother. Instead, buy “The Big Book of Bread Machine Recipes” by Donna Rathmell German or other bread machine cookbooks and rest assured that the resulting loaves will be enjoyable and varied.
2. On my machine, I had to make sure to select the “light” color, else the loaf gets too brown/too thick crusted.
3. So far, all loaves have slightly caved/sunken/deflated as soon as the baking cycle kicked in. Although the loaves are just slightly sunken, and the appearance and taste were not affected in any way, I will try using less liquid than normal (for a firmer dough) to prevent the suken look next time.
Useful tips for new bread machine user:
1. Get a dependable scale, instant-read thermometer, and a liquid measuring cup (approximations might not work well when you’re new at using bread machines.)
2. For the basic cycle, if baking the bread right away, you can just place all the ingredients right into the baking pan regardless of the liquid-first order stated on the manual.
3. If adding additional flour/liquid to the baking pan, add carefully. Any spilled gunk on the bread machine’s bottom or heating element might take some scrubbing if baked in.
4. If additional kneading time is desired, just stop and restart the machine for additional gluten development/knead time.
5. For the initial confidence-building 2-pound loaf, try this tested recipe (might have to set your Sunbeam to “Light” color): 1 1/3 cups milk and/or water, 2 tb honey/sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons butter, 4 cups bread flour (I used Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose), 1 1/2 teaspoons active yeast, 1/4 – 1/3 cup of pine nuts/other chopped nuts (optional). Remember to check the dough consistency after about 5 minutes and add liquids/flour if too wet or too dry.
6. If the bread dough is over-rising at the top of the bake pan, either:
a. Simply scoop some dough carefully off the top, put the extra dough in a greased baking vessel of suitable size. Let dough rise a bit in the oven with the pilot light on, take dough out, preheat the oven at 350F-375F, spray some water in the oven to encourage crust formation, and then bake until the top is golden brown (internal temp. of about 180F to 200F); bake the other portion in the bread machine as usual; or…
b. Remove dough from the machine completely (separate the dough into two greased baking vessels of suitable size). Let dough rise a bit in the oven with the pilot light on, take dough out, preheat the oven at 350F-375F, spray some water in the oven to encourage crust formation, and then bake until the top is golden brown (internal temp. of about 180F to 200F).
7. Store bread in the freezer for fresh-tasting bread any time: divide the bread into serving portions, place in Ziplock bag(s) and store in the freezer; defrost (in the bag) in room temperature (or wrap the bread in a moist paper towel and microwave for a few seconds) before devouring. Make life even easier -bake extra loaves and freeze them.
Conclusion: If you like the taste of “just-baked” breads, but don’t like the messy cleanups and the typical baking-related efforts… well, this one is worth the try, and it is worth the price. Just remember to get a big bread machine recipe book and enjoy all the possibilities. Great machine(and great book)!
3 Loaf sizes: medium, large and extra-large (up to 2-1/2 pounds)
Settings for white, whole wheat, multigrain, French & quick breads/cakes
Bread crust control: Light, medium & dark
13-hour delay timer
Automatic shutoff
Rapid bake cycle
Add-ingredient alert
Bake Modes: Bake Only, Sandwich, Raisin, Dough and Pizza
Yeast Dispenser
Recipes booklet for 40 breads and doughs, plus baking tips
Included Accessories: Measuring cup & measuring spoon
Dimensions (W x D x H): 13.5 x 9 x 14 inches
Weight: 15.4 pounds
Electric Rating: 120 volts / 550 watts
1-year limited warranty
Price: Under $130
With this automatic, easy to use, Bread Baker you have the ability to bake delicious bread, freshly prepared and baked at home. Just place the ingredients in the non-stick pan, set your desired setting options, and it does everything else.
It provides you with many options: It mixes, kneads, rises, and bakes bread in three loaf sizes up to 2-1/2 pounds. Its digital controls offers you settings for white, whole wheat, multigrain, and French breads and three crust color options (light, medium or dark).
Additional settings allows you rapid baking and baking sandwich bread with a soft crust. It has a beeper signal for adding raisings (or other dried-fruit) so the fruit it’s not crushed during kneading.
