Everyone delights in the flavour and aroma of fresh bread. And the chill of winter is the perfect incentive to discover the satisfaction of bread making. No need to spend time and effort kneading bread dough by hand. Just press a button after careful measuring of ingredients into a baking pan and come back when the machine indicates that your bread is baked. Homemade bread – it’s that easy!

Tips for Successful Bread Machine Baking

• First, read recipe through completely. Gather and prepare ingredients and assemble extra equipment before beginning.
• Select either metric or imperial measures and be consistent through entire recipe (never mix metric and imperial). Measure all the ingredients accurately.
• Remove the baking pan from the bread machine when measuring and adding ingredients; do not measure over the bread machine.
• Follow your bread machine manufacturer’s recommended order of adding recipe ingredients.
• Consult operating manual for the best ingredient temperatures.
• Keep dried fruits, grains and cereals away from the liquid in the pan.
• Use the type of yeast and flour buy Propecia online specified in the recipe. Most recipes call for bread machine (instant) yeast and either all-purpose or bread flour.
• Make a well in the top of the flour for the yeast. It should not touch the liquid.
• Keep cinnamon and garlic away from the yeast as they inhibit the rising.
• Measure the dried fruit for the “add ingredient signal” and place them beside the bread machine before starting the machine.
• Do not use the timer for recipes containing eggs, fresh milk, cheese and other perishables.
• Do not omit the salt even if you are on a low-sodium diet. Salt is essential in yeast action.
• Do not make substitutions or omit any ingredients in the recipe.

Bread Machine Baking Pan Size

• Determine the volume of your baking pan by filling it with water using a measuring cup.
• Consult the chart below to verify the correct recipe size to use for your machine.

Bread Machine Sizes and Capacities

Triple-Seed Bread

This attractive loaf has lots of crunch! Consult the chart above for the correct size recipe for your own bread machine.

1.5 lb (750 g)

2 lb (1 kg)

2.5 lb (1.25 kg)

Yes, you’re reading it correctly: The 2 lb (1 kg) and 2.5 lb (1.25 kg) recipes contain the same amount of yeast.

3 lb (1.5 kg)

Method

1. Measure ingredients into bread machine baking pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer of your machine. Insert baking pan into oven chamber.
2. Select Whole Wheat Cycle.

Tips from the Pros

• Do not use roasted, salted sunflower seeds for this recipe. The extra fat and salt will make the loaf short and heavy.
• You can vary the kind of seeds you use, but keep the total amount the same.
• If your machine tends to bake darker loaves, try the Light Crust setting first.

About the Authors

Donna Washburn, P.H.Ec. and Heather Butt, P.H.Ec are Professional Home Economists and co-authors of 300 Best Canadian Bread Machine Recipes (Robert Rose Inc. 2009). They have extensive recipe development expertise working with many bread machine manufacturers and yeast companies. Other cookbooks by the same authors are: 250 Best Canadian Bread Machine Baking Recipes; 125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes; Best Gluten-Free Family Cookbook; Complete Gluten-Free Cookbook; 250 Gluten-Free Favorites; and 125 Gluten-Free Bread Machine Recipes – to be released April 2010. (All books published by Robert Rose Inc.). More information at www.bestbreadrecipes.com or contact bread@ripnet.com.

The Ontario Home Economics Association, a self-regulated body of Professional Home Economists, promotes high professional standards among its members so that they may assist families and individuals to achieve and maintain a desirable quality of life.

For further information contact:

Ontario Home Economics Association

Box 45, R.R. #5, Dundalk, ON N0C 1B0

Tel/Fax: (519) 925-9684

E-mail: meline.batten@sympatico.ca

or visit www.ohea.on.ca

The Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints: Dozens of Problem-Solving Hints and Troubleshooting Techniques for Getting the Most out of Your Bread Machine

by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway

Average Reader’s Score:

Paperback Edition:

Review

Rehberg and Conway are the authors of Bread Machine Magic, one of the more popular bread machine cookbooks. This time, they have compiled a troubleshooting guide, in part a response to the many questions they have received from their readers. There are chapters on bread machines (no ratings, however), ingredients, and adjusting recipes for special diets, as well as hints and solutions to problems, along with a handful of recipes (several are repeats from their first book). Expect demand from fans. Lacalamita is an avid baker who happens to be marketing manager for Welbilt Inc., manufacturer of some of the best-selling bread machines. However, his 100-plus recipes have all been tested using ten different machines, and the recipes are wide-ranging and very appealing. He includes both breads made from start to finish in the machine -his Old-Fashioned Country and Celebration Breads are particularly good- and Hand-Shaped Delights, started in the machine and then formed into Herb Grissini, Crisp Lavash, or Chocolate Babka, among other creations. Lacalamita’s informative introduction and readable headnotes cover much of the same ground as Rehberg and Conway’s guide. Highly recommended. BOMC HomeStyle Bks. alternate; BH&G alternate. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. – Library Journal

