Generic Bread Machine Instructions

If you are looking for the manual to your bread machine please visit our Archive of Bread Machine Manuals.

These instructions were written for people that may have
just bought or had been given a used bread machine and they
didn’t get the instruction booklet. It is also for those
that have misplaced theirs. Through our testing we have found
the instructions below to be reliable for dozens of different
brands and types of bread machines. However, we make no guarantees.
You may need to make some minor adjustments. These instructions
are being provided as a starting point.

Step 1:

Gather all of the machines parts. You should have the following…

• The machine itself
• The baking pan
• The kneading blade(s) or paddle(s).
• The Dough Pin (on some older Zojirushi
  machines there is also a pin that slips into a hole in
  the side of the pan. If you have this type of machine you
  will need the pin also.)
• Rubber gasket (some older machines like
  the DAK have a rubber type washer that seals the bottom
  of the pan; these are very old machines and quite rare.)

Step 2:

Before you start throwing things in your machines pan, you
need to know if you have a sealed or unsealed pan. On some
older machines when the pan is removed from the machine there
is a hole in the bottom of the pan where the mixing shaft
was. Basically, it will not hold water or much else when
the pan is removed from the machine. If this is what you
have, you have an unsealed pan.

All modern machines on the market have a sealed pan. When
removed from the machine, it will hold water with the mixing
shaft being part of the pan. With an unsealed pan you have
three things you need to remember.

1. You may need to use a rubber type washer when you insert
   the pan in the machine and lock it in place. All of this
   is so it will hold the ingredients without leaking, although
   some seepage may occur.
2. If you purchased the machine used, then be careful.
   There is a better than average chance that the rubber seal
   is old and warn out. It is best to put the pan in the machine
   with the rubber seal and place a small amount of water
   in the pan. Let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes and then check
   for any leaks. You will of course have to use a towel or
   something to soak up the water in the pan before you remove
   it. Also, check to make sure that the rubber seal is flexible
   and isn’t cracked or worn. If it isn’t flexible or it has
   cracks then you will need to find a replacement which will
   be very hard to do since these machines aren’t made
   any more.
3. You will need to add the yeast first, the dry ingredients
   second and any wet/moist ingredients last. This is to lessen
   the chance that the wet/moist ingredients will leak out
   the bottom of the pan.

If you have an unsealed panned machine my recommendation
is to give it to Goodwill and purchase a new machine. At
places like Target, Wal-Mart and Amazon.com you can get very
nice new machines for $30 to $50. I think in the long run
you will be much happier.

On sealed pan machines you need to reverse the order of
the ingredients. The wet/moist ingredients go first, and
then the dry and finally the yeast goes on top. Whatever
machine you have, it is very important that the yeast not
become wet until the machine starts to mix the ingredients
together.

Step 3:

Now that you know if you have a sealed or unsealed pan,
you are ready to assemble the pan and kneading blade or paddle.
Most machines (at least the ones we have seen) have removable
kneading blade(s) or paddle(s). To assemble the pan, you
will need to place the kneading blade(s) or paddle(s) on
the shaft(s) in the bottom of the pan. Some machines may
have two, it doesn’t matter which goes where. For the sealed
bottom machines you can do this without inserting the pan
in the machine. If you have an unsealed pan you will need
to put the pan in the machine and then put the blade or paddle
in place. Do not forget to do this step otherwise the dough
will not mix.

NOTE: If you have a dual paddle/blade
machine it is best to put them on so that they face away
from one another. This will help ensure proper kneading of
the dough and prevent the dough from spinning around on one
of the paddles/blades.

Step 4:

You are now ready to start adding the recipe ingredients.
Until you get a feel for the machine and the look and feel
of the dough. We strongly recommend that you start by making
a few loaves of BMD White Bread. Basic white bread is the
easiest and most foolproof bread to make. It is also at this
time you will need to know what size machine you have. There
are 1 pound, 1-1/2 pound, 2 and 2-1/2 pound machines. Most
machines are 1-1/2 or 2 pound. Generally I don’t make loaves
larger than 1-1/2 pounds. Most 2-pound machines use 1-1/2
pound pans anyways.

• 1 Pound. The machines use 2 to 2-1/4 cups of bread flour,
  which makes a loaf of bread that will yield about 8 slices
  of bread.
• 1-1/2 Pound. The machine uses 3 cups of bread flour,
  which makes a loaf of bread that will yield about 12 slices
  of bread.
• 2 Pound. The machine can use up to 4 cups of bread flour,
  which makes a loaf of bread that will yield about 16 slices
  of bread.
• 2-1/2 Pound. The machine can use 5 to 6 cups of bread
  flour, which makes loaf of bread that will yield about
  20 slices of bread.