The machine automatically adds yeast at the proper time from its built-in dispenser. It also bakes non-yeast, quick breads (like banana and gingerbread) and sweet cakes. And it mixes, kneads, and rises doughs for pizza, focaccia, croissants, and other pastries without baking them.
A timer permits the machine to be programmed up to 13 hours in advance so fresh bread or cake is available for breakfast or dinner. But it doesn’t have a keep warm feature once the bread is ready.
Its instruction booklet is very easy to understand and includes 40 bread and doughs recipes along with useful baking basics and illustrated tips for making pastries.
Customer Opinion
Has lots of options, and makes very good bread By Henry Perkins (Santa Clara, CA)
The Panasonic SD-YD250 is pretty much the state of the art in bread machine technology in mid 2000s. It’s one of the larger units around with a 2.5 lb. loaf capacity. This size will also eat up your counter or cupboard space: you need just under 14" of width and height, and 10" of depth, so keep that in mind when you order.
The bread consistency is excellent. It’s even pretty good in the "rapid" mode, though the results are a bit better in the standard bake mode so that’s what I generally use. Also, the "rapid" mode for whole wheat or multigrain bread is 3 hours (vs. 5 hours standard), so it’s not like you can start the machine at the beginning of a meal and expect completed bread before you leave the table. The fastest full cycle -(rapid" bake mode for white bread) is 1hr 55min.
The SD-YD250 is quieter than most earlier bread makers; however, you’ll still hear the clicking and whirring as it mixes and kneads the dough. It’s a neat idea to wake up to the smell of freshly-baked bread but the machine isn’t quiet enough to run in the bedroom unless you’re a very sound sleeper.
The options for this machine include the following:
Basic/rapid bake
Immediate start/timer delay
White/ whole wheat / multigrain
Sandwich (soft crust)
Crust color light/medium/dark
Raisin (pause and beep to add fruit or nuts)
Dough knead without bake
Bake without dough knead
Note that not all of these options can be combined. For instance: you only get crust color selection for white bread, and sandwich mode for white and whole wheat; multigrain bread always has a dark, tough crust (although the bread inside the crust is moist and well-textured).
The container inside really is nonstick (based on my not-so-lengthy use since I bought it) and the kneading blade does very little damage to the finished loaf. Ease of use and cleanup are both excellent.
Bread results are quite sensitive to variations in the ingredients in either weight, consistency, or age. Always use fresh bread flour and fresh yeast (bread machine yeast recommended) and the right amount of salt, sugar, and flour. The recipes in the included book specify flour weight in units like 16 3/4 oz., so it’s highly recommended that you get a digital kitchen scale for good results. Note that this will require still more counter space.
Summary: a very good machine, but you’ll need a fair amount of counter space and attention to details to get the best results from it.
Zojirushi BBCC-X20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine
Relevant Features
Automatic settings and customizable controls
2 Twin kneading paddles
Rectangular 2-pound loaf pan
3 Level crust control
13-Hour programmable timer
10 Baking cycles
Cake and jam settings
3 Recipe memory function
2-Hour quick-baking cycle
Sourdough starter
Dimensions (W x D x H): 17 x 10 x 12 inches
Weight: 21 pounds
Electric Rating: 120 volts / 700 watts
Owner’s Manual
Recipe booklet
How-to video
1-year limited warranty
Price: Under $195
For Beginners and Experts
The Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme is a state-of-the-art Bread Machine that combines a range of automatic controls with easily tailored options. It´s an excellent breadmaker for beginning bakers, not only for expert ones.
Because it controls the temperature while the dough is rising, it takes the guesswork out of the leavening process. Additionally, the two kneading blades and the enclosed temperature-controlled environment knead the yeast dough better than any other method. It has a “Preheat” option for all the bread cycles that automatically preheat the ingredients to bring them to room temperature for consistent results.
Its 10 cycles are designed for making everything from wheat bread to cinnamon rolls and can also be put to work for non-bread items like cakes, fruit jam, and homemade meatloaf.
Versatile controls let you use the dough-only function or make a loaf from start to finish, and handy programming options include a sourdough starter, a 2-hour quick-baking cycle, and three crust settings.
