Recipe for a Fruit mix bread

I have adapted the Raisin bread recipe found in page 16 of the Zojirushi recipe.

Water - 2/3 cup
Bread flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 1.5 Tablespoon
Dry Milk - 1.5 Tablespoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter - 1 Tablespoon
Cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
Active dry yeast - 1 teaspoon

When beep sounds, add:
Fruit mix - 1/3 cup

The final product is close to that of a raisin bread except that raisins are substituted with fruit mix. After 1 day, the bread feels is a bit dry. The bread might have been sliced too thinly thereby causing it to lose its moisture more quickly. Normally it produces 8 slices, this time round it was sliced into 10 pieces. As a guide, a 6-slice loaf produces tender juicy slices.
I might have left the slices of bread to cool down in the the open for too long.

As a guide, I will remove them from the container 10 minutes after taking them out from the bread machine. The loaf will be left to cool down for 25-30 minutes. After that I will slice them. Leave them to cool down for another 5 minutes before storing them in an air-tight box. E.g. I use Lock n lock storage box model no HPL818. Its the perfect size to store my bread.

Recipe for a Almond-Chocolate Chip bread

Reference: Betty Crocker's Bread Machine Cookbook

I have not tried this recipe before. May try it sometime in the future.

Recipe for a 1 Pound Almond-Chocolate Chip bread

Water - 3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon
Bread Flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 2 Tablespoon
Dry milk - 2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter - 1 Tablespoon
Vanilla - 1/4 teaspoon
Yeast - 1 teaspoon

When machine beeps (after approx 30 minutes), add almonds and chocolate chips.
Semisweet chocolate chip - 1/2 cup
Sliced almonds - 1/4 cup

Chemistry classes for Breadmakers

We can add

Bread flour: A special type of wheat that are higher in gluten-forming protein than all purpose flour. Bread flour absorbs more water and produces a more elastic dough, thereby producing a tall, well-formed loaf.

All-purpose flour: A blend of selected wheats suitable for all kinds of baking. It can be used in bread machine. However it contains less protein than bread flour, bread volume will be lower and texture coarser than breads made with bread flour.

Whole wheat flour: Made with complete wheat kernel. Breads made with whole wheat flour have a nutty flavour and dense texture. They do not rise as high as breads made with bread flour because whole wheat flour has less protein. For better volume, mix 50% whole wheat flour with 50% bread flour.

Rye flour: Milled from rye grain instead of wheat. Its usually combined with wheat flour for bread making to increase the dough's gluten-forming capabilities producing a dough with greater elasticity and better volume.

Sweeteners: Provide food for yeast to work. Sweeteners include sugar and honey. They add flavour and help the crust achieve its brown colour. Artificial sweeteners are not recommended for yeast baking because they do not feed the yeast like regular sweeteners do.

Salt : It controls yeast growth to prevent overrising which can cause the bread to collapse. Salt also adds flavour to bread.

Fats: such as shortenings and butter, adds tenderness and flavour to breads.

Liquids: such as water and milk are used to regydrate amd activate the yeast and blend the flour to create a sticky, elastic dough. Use only room temperature liquids. Water gives bread a crisper crust; milk gives bread a velvety texture and added nutrients. Do not use the timer
function for recipe that contain fresh milk.

Dry Milk: It is often used in conjuction with the timer function. If dry milk is not available, it can be substituted with fresh milk. So instead of adding water, just add the same quantity of fresh milk.

Eggs: It is added to bread dough for taste, richness and colour. Use large eggs. Do not use the timer function.

Yeast: A live plant that is the essence of yeast bread. When activated by warm liquid and fed by sugar, yeast release tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide, making the dough rise. For best results, yeast needs adequate amounts of liquid and other bread ingredients.