Betty Crocker’s Best Bread Machine Cookbook: The Goodness of Homemade Bread The Easy Way

by Betty Crocker Editors

Average Reader’s Score:

Spiral-Bound Edition:

Review

Old-fashioned bread the new-fashioned way, Betty calls it. Easy, convenient, modern. There’s no knead for loafing. Not with that fabulous combination in the kitchen: Betty Crocker and the bread machine.

The construction of this book, first of all, is wonderful. The cover is hard and the binding is heavy, enameled spiral. Each page lays flat on the counter, or you can hold the book open on one arm while doing something with the other hand. This suggests that Betty Crocker wrote her bread-baking cookbook with serious use in mind. She certainly tested her recipes. A variety of bread machines were used, which means that each recipe was tested a number of different times. Betty tells you exactly what kind of flour she used, as well as salt, size of eggs, kind of yeast, etc. She leaves nothing to chance.

Bread machine baking has its own peculiarities, and Betty addresses all these right up front, the hows and how-tos (as well as the whys and wherefores) of getting the perfect loaf every time. There’s a troubleshooting section, as well as a frequently asked question section. Then it’s right into the recipes, all 130 of them.

There are Good and Savory Loaves (Cheese Onion Bread) and Wholesome Grain Loaves (Toasted Almond Whole Wheat Bread), Fruit and Vegetable Harvest Loaves (Dried Apricot Bread), Smaller Can Be Just Right Loaves (these are one-and-a-half-pound loaves), and then several chapters on breads you start in the bread machine, but finish in the oven. These include braided sweet breads, pizza dough, rustic-style breads, and coffeecakes.

Any bread machine owner is going to love to loaf with Betty Crocker. – Schuyler Ingle

The Complete Guide to Bread Machine Baking: Recipes for 1 1/2- and 2-pound Loaves

by Better Homes and Gardens Books

Average Reader’s Score:

Paperback Edition:

Description

Here’s the must-have cookbook for novice and expert bread machine bakers! Filled with 180 classic, shaped, sweet, holiday, and savory breads, this book has a recipe for every occasion. Inventive, new recipes for 1 12- and 2-pound machines. Extensive guide for foolproof bread machine baking, with an easy-to-use troubleshooting chart. Tips for converting conventional favorites to a bread machine. Bonus recipes for butters and spreads. Mail-order sources for unusual flours or ingredients. – Amazon

Best Bread Machine Recipes: For 1 1/2- and 2-pound Loaves

by Better Homes and Gardens Books

Average Reader’s Score:

Spiral-Bound Edition:

Review

Homemade bread has long been appreciated, but the fact that it takes so long to make tends to discourage many cooks. Bread machines certainly decrease cooking time, and baking bread can again fill one’s home with wonderful aromas and delectable nourishment. This compendium of recipes includes a fine selection of breads–plain breads (beer, buttermilk, cheese, egg, potato, and rye); sweet and savory loaves, featuring veggies, herbs, fruits, spices; flatbreads; and shaped breads and rolls. The Better Homes and Gardens test kitchens provide clearly written basic guidance and helpful tips in an introductory chapter aimed at ensuring that cooks achieve the best results. – Alice Joyce (Booklist)

Bread Machine Magic, Revised Edition: 138 Exciting Recipes Created Especially for Use in All Types of Bread Machines

by Linda Rehberg & Lois Conway

Average Reader’s Score:

Paperback Edition:

Description

First published by St. Martin’s in 1992, this well-researched, top-selling bread machine cookbook set the standard in its field. The book is now revised and includes two-pound loaves, bringing it up to date for today’s machines. Bread machine owners will be delighted to find over 130 delicious, original recipes such as: -San Francisco Sourdough French Bread -Farmhouse Pumpernickel -Zucchini-Carrot Bread -Russian Black Bread -Banana Oatmeal Bread -Coconut Pecan Rolls -Caramel Sticky Buns -Portuguese Sweet Bread -And many more. These wholesome, preservative-free recipes have been carefully tested, allowing bread machine bakers to enjoy fresh-baked breads at home, with all the variety and flavor they crave. – Amazon

More Bread Machine Magic: More Than 140 New Recipes From the Authors of Bread Machine Magic for Use in All Types of Sizes of Bread Machines

by Linda Rehberg & Lois Conway

Average Reader’s Score:

Paperback Edition:

Description

Bread bakers have been clamoring for more of Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway’s magic. They’ve responded with More Bread Machine Magic, a collection of 140 of their best new recipes!

