Breadmaker Tips

Now here's a great little tip, use the bottom end of a 2 litre empty lemonade/cola bottle to pour the contents in the jar. Cut a washed and dried empty plastic bottle about 4 inches from the bottom with a pair of scissors. Now use this as your scoop. Put a cup of flour inside the scoop then gently squeeze it so the flour just slides into the jar.

My bread requires 2 cups of flour but only put a cup of flour in at a time. Now when each of your jars has the flour inside measure out the rest of your ingredients. For my wholemeal loaves; that is 2 x tablespoons of sugar, 2 x tablespoons of dried milk powder and 1 teaspoon of salt. Always put the teaspoon of dried yeast in lastly.

For extra vitamins in your bread, I add either poppy seeds or dry-fried sesame seeds I had prepared earlier and put a teaspoon of either or both in the flour mixes. I have also added onion powders for my cheesy bread or any variations of herbs for delicious herby bread.

Now for the wet ingredients. I add one cup of warm water to the bread machine's baking tin and 2 x tablespoons of oil. When I add the second tablespoon I drop some on my fingers and I smear the sides of the tin with the oil. Makes the bread easier to remove when baked and cooled.

If I want a loaf, now all I do is add the water and oil to the baking tin then drop the contents of one my pre-prepared jars inside, I set the breadmaker then leave it do it's thing! Simple, easy and I'm not covered in flour! I always have good results and my loaves taste divine! That is unless I have forgotten to put the metal paddle inside after washing it, then I get a half cooked half flour dough disaster instead!

I hope these tips might help my fellow Thriftyfun bread makers!

By MONIQUE63 from Somerset, UK