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Bread Machine Handling Tips

Handling Tips

At Continental Mills, we’re committed to providing you with the finest quality products. We’re pleased to offer you our distinctive selection of Classic Hearth, Krusteaz and Eagle Mills Bread Machine Mixes. They’re so easy! Just add water and let your machine do the rest. Each variety bakes into a deliciously fresh, homebaked loaf that you’re sure to enjoy.

The following guidelines are provided to assist you in getting the best results from our product and your bread machine. Consult your machine owner’s guide for specific instructions and recommended adjustments.

Beginning Basics

Each loaf of bread you bake will be unique due to machine features, product characteristics, altitude and humidity.

Machine Capacity

There are several bread machine pan sizes, shapes and capacities. To determine your machine capacity, fill pan with water and measure quantity in cups. Follow 1 lb instructions if pan holds less than 11 cups of water or 1 1/2-2 lb instructions if pan holds more than 11 cups of water.

Order of Ingredients

It is recommended to add the water first, the mix second and the yeast last. This prevents the water from coming in contact with the yeast before the cycle begins. This is especially important if you are using the delayed bake cycle on your machine.

Water Measurement And Temperature

For the most accurate water amount, measure water using a liquid measuring cup as opposed to a measuring cup intended for dry mix. Be sure to use room temperature (75°F-85°F) water. Water that is too hot (over 120°F) will kill the yeast and prevent the dough from rising properly. If you are unsure of the water temperature, it is better to err on the cool side.

Yeast

For your convenience, pre-measured yeast packets are enclosed with the bread mix. When preparing a full package of bread mix, use the entire contents of one yeast packet. (Note: Static can cause yeast particles to stick to the package lining. Tap the pouch gently to remove entire contents.)

One way to test the activity of the yeast before baking your bread is to fill a liquid measuring cup (preferably glass) with 1/2 cup warm water (110°F-115°F). Add one teaspoon sugar and one packet of yeast. Stir until dissolved. Check the mixture in 10 minutes. The yeast should foam up at least 1/2 inch. Use this solution to make your bread, adding water to achieve the amount specified on the package directions.

Bread Size And Shape

Shorter loaves may result from adding extra ingredients to the mix or by using the rapid rise cycle (less than 2 hours). Our mixes work best using bread cycles that are 2 hours or longer. Bread size will also be affected by the shape of the bread pan. Some machines produce tall (vertical) shaped bread and other machines produce traditional (horizontal) shaped bread. Whole grain breads generally do not rise as much as white breads.

Other Tips & Suggestions

Sweeter breads such as Hawaiian Bread have a darker crust. Bake on a light setting if a lighter crust is desired. The delayed cycle should not be used when preparing sweeter breads or when adding fresh ingredients such as milk or eggs. Call 1-800-457-7744 for additional recipes and assistance.

Problem	Possible Cause	Solution
Bread is damp	Bread left in pan too long after baking	Remove bread from pan when the bake cycle is complete
Bread rises too much	High Altitude	Make adjustments for high altitude by increasing water by 1 tablespoon
	Too much water	Reduce water by 1-2 tablespoons
Bread collapsed after over-rising	Too much water or warm, humid weather	Add only enough water to produce a round, smooth ball
	Exceeding capacity of bread pan	Use our instructions for smaller loaf size
Bread doesn’t rise	Omitted yeast	Be sure to add yeast as directed
	Water too hot	Use room temperature water (75°F-85°F)
Bread is short	Bread machine is a large capacity model	Our bread machine mixes do not yield loaves as tall as large capacity bread machine models can hold
	Not enough water	Increase water by 1-2 tablespoons
	Excessive amounts of ingredients such as nuts, raisins and spices	Reduce amount of additional ingredients
	Bread left in pan too long after baking may shrink	Remove bread from pan when the bake cycle is complete
Gnarly, knotted top	Not enough water	Add water, one tablespoon at a time, until dough forms into a round, smooth ball
Bread not baked completely	Too much mix for your machine	Use our instructions for smaller loaf size
Dark, thick crust	Dark crust setting used	Use a lighter crust setting
Dough will not form a ball or is very wet and sticky	Dough is too wet	Check package for typical dough characteristics
		Add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough forms into a round, smooth ball
		Use liquid measuring cup for water and dry measure cup for mix
Dough is uneven, bumpy or lumpy, or Dough formed 2 or more balls, or Machine sounds like it’s struggling	Dough is too dry	Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms into a round, smooth ball
		Use liquid measuring cup for water and dry measure cup for mix