More Bread Machine Magic offers perfected recipes for an array of baked delights, from sourdough and pumpernickel loaves to sweet, savory, fat-free, whole grain, and sugar-free breads. More imaginative than the generic recipes that come with the machine, each recipe-tested in more than a dozen machines-features step-by-step instructions, hints, and creative suggestions for baking the perfect loaf, every time. There are also recipes for doughs that you prepare in the bread machine, fashioned by hand, and bake in a traditional oven, such as pizza crusts, focaccia, flatbreads, rolls,and even bagels. All recipes are adapted for 1-, 1 1/2-, and 2-pound bread machines.

Recipes include: cinnamon-raisin bagels, Scandinavian rye bread, Irish soda bread, pesto spiral loaf, New England maple syrup bread, heavenly herb rolls, petite brioche, butterscotch apple bread pudding, challah, sun-dried tomato mozzarella bread, and many more! – Amazon

250 Best American Bread Machine Baking Recipes

by Donna Washburn & Heather Butt

Average Reader’s Score:

Paperback Edition:

Description

The ultimate collection of bread machine recipes.

Home baked bread is one of life’s delicious pleasures. And nothing bakes bread as easily and conveniently as a bread machine.

These easy recipes meet the exacting requirements of this technology. Combining all the recipes from the author’s two previous bread machine books, this outstanding collection is a treat for all bakers.

250 Best American Bread Machine Baking Recipes includes such delicious recipes as: – Traditional Sourdough Bread and spicy Jalepeno Cheese Bread – International favorites: Irish Freckle Bread and Cranberry Walnut Kaffeekuchen – Healthy and hearty whole grain breads: Honey Berry Seed Bread and Whole Wheat Harvest Seed Bread.

Other recipes take advantage of a bread machine’s ability to prepare dough for a wide variety of treats, such as Sausage-Stuffed Stromboli or Giant Pecan Sticky Buns. Amazon

The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook

by Beth Hensperger

Average Reader’s Score:

Paperback Edition:

Description

The greatest invention since sliced bread may be the machine that makes the loaves that you dream of slicing. The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook finally bridges the gap between great taste and convenience, with over 300 glorious recipes for bread machines. The automatic bread machine makes it possible to enjoy fresh and signature loaves of bread without the time and expense usually involved in bread baking or purchased artisanal breads. Today’s bread machines are versatile, affordable, safe, and efficient, turning out perfect loaves time after time. Try Croissants or Banana Bread for breakfast, lunchtime sandwiches on Honey Whole Wheat Bread or Tomato Bread, a loaf of Garlic Focaccia or a Sage and Onion Bread-stuffed roast for dinner, or even Candied Chestnut Panettone and Pumpkin Cloverleaf Rolls for the holidays. Classic white loaves, hearty whole-wheat breads, sweet breads, swirled breads, pizza doughs, quick breads, even jams are easy to make right in the bread machine. Renowned bread baking expert Beth Hensperger’s best bread recipes yield great results– just add the ingredients, and let the machine knead, rise, and bake loaf after loaf of fragrant, delicious fresh bread. – Amazon

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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!

Article Source : Best Baked Croissants Recipe : ArticleBase

To see for yourself what I’m talking about, go get a loaf of bread that you’ve bought from the store, now read the ingredient list and google all of the really long words that don’t sound like natural ingredients. You will be shocked at what you discover.

For example, the ingredient “monoglycerides,” found in almost every store bought bread, is actually hydrogenated oil/fat otherwise known as trans fat. Hydrogenated oil is oil saturated with hydrogen at a high temperature. This creates tight bonds with the hydrogen which allows it to remain semisolid at room temperature and increases shelf life drastically by delaying rancidity. What allows it to be solid is how tightly the molecules of the fat bond to each other. In your blood stream this means the fat clumps to itself much easier and clogs your veins much easier.

