Using a Breadmaker to make NT Bread?

[nicholas_mom]

Can I use a breadmaker to make NT bread? I have recipes using white flour and I want to use the breadmaker with NT type of flours and wondered if anybody does this? Do you soak the grains over night and then put it in the breadmaker with other ingredients?

Anybody convert a bread machine recipe to NT like a raisin bread with Spelt flour instead of white flour? How do you change the amount of flour used and not use yeast? Any other tips I should know?

[Ruthla]

I haven't had luck with the breadmaker with anything other than "breadmaker recipes." I prefer to bake by hand- this way I can let the dough rise longer if it needs it (like with lower-gluten flours or less yeast) and I can adjust the texture with more flour or more liquid as needed- so I don't need to be as specific with the measurements.

In general, sourdough bread dough needs to rise longer and be handled more gently than commercial yeast dough, so I don't see how a standard breadmaker could possibly work.

[nicholas_mom]

Oh I guess I can't make sourdough bread in the machine? I have a sourdough bread machine recipe but I thought I could make it the NT way.

We accidently found out, if you use the manual setting (it stops after rising the second time so you can put in the oven) and then put it on baking button on it rises twice more and gives the rye bread consistently. I just thought I could the sourdough rye this way.

Have you tried somethinglike that, to add more rising time? Do you have a manual setting and a baking setting to do this?

[yitlan]

I don't know enough about bread and baking to do anything with soaked flour. My "NT Compromise Bread" uses the machine's recipe, except sprouted spelt flour instead. And the packaged yeast called for in the recipe. This is the bread we use and my kids and dh like it. It goes bad quickly if you don't use it all, so I keep any extra in the fridge.

[nicholas_mom]

I don't know enough about bread and baking to do anything with soaked flour. My "NT Compromise Bread" uses the machine's recipe, except sprouted spelt flour instead. And the packaged yeast called for in the recipe.

So if a recipe says 1 cup of flour, do I substitute 1 cup of sprouted spelt fluor and skip the yeast? Do I add baking powder or anything because I am using the spelt flour?

[yitlan]

Yes, it is a one to one cup substitution, but you still need the yeast to make it rise in the bread machine. Don't need to add anything, unless your recipe calls for it.

[BetsyPage]

I've had good luck recently following The Urban Homemaker's 2-stage recipe for breadmakers...

http://www.urbanhomemaker.com/articl...v2&id=450&c=18

Note: It *really* helps to add the gluten, and make sure you program your machine correctly... the first time I tried it I forgot to omit the shaping after the 2nd rise, which was bad b/c it knocked down my loaf and the 3rd rise was omitted... so you can imagine the rock I baked, it was pretty dense!

[AnnC]

Originally Posted by nicholas_mom

Oh I guess I can't make sourdough bread in the machine? I have a sourdough bread machine recipe but I thought I could make it the NT way.

We accidently found out, if you use the manual setting (it stops after rising the second time so you can put in the oven) and then put it on baking button on it rises twice more and gives the rye bread consistently. I just thought I could the sourdough rye this way.

Have you tried somethinglike that, to add more rising time? Do you have a manual setting and a baking setting to do this?

I make French bread according to the Julia Child recipe in my bread maker. I put everything in the bread machine, substituting 3 out of the 4 cups of flour with fresh ground whole wheat flour -- part hard spring wheat, part soft winter wheat. Then add the water and Celtic sea salt, about 1/4 cup sourdough starter and organic yeast. I let the breadmaker mix and knead, then turn it off and dump it into a glass mixing bowl. I let it rise for 4-5 hours at 65-70 degrees. I knead it briefly and let it rise 2 hours. Then shape it and let it rise 2 1/2 hours or until I think it has risen enough, then bake. It therefore has had well over 7 hours with the sourdough culture in it. It's delicious, especially with raw butter! I don't like to bake with the bread maker because it's lined with Teflon, which I am suspicious of -- heating it will make the Teflon break down that much sooner, IMO. I know I *should* just do it all by hand with my mixer, but I'm lazy. It probably should also be ONLY sourdough with no extra yeast, but I like it this way, as long as the yeast is organic.

Ann