Bread Troubleshooting guide

Storing them
Store them tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Loaf didn't rise

• Too much salt (inhibit yeast action) -decrease salt by 1/4 teaspoon
  
• Too little sugar (inhibit rising) - increase sugar by 1 teaspoon
  
• Too little butter can inhibit rising
• Old or improperly stored yeast
• ingredient placed in container in the wrong order
  

Loaf is heavy and dry

• Too much flour (decrease flour by 1 Tablespoon)
  
• Too little liquid (increase liquid by 1 Tablespoon)
  
• Too little yeast (increase yeast by 1/4 teaspoon)

Load has a yeasty aroma or coarse texture or overrisen

• Too much yeast (decrease yeast by 1/4 teaspoon)
• Salt was omitted

Loaf is too brown

• Too much sugar
• Too much fat
• Regular setting (try changing to a light crust setting)
  

Sally Lunn Bread

Over the past few days, I have been baking breads that I had done previously. No point talking about them when there is no breakthrough or nothing new.

Last week I baked a Sally Lunn bread using recipe found from the net. As the original recipe was meant for a 1.5 pound load, the amount of ingredients were adjusted accordingly.

3/8 cup fresh milk
1 big egg
1.75 cup bread flour
1/6 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoon butter (about 30 grams)
1 teaspoon instant yeast

This is the first time that I'm using a recipe that is not shown in the book. One of the key ingredients that is featured in all the other bread is missing i.e. water. The amount of bread flour prescribed by the recipe is also much lower than other breads. Will the bread be too overly dry. Will it be hard. What setting should I used on the machine: Firm or regular loaf? Light or regular crust?

Despite these reservations, I embarked on my journey. I chose Regular loaf and light crust.

After waiting impatiently for 3.5 hours, I was greeted with a 'short' bread. It is shorter than most bread. Probably due to the high dosage of butter, it has a pleasant butter scent. Texture wise, I thought it was a little dry especially when you ate in on the next day. Nevertheless its a nice bread. The higher butter content makes the container more oily and you'll have to spend more time cleaning it.

Here's another Sally Lunn recipe (for 1 pound bread) found in Betty Crocker's Bread Machine cookbook (ISBN No 0-02-860367-2):

1 egg + enough water to measure 3/4 cup
2 cups Bread flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (softened) (about 57 grams)
3/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast

I have not tried this recipe. But the amount of ingredient stated here appears to be more consistent with other breadmaking machine recipes. It also addresses some of my earlier concerns.

Special Investigation report - White patches found at side of bread

After an in-depth analysis of the baking process and hours of observing the kneading process, Special Detective Sasha Bear share with us his findings on the white patches found at the side of the loaf.


The milk or butter pattern found on the side of the bread is caused by milk powder and butter that stick on to the side of the container during the kneading process.

Common causes:

• The butter is too big. When the kneading starts, the blade pushes it to the side of the container. Due to its sticky nature, it is stuck to the side of the container throughout the baking process.
  
• The butter is too cold. It does not have time to melt. When kneading starts, the movement of the blade force the butter to stick to the side.
  

Some of the flour will cling onto the butter and they will stay on the side of the container. After the dough has expanded to a certain size, ingredients sticking at the side will "rejoin" the bread and appears as streak of white patches. at the side of the loaf.

When the bread is not using the timer function, chances is the butter does not have enough time to soften and melt. In such instances, try slicing them into smaller pieces to aid melting.

Bread No.11 - Chocolate Bread - Milo flavour (Firm)

After days of accumulating ingredients over the past 3 days, I'm ready to try baking a ew type of bread - Chocolate Bread laced with Milo (Texture: Firm).

This time I make sure the kneading blade was firmly attached at the bottom of the container before I proceed further.

Instead of the standard ingredients bread stated in the recipe, I decided to make some variation. Replace the unsweetened cocoa with Milo powder. Replace 2 tablespoons worth of bread flour with an equivalent amount of wholemeal flour. The recipe says 1/3 cup of crushed chocolate chip. I was too tired to measure it, so I pour about 53 grams of Van Houten chocolate chips into the dough.

The aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip bread greets you when I came back later. However when I peer into the small window located at the top of the breadmaker, I was slightly disappointed with the size of the loaf. It didn't rise as high as I expected. Still its much higher than the Rock (i.e. Bread No.3). Some parts of the bread is also laced with some yellowish or whitish stuff. I suspect its either my milk powder or butter.

As the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. Despite its less than pleasant look, it is simply delicious. Despite a heavy dinner, I managed to squeeze a slice of the bread into my stomach. The chocolate chip had melted. The smell was enhanced by the bread's warm and moist texture.

What when wrong? Why didn't the bread rise as high as I wanted. The matter has been reported to our gourment detective, Special Detective Sasha Bear. He will provide you with his findings soon. Stay tune.

Bread No. 10 - My breadmaking adventure (Part 2)

A picture speaks a thousand words. All the desperate taken measures are well worth it.

Bread No. 10 - My breadmaking adventure (part 1)

After a long day, I'm very tired. So I'll just settle for something safe and easy to do. No more melting of butter and all that cleaning. I'll do a 60% wholemeal bread. So I'm baking the same bread as Bread No.9.

I quickly measured the necessary ingredient. Pour them into the container. Then place it in the breadmaker. Set the timer. I'm ready to wake up to the smell of a 60% wholemeal bread tomorrow morning.

Just as I was washing all the measuring cups etc, I noticed that there is something that I forgot to add... the kneading blade !!!!

Without this all important equipment, the breadmaker won't work! And my hopes of a nice breakfast filled with butter, jam and a freshly baked bread will be ruined. I'm not to let this happened.

I immediately switch to the saving private Ryan mode. Switch off the breadmaker. Desperately dig a hole in the middle of all the ingredient for the metal piece that will allow the kneading blade to slide in. The yeast which I had strategically placed in a hole right in the middle of the ingredient was dispersed in all directions. Finally the kneading blade slip right in. I reburied it under a heap of ingredient.

Oops in my desperation, I must have killed some of the yeast. After pondering for just a second, I decided that it would do no harm to add just another pinch of yeast into the container. Will there be an overdose of yeast i.e. will I be getting another Bread No.5 tomorrow? Or will there be insufficient yeast to even raise the dough to a decent height (just like my Bread No.3)?

Stay tune for more baking actions.

Butter cake

After baking 9 breads over the past 2 weeks, its time to try something more adventurous - baking a cake. I'm sure the ever reliable Zojirushi breadmaker would continue to deliver exceptionally high standard pastry. I am not disappointed.

The recipe for baking a cake can be found at near the back of the recipe book. The preparation process is much longer than I expected - 45 minutes. I usually take around 20 minutes to finish preparation for a bread. But the time invested is well worth it. Of course the delicious cake couldn't even stay on the plate long enough - it snapped up! Sorry I'm not bragging my cooking skills. I have none. The breadmaker did the job for me. I just do my part to clean up and savour the cake.

How to do it:
Put butter (about 57g or 0.25 cup) in measuring cup. Melt it. Once melted you can proceed.
Sift plain flour and baking powder
2 large eggs beat lightly
Pour eggs into container
Pour milk (0.25 cup) into container.
Put sifted flour and baking powder into container.

Here's a series of shots of that lovely butter cake.

Bread No.9 - 50% Wheat firm bread

Today I bought my second packet of wholemeal flour. After adding all the ingredients for Bread No.9, I also almost used up all the bread flour. That's fast. I just bought it last Saturday. It makes sense too. At the crazy pace that I'm baking my bread, flour are consumed at a fast and furious pace. For your information, each loaf of bread uses about 200 grams of flour.

Encouraged by positive feedback on my partial wholemeal bread (i.e. Bread No.4), I decided to bake another one. This time I'll try the firm variation.

Cleaning the Breadmaker

Most of the people who enjoy cooking and baking dreads washing and cleaning up the utensils.

It is the step that is only covered at the end of the user manual. They probably know that this is the least enjoyable task.