This is why hydrogenated oils and trans fats have been labeled “the silent killer” because they dramatically increase the risk of coronary heart disease. The bread manufacturers try to be sneaky and put monoglycerides in the list of ingredients in place of hydrogenated oils to fool you. You could look at the nutrition panel on the same loaf of bread with the ingredient monoglycerides and under trans fats it will list zero grams. This is because under FDA regulations if the serving contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, the package is free to say it has zero.

But lets say you eat four slices of bread (with each serving containing 0.4 grams of trans fat) then you just consumed 1.6 grams of trans fat, despite the fact that the nutrition panel on your bread claims that it has zero grams of trans fat per serving.

You can’t trust store bought bread, it’s that simple. The bread manufacturing companies do what they can to save money in production of the bread but in the long run it costs you your health. The only solution that I’ve found is to bake your own bread. This isn’t as complicated as it sounds, it’s actually very easy once you learn how.

My favorite bread to bake is whole wheat bread because it’s so heart healthy and you get so many vitamins and minerals from it. If the whole wheat bread is made correctly you also get a really amazing tasting bread that can put store bought imitations to shame. I call them imitations because a lot of bread manufacturers actually use white flour to make “whole wheat” bread and then color it with caramel to make it look authentic. So again check ingredients on your bread. If the bread has unbleached enriched flour as the first ingredient you could actually be buying white bread disguised as whole wheat bread, look for caramel coloring in the ingredients list as well to prove this.

Other ingredients to watch out for:

Calcium sulfate: This is also known as plaster of Paris, this additive is used as a dough conditioner and firming agent. As it absorbs moisture and hardens quickly, one caution is that it can cause intestinal obstruction. It is banned in some countries.

Calcium propionate: This additive is used as a mold inhibitor but may be linked to migraines.

So do yourself a favor and start baking your own bread. It’s probably one of the greatest health choices you can make.

- Beth Scott

Beth Scott is the author of The Ultimate Whole Wheat Bread Baking Guide. For more information visit her Easy Bread Baking website.

There is no denying that bread baking as with baking anything is a delicate process.

Bread baking involves so many things that first time bakers are often discouraged after a few failed attempts to turn out professional looking and tasting loaves.

Little do they realize that if they only possessed the professional Baker’s secrets bread baking would be so easy that the bread would practically make itself!

For instance: How many amateur bakers know the secret to keeping bread from sticking to the pan every time?

None! So when they try their hand at bread baking for the first time their bread sticks to the bread pan, and ends up a crumbled mess if they try to force it out.

Then they cry and give up thinking that the problem lies with them.

The shocking truth is that it doesn’t!

The problem lies with their lack of knowledge of THE baker’s bread baking secret.

The secret professional chefs and bakers won’t tell you, the secret they guard so jealously.

My father happened to learn this bread baking secret in his younger baking days (which is no surprise since his great great grandfather was a chef for the White House and owned his own bakery) and has passed it on to his children ever since.

Okay, okay, I know you’re probably screaming at me by now “Beth, get on with it! Tell us the bread baking secret already!”

So here it is; You will need only one tool besides for the oil and bread pan you already have, and that is quite simply CORNMEAL (you shouldn’t need more than 1/4 to 1/2 cup for two loaves of bread).

“Cornmeal?” you ask doubtfully. “YES, cornmeal!”

No, you do not add the cornmeal to the bread ingredients! That is not the bread baking secret.

What you do is you oil your pan as usual, and you lightly sprinkle cornmeal on all of the sides and bottom of the bread pan.

Now you can safely place your bread dough into the pans without fear of it sticking to them.

While your bread is baking instead of sticking to the pan, your bread will stick to the cornmeal and slide easily out of the pan when done baking.

You may need to use a butter knife and slide it in between the pan and the bread before turning the pan over and allowing your bread to pop out.

A lot of the time this will be unnecessary however and your bread will pop out just by your turning the bread pan upside down.

You will probably also want to use the butter knife to scrape the excess cornmeal off the bottom and sides of the bread as you may not care for the taste of cornmeal.

This bread baking secret will work whether you’re baking a batter bread or a rising bread (also called yeast bread). I personally use it for both.

Here is another treasured bread baking secret, this one only for batter breads:

On the last ten minutes of its baking time cover the bread pan containing the batter bread with another bread pan (a steel bread pan works best), and leave it on until the bread is finished baking.

This will keep the batter bread from burning or becoming too hard on top. You may vary the time you leave the steel bread pan on according to how your batter bread usually looks when it is finished.