The timer allows you to set all controls up to 13 hours ahead, and three memory settings store your most-used recipes.
Structuraly, the Home Bakery Supreme has important plusses, a durable plastic body including twin kneading paddles, a broad viewing window, and an angled control panel.
What Are The Bakers Raving About
Two Kneading Blades. Instead of one makes sure that all ingredients are thoroughly kneaded. Additionally, the two blades knead yeast dough better than any other method. Not only does thorough kneading make the bread taste better, but it also prevents unsightly flour on the side of the bread.
Easy Gluten-Free Baking. If you are allergic to gluten, you can make delicious gluten-free bread. No more rock-hard gluten-free bread bought at the store.
Sourdough Starter Cycle. Many people like like it sour. Sourdough starter is a form of the original “leaven” for bread. Traditional it takes 7 to 10 days to prepare, but with this bread maker it takes 2 hours to prepare a light sourdough starter.
Quick Bake Cycle. If you are in a hurry, you can bake a reasonable good tasting bread in just 2 hours. Remember, good bread baking takes time.
Keep Warm feature. Just add the ingredients and set the timer before going to bed, and by the time that alarm clock sounds, you will smell the bread waiting for you. If you hit snooze, don’t worry. The Home Bakery Supreme also has a Keep Warm feature to keep that bread warm up to an hour after baking.
More than Just Bread. The Home Bakery Supreme has a cycle for jam and cake. It also works as a portable oven, so you can make other dishes such as meatloaf or lasagna without heating up your larger oven.
Large Viewing Window. Allows you to watch the kneading, rising, and baking processes, so you can make adjustments if you find it necessary. If you need a better look, lifting the lid to peek won’t stop the kneading or baking operation.
Home Made Menu function. With the three memory settings it allows you to adjust each cycle to your preference and remember it, so you can make that perfect bread. If not bread, cake. Or meatloaf. Or anything you wish.
The Recipes Book. Not only does this bread machine comes with an instruction video, it also comes with lots of recipes. The recipes range from basic white bread to raisin bread, whole wheat and fat-free bread, pizza, pretzels, cinnamon-raisin rolls, strawberry jam, chocolate cake, sourdough bread, and Zojirushi’s original Meatloaf Miracle. And more recipes are available at Zojirushi’s Web site.
Customer Opinions
I Never Knew By T. M. Figueiredo
This is my first bread maker. I love it and it makes great bread! I do have minor complaints. You have to clean the paddle posts really well, otherwise you have leftovers of the last loaf baked. And, when you take the paddles out of the pan, ensure you clean inside the paddles. Not a complaint, but I can’t imagine using any other crust color than light. It makes the crust a golden brown and a little thick on the ends. Otherwise, this is the best thing since “sliced bread”. The cookbook that comes with it is adequate. Look to investing in more breadmaker cookbooks if you purchase this.
Zojirushi BBCCX20 Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine By Charlotte J. Pilcic
My bread machine is prefect. I use it nearly every day. Some days I make 3 loaves of bread. The booklet states the machine will not work as good with home milled wheat. This is not so. I milled wheat kennels and make my bread from scratch. I have several friends who also mill their wheat and use this machine with success. My recipe is from the “Bread Becker’s” site , not from the Zojirushi booklet included; so you see, you are able to use your own recipes. You might need to make some adjustments with the timing which is easy because this Zojirushi has three homemade cycles that can be set up. When I make my recipe, I just schedule the machine to bake homemade #3.
My husband and children brag about the bread. It rises quite large and the loaf looks better than if I would have prepared it in the standard oven. I have made peach jam and it also turned out nice. I had another bread machine before this one and there are no comparsions with the results. I got the best price on Amazon after a lot of research. The Zojirushi cost is more than any other bread machine that I know of, but I am thrilled with this purchase.
It takes me 15 minutes to prepare the bread beginning with milling three cups of wheat. The machine has the bread ready in 2 hours and 34 minutes. The bread I make has 3 cups of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of ground flax seed,sunflower seeds, and honey which I consider healthy. I am particular about my purchases and I cannot find anything I dislike about this machine. My children thanked my husband for buying the machine for me.
