Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I really love this breadmaker. I have made about 200 loaves of bread in the last 16 months. Here are my tips for consistently making great bread: 1. Be exact with your measurements. Weigh out ingredients. Each cup of flour should weigh 120 grams. 2. The amount of liquid you need varies based on the humidity in the room. I usually add in one ounce less liquid than the recipe calls for and watch the dough kneading. This particular machine kneads initially for about 3-4 minutes, rests for a few minutes then kneads again. I wait until the first round of kneading is done, then check the consistency. If the dough is dry and hasn't formed into a ball, I add a spoonful of water and wait till it is kneaded for a minute, then reassess the dough. If the dough is wet (sticking to the sides, a pile of goo instead of a ball of dough), then add in bread flour one tablespoon at a time. 3. Use quality ingredients. I use King Arthur flours and buy yeast in bulk. 4. Add the ingredients in the order listed. Liquids first, then sugar/salt, then flour(s), then yeast. Don't let the salt touch the yeast. 5. Use vital wheat gluten in whole wheat breads. One tablespoon VWG per cup flour. 6. Use this book ([...]). Lots of great tips and recipes. 7. Try the pizza dough recipe from the recipe manual included with the breadmaker. I have several family members that now use that recipe for their dough after having my pizza. 8. I use the small setting for sweet breads, dinner breads, and breads for breakfast toast. I use the medium setting for sandwich bread. I have used the large setting, holy crap are those loaves big. Really too big to be useful. 9. The dark crusting setting is really only needed for the darkest of loaves. 10. Try to have your liquids at room temp. If they are too cold, the yeast will not be as active and the loaf will not rise as much. 11. A lot of recipes call for buttermilk as the liquid. If you have buttermilk around all the time, awesome! If you are like me, then use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and add milk to make one cup. Let it sit for five minutes. Voila! Buttermilk. 12. As soon as your bread is done, take it out and let it sit for a moment on the counter. Five minutes max. Then use a silicone spatula around the sides of the loaf to help separate the loaf from the pan. It will still be hot, so use an oven mitt. Put the bread onto a cookie drying rack. Let the bread cool and breathe with space all around the loaf for 10-15 minutes before serving. If it sits in the machine or in the pan for too long, the moisture will make the loaf soggy and not as crisp. 13. Don't be afraid to experiment with recipes. Have fun!