Baking bread after making dough in the machine

[lovemyfamily6]

My bread machine isn't working as well as I'd hoped. I'm going to try making the dough in it and baking the loaf in the oven.

According to the book I have (The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook), I can run the dough cycle, then cover it for 45 minutes to an hour, then bake.

I have no idea what temperature or for how long. Has anyone does this successfully? I don't have time to bake bread totally from scratch and I'm not ready to give up on the machine yet, so I'm hoping this will work.

[quietserena]

I prefer just to let the machine knead and I let the bread rise on it's own, both the sponge initially and the second rise.

I usually preheat the oven to 400 and then turn down to 350 after the bread's been in there a few minutes. I start thumping the bread at 45 minutes or so - when the top starts to look done. I use a wooden spoon. I do it every 5 minutes or so. It sounds kinda hollow when it's done. I pop it out of the pan and cool wrapped in a clean cloth and either leaning on a wall or on a rack.

There is some informative info in the wild starters thread, I'll try to find it and bump it for you. I think that's where I got the preheating to higher temp info. I used to just bake at 350.

[provocativa]

Yeah, I just use mine as a self-timed mixer. I do a kefir sourdough, kind of a variation of Xenabyte's recipe more suited to the type of flour I get. For the sponge, I just unplug it and let it sit in there to rise. After I add the other ingredients, I run it through the whole wheat cycle, so it kneads twice. I thoroughly oil my hands, and take it out of the machine. Smooth the dough on top, and tuck it tightly, squeezing as you shape it on the bottom of the loaf where the machine blade was. You're trying to trap in the gasses. Shape it like a football and let it slow rise in the pan, or like a boule.