If it is a very dark brown on top and difficult to slice because the top is so hard, then 20 minutes will work best. But if it is just a little too hard on top and a little too brown the 10 minutes should suffice.

Do not cover the bread at all if it usually comes out golden and soft on top after the baking is completed.

You may also glaze a batter bread on top with a tablespoon of melted butter mixed with a tablespoon of honey, and sprinkle some flaked coconut or sliced nuts on top of that.

To glaze you start by taking the bread out of the oven five minutes before the required baking time is finished, then spread the butter/honey mixture on top of the bread, sprinkle on your coconut or chopped nuts and bake for the remaining 5 minutes.

Here is another useful bread baking tip for rising breads…

If your bread loaves over rise (say because you were busy and forgot about them), then you can use a pair of scissors to cut off the excess sides, being careful not to cut any dough from off of the top.

You may then use this excess dough to make rolls. You simply oil a pizza or cookie sheet and form the dough into several medium balls.

Rise them for another half hour and then bake on 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Do yourself a favor and put these tried and tested bread baking secrets immediately to use in your kitchen, and your family will rave over the results.

- Beth Scott

Beth Scott is the author of The Ultimate Whole Wheat Bread Baking Guide. For more information visit her Easy Bread Baking website.

The battle rages on…

On which side of this debate do you stand?

For that matter, which side should you REALLY be pulling for?

Lets weigh all the facts, the faults about each choice and determine which one we should honestly be proclaiming as “the honest to goodness best!”

The Faults of White Bread

1. White bread is nutrition less. Even fortifying it with vitamins can’t replace half of the nourishment that is lost through the bleaching and sifting process that is used on the flour which white bread is make out of.
2. White bread has a lot harmful chemicals and preservatives added to it to increase it’s shelf life, but they decrease your lifespan.
3. White bread is practically tasteless. This is a pro to some people but a con to a lot of others who enjoy tasty food.

The Faults of Store Bought Whole Wheat Bread

1. Store bought whole wheat bread would be extremely healthy and good for your body IF you could find a loaf made without fattening and nutrition less sweeteners like sugar (but no store that I know of sells any such thing).
2. Store bought whole wheat bread contains, unfortunately, the same chemicals and preservatives that white bread does, also to lengthen shelf life.

On light of this information which viewpoint do you now hold to?

Neither hopefully. There is only one thing you can do to make sure you are getting the best tasting, highest quality and healthiest bread. And that is…

Bake your own whole wheat bread! Read why you should below.

The Virtues of Home Baked Whole Wheat Bread

1. Home baked whole wheat bread tastes good. Home baked whole wheat bread has a very delightful taste that is probably the main reason (even more so than it’s health aspects) people prefer home baked whole wheat bread to it’s bland counterpart, white bread or unhealthy store bought whole wheat bread.
2. Home baked whole wheat bread contains vitamins and minerals your body needs. Medical studies have proven that all the B vitamins in whole grain foods help you to have a healthy heart, and guard against heart disease.
3. Baking your own whole wheat bread is not the least bit “difficult” either. Just learn the basics to baking bread along with a few proven recipes and you’ll be set.

- Beth Scott

Beth Scott is the author of The Ultimate Whole Wheat Bread Baking Guide. For more information visit her Easy Bread Baking website.

Let’s face it EVERY cook makes mistakes (yes, even professional bakers make boo boo’s).

I’m going to list here, the 7 most common whole wheat bread baking mistakes that you’re probably making, or might make if you’re not forewarned, and what you can do about to stop them.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 1

By far the most common bread baking mistake is when the salt is forgotten to be added to the whole wheat bread dough.

This results in very bland bread, and even effects the rising of the dough. Making your whole wheat bread flat on top.

The best solution for this is to use a post it note as a reminder to yourself, to add the salt to the whole wheat bread dough.

You can stick the post it note where ever you’re most likely to see it (fridge, recipe book, etc..)

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 2

The second most common mistake is when the whole wheat bread dough is allowed to over rise, which leads to it falling.

This usually happens when the whole wheat bread dough is forgotten about. And with so much going on our lives, who doesn’t forget things like this now and then?

But don’t fret, there is a solution: If the whole wheat bread is already in the bread pans when it over rises simply use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the excess dough off the sides of the unbaked loaves.

Separate and roll this dough into a few medium balls of dough. Allow them to rise 20 minutes to 30 minutes on a medium oiled cookie sheet, and then bake them on 350 Fahrenheit, for 15 to 20 minutes as whole wheat rolls.

