Archive for 'measuring cup'

by Donna Washburn, P.H.Ec. and Heather Butt, P.H.Ec.

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

Capacity of baking pan Recipe size
6 to 9 cups

(1.5 to 2.25 L)

1.5 lb (750 g)
9 to 12 cups

(2.25 to 3 L)

1.5 lb (750 g) or

2 lb (1 kg)

12 to 16 cups

(3 to 4 L)

2 lb (1 kg) or

2.5 lb (1.25 kg) or

3 lb (1.5 kg)

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)

1-1/4 cups water 300 mL
1-1/4 tsp salt 6 mL
2 tbsp vegetable oil 25 mL
2 tbsp liquid honey 25 mL
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour 375 mL
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour 375 mL
1/4 cup buttermilk powder 50 mL
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds 50 mL
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, raw, unsalted 50 mL
1/4 cup sesame seeds 50 mL
3/4 tsp bread machine yeast 3 mL

2 lb (1 kg)

1-1/3 cups water 325 mL
1-1/2 tsp salt 7 mL
2 tbsp vegetable oil 25 mL
3 tbsp liquid honey 45 mL
1-2/3 cups whole wheat flour 400 mL
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour 400 mL
1/3 cup buttermilk powder 75 mL
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds 75 mL
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, raw, unsalted 75 mL
1/3 cup sesame seeds 75 mL
1 tsp bread machine yeast 5 mL

2.5 lb (1.25 kg)

1-3/4 cups water 425 mL
2 tsp salt 10 mL
3 tbsp vegetable oil 45 mL
3 tbsp liquid honey 45 mL
2 cups whole wheat flour 500 mL
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour 425 mL
1/2 cup buttermilk powder 125 mL
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds 125 mL
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, raw, unsalted 125 mL
1/2 cup sesame seeds 125 mL
1 tsp bread machine yeast 5 mL

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)

2 cups water 500 mL
2-1/2 tsp salt 12 mL
1/4 cup vegetable oil 50 mL
1/4 cup liquid honey 50 mL
2-1/3 cups whole wheat flour 575 mL
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour 575 mL
2/3 cup buttermilk powder 150 mL
2/3 cup pumpkin seeds 150 mL
2/3 cup sunflower seeds, raw, unsalted 150 mL
2/3 cup sesame seeds 150 mL
1-1/2 tsp bread machine yeast 7 mL

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

Relevant Features

  • Programmable breadmaker
  • Vertical breadmaker
  • Makes 1-1/2- or 2-pound loaves of bread
  • 12 cooking functions
  • 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 $75

Sunbeam 5891 Best Buy

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 excellent machine, together with some useful hints.

Customer Testimonial

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“Great Machine, Great Price”

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 sunken 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)!

Frau Schott
(USA)

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See The Sunbeam 5891 In Action!

Sunbeam 5891 Best Buy

 

Recipes From Sunbeam

Additional Information

Relevant Features

  • 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 $135

Panasonic SD-YD250 Best Buy

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 raisins (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 Testimonial

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“Has lots of options, and makes very good bread”

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.

Henry Perkins
Santa Clara, CA

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Panasonic SD-YD250 Breadmaker Review

Panasonic SD-YD250 Best Buy

Panasonic SD-SY250 Resources