Now lets put the ingredients in the pan.

Sealed Bottom Pans

First make sure you have the paddle(s) in place. Then place
the wet and moist ingredients in first, then the dry and
finally make a dent on the top of the dry ingredients and
place your yeast there.

Unsealed Bottom Pans

First make sure you have the paddle(s) in place. Then place
the yeast in the pan first, then the dry ingredients and
finally the wet and moist ingredients.

Step 5:

Now you need to fit the pan into the machine and lock it
in place. Some machines just snap the pan in and others require
you to put it in at an angle and then twist it into place.
If you have an unsealed pan, your pan should already be in
place. Once the pan is in place, you need to select the appropriate
cycle. Because we are making white bread you need to use
the “Basic”, or “White” cycle. You may
also have the option of selecting loaf size and crust color.
On 1-1/2 pound machines you usually have the option of 1
or 1-1/2 pound loaf sizes. On 2-pound machines you usually
have the option of 1-1/2 pound or 2-pound and some have a
1-pound option. If you have a 1-pound machine you won’t have
this option at all. For white bread I like the light crust
setting. If you are uncertain, use the default. Not all machines
have a crust setting option; these machines usually are permanently
set to medium crust color, which is fine. Now press the “Start” or “Go” button.

Depending on your machine it may start to mix right away
or it may take it from 10 to 45 minutes before it begins
to mix. If there is a delay, it means your machine has a
preheat cycle that warms the ingredients before it mixes
them. While this can be nice if it is a short 10-minute cycle,
it is a real pain if it is a long 45-minute one. On most
machines it is short, if it is not there really is anything
you can do but live with it.

Step 6:

Your machine has started to knead the ingredients. Allow
it to knead for about 10 minutes and then come back and open
the lid. It is at this time you need to check the dough.
If the dough looks slack or overly wet, you will need to
add flour. Add 1 Tbsp. of bread flour at a time, until it
forms a nice smooth ball. If the dough is dry and crumbly
you will need to add water. Add 1 Tbsp. of water at a time
until the dough forms a nice smooth ball. Once the dough
has formed a nice smooth ball there is one more test you
can put to it to make sure it is the correct consistency.
Touch the dough ball with your index finger. The dough should
be tacky like the sticky part of a Post-It Note. If when
you pull your finger away there is dough stick to it, then
the dough is too wet. If there is dough on your finger again
add 1 Tbsp. flour at a time until it passes the test. If
the dough isn’t tacky at all add 1 Tbsp. Water at a time
until it is. During this testing phase you may need to close
the lid in order for the machine to continue kneading. Also,
allow the machine to knead for a minute or so after each
flour or water addition. 1 tablespoon water or flour can
make or break the dough. But don’t let this panic you. You
will get the hang of it.

You should perform this test each time you make bread, even
when using the same recipe. The reason is that depending
on the weather and how you store your flour, it may have
more or less moisture in it. Nine times out of ten this is
not a problem, but it is good to check. Once you have confirmed
the dough feels and looks right, close the lid and wait for
the completion beep.

Step 7:

The machine has beeped and the cycle is finished. Remove
the pan from the machine as soon as possible. If the bread
sits in the machine too long, the escaping steam will cause
the crust to become soggy and I find the bread becomes tougher
too. Some machines have a cool down or keep warm function.
While this will help, it is still best to get the bread out
of the pan ASAP. Allow the pan and bread to cool for 10 minutes.
Then invert the pan and shake the bread out. Make sure and
use potholders or baking gloves, as the pan and bread will
still be hot. The 10 minutes is important it allows the crust
of the bread to soften a bit. This will make getting it out
of the pan much easier. When the bread has been removed from
the pan you will need to allow it to cool on a cooling rack
at least 20 minutes before cutting it. The bread will have
the best flavor when completely cooled. Congratulations you
have just baked your first loaf of bread.

The directions you just followed apply to all bread made
in your machine. These directions also apply to making dough.
That is if your machine has a dough or manual cycle as most
do. The only difference with dough or manual cycle is that
the machine makes the dough; you remove the dough, shape
it and then bake it in your regular oven.

A Few Tips

• If your machine doesn’t have a cycle
  for a specific type of bread, use the basic or white cycle.
  For example, you want to make whole wheat bread, but your
  machine doesn’t have a whole wheat, wheat, grain or multigrain
  cycle. Use the basic or white cycle.
• There are a few exceptions to the tackiness
  test for bread. For example the recipe for Sally Lunn bread
  which is a very rich egg bread creates a dough that is
  very wet compared to others. This is normal and for these
  types of recipes you don’t want to adjust the recipe. Unless
  the recipe states that the dough will be a wet one assume
  that the dough must pass the tackiness test talked about
  above.

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