The breadmaker itself does not have many things to clean. There are only 2 things that needs to be washed: kneading blade, the container. The kneading blade is easy to wash. You just have to ensure that any debris left inside the kneading blade hole is thoroughly removed. The container is slightly more tricky to clean. You have to ensure that the metal part that comes into contact with the machinery inside the machine does not come into contact with water. Some times if you are not cover, part of it will be splash with water. When this happens, quickly wipe it away.

Bread No.7 & 8

Bread 7 and 8 are Honey Bread and Raisin bread respectively. Unlike previous attempts, I followed the recipe closely. Following very closely to the recommended quantity. Previously my concern over 24 to 48 hours old yeast inability to rise the dough sufficiently causes me to increase the instant yeast quantity. In the end I produced huge bread that has lots of air bubbles inside.

If you take away the bubbles, the high yeast bread and standard quantity yeast breads should have the same weight. 'cos the same amount of ingredient were used for both breads.

Bread No.6 - Raisin Bread (4 Jan 09)

Tried baking the raisin bread listed in the recipe book. Followed the recipe almost to the dot except for substituting 2 table spoonful of the bread flour with wholemeal floor.

Before the bread could finish baking, the aroma of cinnamon filled the whole kitchen. This time I only added one teaspoon of yeast as stated in the recipe. The result is a delicious raisin bread that taste as good as it smells.

The height of the loaf is perfect as it buldges out slightly above the top of the baking container.

Bread 5 - Soft Milk Bread (3 Jan 09)

Since its the weekend, I can devote more time to create a bread that does not allow you to use the timer function. The machine does not allow you to use the timer function when you use fresh or raw ingredients (e.g. eggs, fresh milk, fresh fruits). Fresh ingredient can turn stale when its left in the open for too long.

Beside the timer function, this bread also requires egg, general purpose flour and fresh milk.

Though its more troublesome to prepare, the final product is yet another soft and pleasing product.

Bread 4 - 25% Wholemeal bread (3 Jan 09 am)

After the last unsuccessful attempt at a 100% wholemeal bread, I rested on 3 Jan 09. Now I'm back with a vengeance. After carefully re-reading the recipe book and the notes that were taken during the baking process, I refined the recipe. I varied the proportion of wholemeal flour and go for a one with a conservative 25% wholemeal flour content.

The output is a nice wholemeal bread. Though this one does not have a 100% wholemeal goodness, it looks nicer (lighter in colour) and has a much more pleasant taste. It is much softer than the previous one. The bread is tender and chewy.

Third Bread - 100% Wholemeal Bread aka The Rock (1 Jan 2009)

Following the successes of the first 2 bread, I made my foray to bake a more challenging bread - 100% wholemeal bread to welcome the new year.

Wholemeal bread that are sold in the market usually contains a mixture of wholemeal and bread flour. As the price of wholemeal flour is twice that of bread flour, a 100% wholemeal bread will be very expensive. Little did I know that there's more to that. More about this later.

Unlike bread flour which has at least 3 to 4 different brands to select from, there is only 1 type of wholemeal flour available at the NTUC supermarket. Maybe due to lesser competition its able to commands a much higher price.

The back of the bread flour packaging says that for best results, mix 50% of the wholemeal flour with 50% bread flour. On the other hand, the recipe says you only need wholemeal flour for a 100% wholemeal bread. What should I do? Since the recipe for Honey bread delivered exceptionally pleasing results, I decided to follow the recipe.

To my horror the final product is a small and highly compact wholemeal bread. Unlike the first 2 bread, this one is much darker in colour. Its dough also didn't rise high enough. It tasted dry and hard. The bread is brittle and the ingredient drops off easily.

Here's the picture of that miserable bread. Whoever that tasted it, thousand apologies. I promise better standard next time. Most of the freshly baked bread were finished within 24 hours. I took two days to finish just one slice.

2nd Bread - Honey Bread (31 Dec 08)

Encouraged by the success of the regular bread, I embarked on the next attempt to create the Honey Bread. Followed the recipe to the dot and the final product is a tender tasting bread accompanied by a nice honey fragrance.

Just looking at the photos brings back fond memories of that delicious honey bread. Yummy.