Also allow the whole wheat bread dough to rise for about 15 to 20 more minutes before baking if it is extremely flat on top.

Another solution to help you keep from forgetting about your bread, is to use a timer which will beep loudly after the selected time period is up.

Using a timer can also help stop other whole wheat bread baking catastrophes from happening.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 3

When you heat up your water to put your yeast in, it is easy to accidentally make the water a bit too hot. This mistake will kill the yeast and your bread will not rise.

To correct this mistake I strongly recommend you invest in a cooking thermometer, to measure the temperature of the water with it.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 4

If the recipe you use makes too much dough for your family’s needs and you worry that the extra bread will grow stale before you use it, fear not.

It is perfectly safe to refrigerate unused dough for a few days and allow the whole wheat bread dough to finish it’s rising time once you get it out to use it.

You can place a ziploc bag or plastic wrap over bowls that contain your whole wheat bread dough, to store it in your fridge and prevent oxidation.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 5

Burned bread. Yup, nothing tastes worse than whole wheat bread which is black as charcoal.

To avoid this, be sure you follow baking times and temperatures strictly. And again use a timer to remind yourself when it’s time to remove your whole wheat bread from the oven.

Also remember that gas ovens and electric ovens vary in their temperatures. If you’re using an electric oven you should bake almost all pastries on 350 Fahrenheit.

Sometimes a recipe will call for you to start baking a loaf of bread on a higher temperature, but will also usually tell you to turn the heat down after a certain amount of time.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 6

Mistakenly or purposefully using the wrong type of flour. If you are baking whole wheat bread, the only way to get good results is by using whole wheat flour to bake your bread.

There are different recipes for all the different types of bread and they all use one specific flour for each recipe.

So don’t try any substitution hoping that by adding rye flour for instance, you will actually turn a whole wheat bread recipe into rye bread. Because you won’t.

Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 7

Last but not least there is the problem of air bubbles (also called ”pockets”) which create large holes inside the whole wheat bread, after it’s done baking.

The best solution for this is to pinch any such bubbles whenever you see them in your whole wheat bread dough, before you bake it. This will immediately deflate the bubble.

Now you are armed with the knowledge of the 7 most common whole wheat bread baking mistakes (most of which also apply to all other rising breads) and how you should deal with them.

So don’t let the bread mistake blues get you down ever again.

- Beth Scott

Beth Scott is the author of The Ultimate Whole Wheat Bread Baking Guide. For more information visit her Easy Bread Baking website.

For example…did you know that the inclusion of hydrogenated oils, artificial preservatives, emulsifiers, additives and other chemicals in bread became standard practice in the mid 1950′s?

At this same time whole wheat flour was replaced by bleached, enriched white flour. In this process, grain is bleached and sterilized with chemicals to make it white and soft.

It is then artificially enriched by adding vitamins, minerals and other materials destroyed in the chemical process.

Despite what you may have been told, trying to ”enrich” something with the very vitamins and minerals that were removed from it in the first place, does not make it even half as healthy as the natural unrefined version.

When you think about this, it doesn’t even make much sense.

It is also a growing practice in many bread producing factories to replace white flour with substances like alum, ground rice, and whiting.

Alum is the most commonly used of all these substances, because it gives the bread a whiter color and causes the flour to absorb and retain a larger amount of water than it would otherwise hold.

This enables the factories to produce bread which imitates bread made from a higher quality flour.

This tainting of your bread with harmful chemicals, such as potassium bromate, emulsifiers (both commonly used in bread production), and alum, jeopardizes your health.

Do you know why your store bought bread has such a long shelf life?

The mysteriously prolonged shelf life is because of a particular emulsifier used in making the bread. This emulsifier is mainly used as a softening agent and tends to deceive buyers as to the real age of their bread.

This emulsifier can hide the signs that your bread is rotting (it certainly doesn’t stop the rotting) for a few extra weeks, but the harm it does to your body (and the harm in eating the half rotten bread) makes the cost for this ”convenience” very high.

Is it any wonder then, that every year a growing number of people just like you and I, are being hospitalized with illnesses and incurable diseases?

Is it possible for you to protect yourself and your loved ones against unhealthy and harmful bread?

Well, buying bread from a store is certainly not the right choice to make. Even if you buy commercially produced whole wheat bread you’re not getting healthy food.

A lot of times what passes for whole wheat bread is actually white bread colored with caramel.

