Bread Machines, they don't just make bread!
By missmaudie
Bread machines, do you own one?
Have you got a bread machine already? If you have, do you use it regularly or is it gathering dust in a cupboard somewhere? If you don’t have one, are you thinking of buying one? I want to let you know, all those with bread machines that are gathering dust, or those thinking about one, that they are great! You can make bread of course, lots of different bread as it happens, you can also put your bread machine on at night on a timer so you have lovely fresh bread for breakfast.
But, you can also do other things with your bread maker. You can make dough to shape into rolls or pizza, use it to make cakes, and most bizarrely, to make jam.
Bread
Probably what you bought your bread machine for. As well as white bread you will probably find the manual that came with your machine has recipes for others such as bricoche, wholemeal and herb bread too.
A few tips to help your bread making. Make sure you add the liquid ingredients first, then the dry, with the yeast last. If you are putting your bread machine on using the timer setting then you must keep the salt and yeast apart or the salt will kill the yeast (yeast is a living organism). If you want to add a topping to your bread, wait until the baking stage then brush the top with a little milk or egg yolk then add the topping. You will need to do this fast to prevent the bread from sinking!
A strange fact – dough rises faster at altitudes above 900m. If you live at high altitudes therefore you may need to either add less yeast, or more salt.
Some links to sites with bread machine recipes:
Masses of recipes from Absolutely Apricot to Zuni Indian bread
 | Amazon Price: $9.50 List Price: $21.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $13.21 List Price: $24.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $9.91 List Price: $22.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $12.36 List Price: $24.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $3.97 |
Dough
This is basically the same as the bread setting but after the dough has risen instead of leaving it to bake in the machine you take it out to use depending on the recipe. You can use the dough to make pizzas, rolls, breadsticks etc and bake them in a conventional oven.
Pizza dough link:
Cake
The cake setting can be used to make both savoury and sweet cakes, either using your own ingredients, or cake mixes
Cake recipe link:
Jam
You can actually make quite palatable jam with a bread machine strange as it may sound. I’ve made several jars of raspberry jam using raspberries from our garden. If you only have small amounts of fruit it can be easier than getting your preserving pan out. Use can also use this setting to make relishes such as tomato relish. A few tips: slightly unripe fruit will make a better jam, use the exact amounts your bread machine manual states as using too much or too little fruit or jam will affect the outcome. Be careful! As with making jam in a preserving pan the jam will be very hot when it is ready.
Jam link:
Which bread machine?
There are a wealth of bread machines on the market and which one you choose is very much down to personal preference. If you have never owned one before ask friends or family who have one for recommendations. I have a Breville that is getting old now but still works perfectly. Here are some suggestions:
 | Amazon Price: $218.88 List Price: $281.00 |
 | Amazon Price: $60.09 List Price: $86.05 |
 | Amazon Price: $115.00 List Price: $174.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $75.00 List Price: $185.00 |
Panasonic SD-YD250 This bread machine has four different baking modes and bakes bread up to 2 and a half pounds. It has a timer that can be set up to 13 hours in advance and comes with a recipe book with 40 recipes. However, I can find no jam setting on it in the description, so if you particularly want to make jam maybe you should look elsewhere.
Zojirushi BBCCX20 This also has a 13 hour timer, plus a jam cycle. It can makes loaves up to 2 pounds and has a three memory store for you to store your most used recipes. Its also has a quick baking cycle.
Breadman TR875 This stainless steel bread maker will make loaves upt to 2 pounds. It has cycles to make super rapid and gluten free bread as well as pasta, jam and pizza dough. As with the others the pan it non stick. This bread maker also features a pause function.
Bread Machine Strawberry Jam
Comments
I didn´t know you could a bread machine for anything else. A good hub. Thanks. I enjoy your hubs.
Thanks for your comments tonymac04 and Hummingbird5356. I think the thing about making bread yourself is that you know what you're putting in it - no preservatives etc. They don't take much energy to run because they only heat up the space taken up by the bread pan, not a whole oven but I'm not so sure about how environmentally friendly they are. You can use bread machines for lots of things, they are very handy!
I haven't used my bread machine for a while and usually make pumpernickel. This hub got me thinking about getting it out and getting busy. Good hub.
I love my bread making machine, but it usually gathers dust during summer when the fruit is ripe - now I have a new quest!
Congratulations on your hubnugget nomination!
Pamela99, glad I got you thinking about using your bread machine again! Thanks for looking.
gramarye, you can only make small amounts of jam but it does work. Thanks for the good wishes.
I love bread but it is the one weakness that contributes to my demise. If I had fresh bread this often, I would look like the Pillsbury mascot. Thanks for a great hub. going to look at some bread machines now...
must65gt - you'll have to ration yourself! Or share with other people. Glad you liked the hub, bread machines are so easy to use you'll be pleased you've got one.
