Converting Handmade Recipes
Most old fashioned handmade recipes makes two 1-1/2 pound loaves of bread. So to convert the recipe to working a bread machine you simply need to cut the recipe in half. Besides that the only other adjustment you need to make is with the yeast. I recommend that you use the amount of yeast you use for all of your bread machine breads. For me that would be 2-1/2 teaspoons or 1 packet of yeast. For other people it can be more or less depending on where you live. If you are sure start with 2 teaspoons of yeast and adjust up or down from there.
Recipes That Scald the Milk
Many old time recipes call for heating the milk with the fat to a gentle boil. This is called scalding and was done for two reasons. First many times people were using raw milk right from the cow and this scalding was a way to pasteurize the milk and make sure that any bacteria, etc. was dead. Second, it deactivates an enzyme in the milk that interferes with the yeast.
Today, all of our milk is pre-pasteurized and so that isn’t a concern. The enzyme however is still present in our milk today however, I don’t find it cause a big enough problem for me to go to the trouble to scald my milk and then wait for it cool enough so I can use it.
If you wish to scald the milk, feel free to do so. Simply heat to the point you see bubbles forming around the edge then turn it off and allow the milk to come to room temperature. If your recipe called for melting the butter, lard or shortening in with the milk you can do that during this scalding process.
hi I live in the Pacific Northwest and was wanting some advice on how much yeast to use in converting the homemade recipes. Also, if anyone else lives in my region. I would like to hear some tips from you too. Thank you 🙂
Clara February 25th, 2010 at 10:36 amHi Clara, I just found this website and will be trying to convert handmade bread recipes over the next few weeks. I too live in the PNW. I will check back and let you know what I come up with.
Kimberly October 9th, 2010 at 8:16 amoh, i see you’ve answered my question here (about whether i can use some old favorite recipes). thanks! i love this site!
robota December 25th, 2010 at 4:14 pmWhat about the other way around? I am an unconverted and unconvertible handmade bread maker — I love kneading too much to give it up! But some of your recipes look *incredible*. Can I just mix dry, mix wet, and mix together? What about the “add at beep” ingredients — after kneading? and they’re cooked at 350F for 45 min to an hour? Thanks!
jn January 15th, 2011 at 8:42 pm