If the first ingredient in a loaf of whole wheat bread is unbleached enriched flour, then you’re not truly buying whole wheat bread at all, just white bread (loaded with chemicals) that is disguised as whole wheat bread.

There is only one true solution to ensure that you avoid poisonous, toxic bread. And that is to bake your own healthy whole wheat bread.

This is no where near as difficult as it sounds. In fact it’s dead set simple. All you need is a good proven recipe, and an expert guide to teach you just once what to do.

- Beth Scott

Beth Scott is the author of The Ultimate Whole Wheat Bread Baking Guide. For more information visit her Easy Bread Baking website.

The History of Bread

It is estimated that the first bread was made around 10,000 years BC or over 12,000 years in the past. This bread was more than likely flatbread, similar to a tortilla, made simply of ground grains (flour) and water that was mashed and baked. The first tools and implements used in the making of bread are dated to about 8000 years BC.

Egypt is attributed with popularizing the art of making bread. Egyptians are considered to be the agricultural pioneers of the old world, probably benefiting from interactions with Samaria. The closed oven was invented circa 3000 BC and allowed for more varieties of bread to be produced. It is around this time that leavened bread is first described, that is bread, bread with yeast added so that it would rise during production. Refined grains were considered superior and therefore were prevalent in the higher courts, so the poorer populations used barley and sorghum in their breads.

Around 1000 BC the Mosaic laws were introduced. These laws, in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, contained instructions to the nation of Israel regarding proper food preparation. When the Hebrew people fled Egypt during the legendary Exodus, they were forced to make unleavened (flat) bread in their haste. Leviticus declares a feast commemorating the exodus using flatbread. Bread is a ommon symbol of bounty in the Bible – Leviticus 21:22 declares, “He shall eat the bread of his God.” When the people of God were lost in the wilderness, they were fed manna, which was described as bread from heaven. The Christian Savior, Jesus Christ, is called the “Bread of Life”.

The bible also gives one of the earliest recipes for sprouted grain bread. It reads, in Ezekiel 4:9-17: “The thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.” While more than a year of nothing but this bread sounds like quite a marathon diet, analysis of products today using the same recipe show that it was a well-balanced, nutritious bread that yielded plenty of protein, fiber, carbohydrate, and healthy fat.

In 400 BC, around the time when Socrates was providing sage dietary advice, Plato imagined an ideal world. In this world, men would live to a ripe old age. Their main source of sustenance would be whole grain bread from local wheat.

168 BC saw the establishment of baker?s guilds in Rome. Bread even played a major role in politics when, in 40 BC, as part of a campaign, it was decreed that bread should be freely distributed to every male adult.

In 1202 AD, English laws were passed to regulate the production of bread. While many people are aware of the differences between whole grain (brown) bread and white breads, few realize that it caused quite a stir in 1307 when the white bread bakers and brown bread bakers split to form separate guilds! It was not until two centuries later, in 1569, that the guilds were reunited and called the “Worshipful Company of Bakers.”

As early as 1826, the whole grain bread used by the military was called superior for health to the white, refined bread used by the aristocracy. In fact, the term refined today comes from this fact. Before the industrial revolution, it was more labor consuming (and therefore costly) to refine bread, so white bread was the main staple for aristocracy. This made them “refined”.

In 1910, Americans were eating 210 pounds of wheat flour every year. The commercial bread-slicing machine was invented in 1912 by Otto Rohwedder, and unveiled in 1928. The 1930s saw the United States pursue a diet enrichment program to begin fortifying breads with vitamins and minerals after their discovery in the late 1920s. In 1941, calcium was added to help prevent rickets, observed in many female recruits to the military.

In 1956, it became the law to enrich all refined breads. By 1971 consumption of white bread had dropped to around 110 pounds per year, but by 1997 (possibly due in part to the low fat, high carbohydrate craze and the food pyramid) consumption was up to 150 pounds – still 60 pounds shy of the fit, trim Americans at the turn of the century.

Types of Bread

There are many types of bread. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

In the most basic form, grinding grains, adding water, and heating it produces whole grain flatbread. Whole grain bread is similar, only yeast is added so that the bread rises. White bread starts out similar to whole grain bread. The grain is processed, however. The hard, outer portion of the grain is stripped, removing fiber and many vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats that are naturally available. The remaining portion is ground to a fine powder, the enriched with a generic spray of vitamins and minerals. This is then used to bake the bread.

