Machines Make Dough for Bread and Rolls

Bread makers, bread machines, stand mixers and food processors will all mix ingredients into dough for you. Just add the water or liquid ingredients and flour and start the mixing paddles. When using a mixer or food processor you'll have to be a little practiced in knowing when the dough has been mixed enough. When the dough holds together and seems to be one uniform mass, stop the mixer and remove the dough.

Bread machines do a little better job because they typically have a 'dough cycle' where the dough ingredients are thoroughly mixed. The bread machine provides a warm atmosphere so the dough can be taken through its first rising.

Once your bread machine makes the dough, tip over the pan so the dough falls out onto a lighted floured surface. Remove the mixing paddle(s) from the dough and punch out the gas that has collected during the dough rising. Turn the mass of dough over and press out the remaining gas.

To make bread loaves, divide the dough into two balls and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Make each dough ball into a loaf by rolling and shaping into a cylindrical form. Put both loaves on a floured baking sheet or stone. Let rest for 45 minutes. Spray loaf tops with water, or brush with beaten egg, and top with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes.

Alternatively, you can fill a baking pan with the dough instead of making a loaf. Here's where you can be as innovative as you like. Use a large tin can or coffee can as the bread pan. Even a ceramic flowerpot can be used as the bread pan. Just make sure to use one that hasn't been contaminated with any garden chemicals.

Make dinner rolls simply by dividing the dough into a dozen balls instead of two as it comes out of the bread maker. After letting the dough rest for half an hour, take each ball and divide it into three even pieces. Roll each piece between your hands and shape into a small ball and place the three balls together in a muffin cup or stick them together on a baking pan. Spray lightly with water and let rise for 30-45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Brushing the dinner roll tops with beaten egg before baking will give them a nice golden color.

Naomi Gallagher is a writer and a fantastic cook with a love for machines that help her make the most of her time in the kitchen. Making homemade bread has become one of her specialties. Learn more by visiting her sites where she likes to write about making bread and cooking great food: http://carouselspicerack.com/ and http://sunbeambreadmachine.com/.