Really? Wow.. I don't own a bread machine but I like to eat bread. Can you share some bread please? hehehe
Congratulations for your Hubnugget nomination! Yes, yes, yes! Check this out by following this link: http://hubpages.com/_hubnuggets10/hub/The-Continui Vote, vote, vote!
Thanks ripplemaker, I can't share any bread I've eaten it all! must65gt may have some though.
Thanks for you kind comments
Wow, I didn't know you could make jam with a bread machine. How cool!! Thanks for the information and congratulations on your hubnugget nomination! Good luck! ;)
Thanks for stopping by rocknrodeogirl. Yes, I have made jam with a bread machine so I know you can - make sure the bread machine has a jam function though, not all do.
Ohh, how I love the smell of fresh bread. I've often thought about buying a bread machine but I really have to watch my intake of carbs. Great hub, I really enjoyed it. The breads look sooooooo good!
Congratulations on being nominated as a HubNugget!
Sage
Sage Williams - yes the smell of freshly baked bread is delicious isn't it, it's almost too much to wait until the bread cools enough to eat it. Thanks for your good wishes - it was a nice surprise to be nominated.
I had no idea you could use a bread machine for other things. I'm passing this one on. Congrats and good luck.
Oh no..please make more! Hahahaha
I love my bread machine. I bake gluten free bread in it, which is impossible to do by hand! Great idea for cakes! Congratulations on hubnuggets nomination.
Duchess OBlunt - yes bread machines are actually really useful for all sorts. Thanks for stopping by.
ripplemaker - next time I make some I'll let you know!!
shazwellyn - gluten free bread doesn't rise much does it? I've never tried making it but it always looks quite dense. The nomination was a nice surprise!
Hhhmmm missmaudie fresh warm bread is a weakness of mine. Thanks for sharing your insight and congrats on being selected to the HubNuggets Wannabe Contest. Good luck! :)
There's nothing quite like the smell of warm bread is there Money Glitch, yum!Thanks for reading.
I love to play with stuff like a bread / jam machine. Very nice, detailed and actionable hub, missmaudie. Thank you.
Awesome. I've just tested this hub for term targeting using SEOmoz tools and it's an A. :D
You must rush out and buy one immediately, make sure it has a jam function on it though. Good to know my SEO was good on this hub, probably more luck than judgement. I feel like I'm following you around hub pages today Haunty, I just noticed your comment on frogdropping's Celtic Art hub, after I had followed your latest hub and put a widget on my home page and then I found your pottery hub. Guess what I used to work in a pottery, not throwing the pots though. I gues I should comment there not here shouldn't I .... so now you'll have to follow me.
I'm following you all right. But hey, after that comment on frog's hub... and now you used to work in a pottery, huh? You are taking me for a complete idiot! How did you find out?!
I know everything!
I had no idea you could make all this with a bread machine thanks for the ideas.
You're welcome What's News, thanks for stopping by :)
Yes thanks for that, great to know I'm not alone making bread! I use my machine for making pizza dough too. Favourite bread my family like is walnut granary bread - fab with cheese.
Walnut granary bread sounds delicious Jamiehousehusband. Do you find that it rises OK because I've found that anything other that strong white flour produces a much denser bread. Thanks for reading and commenting :)
Excellent hub, as you are in France you coud try making Brioche. I tried it once and it was wonderful. Great hub!
Oooh yes Gypsy Willow, I hadn't thought about bricoche, all soft and sweet, lovely. Thanks for the idea!
Yes, mine's gathering dust.
There was no instruction manual with it, so I tried making bread from a recipe & it didn't work too well, so I never used it again. I should have contacted the dealer or manufacturer, of course. Sad really. There's nothing quite like freshly baked bread :)
I had certainly never considered using it for jam!!
Thanks for the tip!
Trish M that's sad - sometimes you can find maunuals online or as you say you could contact the manufacturer. Don't give up on it, there are bread maker books available that should help you make decent bread with it - try Amazon or a high street shop. Thanks for reading;)
I have a bread machine collecting dust. It seemed like when we made bread by hand it was more light, then from the machine. Nice hub.
Perhaps you need to experiment with different recipes Sandyspider, I've found that brown bread is very heavy when made in a machine :)
I haven' t one yet but now that I know I can do jam as well I will very soon give it ago!
thanks for the tips...
Makes sure you buy one with a jam function sanarya not of them do. I'm sure you'll find a bread machine very useful once you have it for all sorts of different breads. Thanks for reading :)
It is always an advisable way before buying bread makers to check out websites and pages that can give you information about the breadmakers. When i bought my personal breadmakers i checked http://www.breadmachinereviewer.com/category/zojir for some info and price comparison.
tonymac04 2 years ago
I have often thought about buying a bread machine but have always hesitated. I think there are two issues for me. One is about the health benefits of the bread - does it make enough of a difference to warrant the purchase price. Secondly are the machines environmentally friendly and resource efficient?
Thanks to your Hub I will maybe look at these things again.
Love and peace
Tony