Bread Machine Tips, Tricks and Techniques

Celiac.com 11/26/2022 - Longing for soft, warm and delicious gluten-free breads? Then consider a bread machine, one of the most popular kitchen appliances—perfect for our home made gluten-free breads. When you think of it as a small oven, free of drafts and temperature changes it is easy to understand how it can turn out beautifully risen breads with great texture and remarkable taste.

There are many benefits to using a bread machine, including:

• Frees up regular oven for other uses
• Keeps kitchen cooler 
• Saves money on electricity
• Move it around the kitchen, put it in your camper or take it to your dorm
• Avoids cross contamination
• Lends itself to creativity in the kitchen 
• Safer for younger family members to use
• Less expensive than purchasing a second oven
• Perfect for those who have had difficulties with yeast breads rising in the oven

Success Starts with Purchasing the Right Bread Machine for your needs

Before you make your purchase, answer these questions:

What is your budget?

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Bread machines run from $29.99 through $249.99. The good news is all price ranges offer the required features for successful gluten-free breads.

How much space do you have?

Sizes vary considerably. Measure the space where you will be using the bread machine. Some machines have shorter cords than others so notice the distance to electrical outlets. Remember you must have enough clearance space to be able to open the bread machine lid.

Do you want a bread machine that is fully programmable or one that may require you to manually change the settings during the baking process?

The more programmable the machine, the more money it will cost. The most programmable machine is the Zojirushi BBCC-V20. It retails for about $249.00, so it is best to try to find it on sale.

Bread machines with less programmability, such as Oster, Toastmaster, Welbilt, ($50 - $60 price range) also bake great bread. You will need to manually change the programming from the one hour Dough Cycle to the one hour Bake Cycle, unless you use the No-Knead No-Rise Method.

Bread Machine Features:

• The most important features are the two cycle indicators: Dough Cycle and Bake Cycle. You will need both.
• Are indicators easy for you to locate and read? Do not purchase a machine if the cycle indicators are hidden under the lid or are too small to read.
• Look for a large window. You will want to know if the bread is mixing well, or if it has risen to its full height, all without lifting the lid.
• Purchase a bread machine that will handle 11⁄2 to 2 pound loaves for the sake of versatility.
• Open the box and look at the bread pan inside the bread machine. Does it pop out or twist? Is the pan easy for you to operate?
• Open the box and look at the bread pan inside the bread machine. Does it pop out or twist? Is the pan easy for you to operate?

Some of the most common questions I receive about purchasing a bread machine:

• Does gluten-free bread have to rise more than once? No. One rise is sufficient. That is why we recommend the Dough Cycle and the Bake Cycle rather than the full cycles.
• Does gluten-free bread have to knead? This is a matter of semantics. It does not have to ‘knead’ since there is no gluten. However, it does have to be fully mixed. Our experience, after baking over 500 loaves of bread, all in bread machines, is that using the Dough Cycle provides sufficient mixing time.
• What are your favorite bread machines? This is tough since models keep changing. I have used over 8 different styles of bread machines, and every one of them has their good and their “Gee, I wish this was different” features. This is no different from the other tools we use in the kitchen, our sewing machines or even tools in our tool box. My three favorite machines are the Zojirushi BBCC-V20, the Welbilt ABYK and an old round bread machine that I purchased at a garage sale. Prices I paid were $169.99, $39.99 and $5.00, respectively.
• How long a bake time should I look for in a bread machine? I recommend a 60 – 90 minute bake time option. This is not available in every machine style. If the model you like only has a 60 minute bake cycle, see if you can restart the Bake Cycle after the 60 minutes are over, just in case the bread is not done.
• Do breads usually take longer than 60 minutes to bake in the bread machine? Just like your full oven, it depends on the bread recipe. Fruits, vegetables or heavy flours may take longer to bake.
• Is the Add-in ‘Beep’ feature necessary? My technique is to add all wet ingredients in the beginning, this includes the fruits and vegetables, since they contain water which will affect the water to flour ratio. Dry ingredients, such as nuts, seeds and cheese can be added at the beep. You will develop your own style.

Making a decision on which machine to purchase and learning how to operate your bread machine may take about one to two hours of your time, but it is well worth the effort—as the reward will be great gluten-free bread!