Spelt bread is a grain-bread, but made from special wheat that does not contain gluten. Gluten, a form of protein, is a common allergen and gluten intolerance or allergies are quite common.

Since whole grains are not sweet, sourdough bread is simply wheat bread with no sweetener added. Once a sweetener is added ? often high fructose corn syrup in commercial breads, but typically brown sugar, honey, or molasses in fresh baked breads ? it becomes the typical bread you are used to buying.

Varieties such as oat, barley, rye, kamut, triticale, millet, and even rice bread are simply variations using different grains other than traditional wheat. Sometimes seeds and spices are added, creating varieties such as basil, garlic, onion, or cinnamon bread.

Sprouted grain bread has increased in popularity in recent years. Traditional bread is made from ground flour from the hardened kernel of grain. Sprouted grain bread involves soaking the grain and allowing it to sprout. The sprouted seedlings are then mashed together and baked. Sprouting allows the enzymes in the grain to convert some of the carbohydrates and fats to vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Due to the changes that take place, sprouted grain bread typically is higher in protein, fiber, and certain vitamins and minerals than regular bread. It is also less refined and processed than even stone ground wheat bread, so it has less of an impact on your blood sugar.

Bread and Nutrition

Many commercial types of bread are highly refined. Enriched breads have the original nutrients stripped out and replaced with inferior, often lesser quantities of standard vitamins and minerals. Some companies will try to produce wholesome-looking bread by adding grains to the outside, even when the main ingredient is enriched bread. High fructose corn syrup is often added as a sweetener.

The first thing to look at when purchasing breads is the ingredients list. Look for breads where the very first ingredient is “whole grain” or “stone ground” rather than “enriched” (even if whole grains follow the enriched flour ingredient). Look for natural sweeteners like molasses or honey over high fructose corn syrup. Preferably, the sweetener and salt should be last on the ingredients list. If you consume high quantities of bread or keep the bread refrigerated, it will last longer and you can purchase fresher varieties that do not contain additives or preservatives. The most basic ingredients list will look like this: whole-wheat flour, water, salt. There should be a few grams of protein and fiber per slice ? low protein and/or fiber is a sign of excessive processing that has stripped these nutrients, and implies that the other nutrients will be missing as well.

Rye bread typically contains moderate portions of protein and fiber per slice. A 100-calorie slice will contain a few grams of protein, a few grams of fiber, around 20 grams of carbohydrate, and decent amounts of calcium and iron. The addition of flaxseed increases protein and fiber (for the same 100 calorie slice) but also adds trace amounts of health, unsaturated fats.

There are actually some amazing bread recipes that can be very beneficial for the bodybuilder. A variety of bread called “Men’s Bread” by French Meadow Bakery contains the following: Organic whole wheat flour, filtered water, organic flaxseed, organic pumpkin seeds, organic oat fiber, organic low fat soy flour, organic wheat flour, organic sesame seeds, organic raw sprouted fava beans, organic sunflower seeds, organic millet, organic pea protein isolate (non-GMO), organic wheat flour (wheat germ restored), soy germ isoflavone concentrate (non-GMO), organic sprouted quinoa, organic sprouted amaranth, organic sprouted spelt, organic sprouted kamut, wheat gluten, organic sprouted barley, organic sprouted oats, organic sprouted wheat, unrefined sea salt.

This power-packed ingredients list provides a 100-calorie slice of bread with essential fatty acids, 5 grams of fiber, and 8 grams of protein to only 11 grams of carbohydrate. It is abundant in over 13 vitamins and minerals. Compare this to a typical slice of white bread, which contains no fiber, trace amounts of protein, and double the carbohydrate.

Summary

Bread has been around for ages. While trends such as low carbohydrate nutrition or low fat dieting come and go, bread is here to stay – people “earn their bread” or “bring the bread home” and are constantly looking for the “best thing since sliced bread”. Before eliminating bread from your program, consider the many types of bread that are available and decide if there is one that suits your needs. Bread can increase your protein intake, add fiber to your diet, refill you muscles by supply quality carbohydrate in addition to healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. People are always looking for the next great protein or power bar. Why not try a slice of bread?

Copyright © 2005 Jeremy Likness

About The Author. Jeremy Likness is an internationally-selling author, motivational speaker, and health coach. His unique coaching services have assisted people around the world with losing hundreds of pounds of weight. Jeremy is the author of “Lose Fat, Not Faith: A Transformation Guide”. To learn more about Jeremy and his unique form of coaching from the heart, visit www.naturalphysiques.com/hire/.