Double-Teaming for a Better Loaf

Home economist Virginia Evans knows a lot about bread machines. Along with Cathi Hofstetter, she has been hired by several manufacturers to make sure that new models work and that instruction and recipe booklets are consumer-friendly.

Evans, who lives in Sierra Madre, and Hofstetter, who lives in Anaheim, have a clever way of sharing results. After baking a test loaf, they slice it in half and photocopy it. The photocopy of the bread half shows whether the bread has risen evenly or if it has large holes or other problems. They can then fax the photocopies to each other and to the bread machine company engineers.

With a bread machine, home bakers can let the machine do all the work or prepare the recipe themselves through the dough stage, then shape the bread by hand. (Some home cooks complain about the shape of loaves produced by bread machines.) Bakers can also control what is put into the dough.

One of Evans’ favorite recipes is cracked wheat bread. It has a chewy texture because it is made with bulgur and sunflower seeds and/or walnuts. To keep the seeds and nuts from becoming pulverized, Evans suggests poking them in large pieces into the dough after the first long mixing cycle or about 20 minutes into the chosen cycle. Do it quickly so a minimum amount of heat escapes while the lid is open. (Some machines have special settings for when the seeds should be added.)

In their cookbook, “Rustic European Breads From Your Bread Machine” (Doubleday, 1995), Linda West Eckhardt and Diana Collingwood Butts explain how to create the look and taste of European breads.

For instance, in some cases, they recommend running whole-grain doughs through the dough cycle twice to double-knead them and to improve the absorption of liquid by the flour. (If you have ever had a whole-grain loaf of bread that was lead-like in consistency, this extra time and manipulation could prevent that and yield a lighter texture.)

The dough for their Austrian bread is easily made in the machine, then divided into thirds to be formed into a braided loaf.

CRACKED WHEAT BREAD

This recipe is from the maker of Gold Star Bread Machines.

1/4 cup bulgur wheat

1 1/4 cups hot water

2 cups bread flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk

2 tablespoons butter or solid vegetable shortening

1/4 cup walnuts or sunflower seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place bulgur in bread pan. Add water and let soak until bulgur is softened.

Add bread flour, whole-wheat flour, brown sugar, dry milk, butter, walnuts and yeast in order recommended by bread machine manufacturer. Put bread pan in machine, making sure that pan is locked into place. Close lid. Select bake cycle and bake according to manufacturer’s directions.

Makes 1 (1 1/2-pound) loaf, about 12 slices.

Each slice contains about:

184 calories; 29 mg sodium; 5 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.46 gram fiber.

AUSTRIAN BRAID

This recipe is from “Rustic European Breads From Your Bread Machine” by Linda West Eckhardt and Diana Collingwood Butts (Doubleday, 1995).

2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

3 cups bread flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup butter, cut up

3/4 cup warm milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks

Cooking spray

Water

Place yeast, flour, salt, sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, lemon peel, whole egg and 1 egg yolk in bread machine pan. Process on dough setting according to manufacturer’s directions. When complete, remove dough to lightly floured surface and knead briefly to shape into ball. Turn bread machine pan over dough; let stand 5 to 15 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 equal pieces, then roll each piece into 12-inch strand. To form braid, lay strands on top of each other like spokes of wheel, then braid each end, starting from middle and moving outward.

Spritz 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Place braid in pan, tucking ends under. Place loaf in warm, draft-free place to rise until it rises over top of pan by about 1 inch, about 30 minutes.

Mix remaining egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water to make glaze. Just before baking, brush loaf with egg glaze. Bake on middle rack of 375-degree oven until bread is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Spritz oven 3 to 4 times with plain water during first 5 minutes of baking. Turn loaf out onto rack to cool. Serve warm. Store in plastic wrap.

Makes 1 loaf, about 12 slices.

Each slice contains about:

195 calories; 152 mg sodium; 75 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.11 gram fiber.