Q&A for How to Use a Bread Machine

Try adding more flour to your mix to firm the dough.

Yes, you can to check how it looks or if the dough is rising enough.

If you use the dough cycle, you will be able to take it out of the machine, form it into rolls or a loaf, let rise until double, then bake. Bake in a glass pan at 425ºF for about 24 minutes. You can use any standard bread recipes; just ignore instructions in regular recipes, except for the list of ingredients, temperature and time for baking. Be sure to put the ingredients in your machine with liquids first, flour second, then salt, then sweetener, then yeast. Remove the dough when the dough cycle is done, form it into a loaf or rolls, let rise till doubled. Bake in the oven according to recipe's instructions.

Keep an eye on the bread while it's in the oven. If the desired color is golden brown, remove it from the oven as soon as it gets to this color. It will probably be before the baking cycle is complete.

Check to make sure that your recipe quantities are correct. It sounds like you might be using too much water.

You can use water instead of milk, but the yeast will need the sugar to aid in the rising process.

It depends on what type of bread your making, as yeast bread is generally faster than a fruit bread. See the instructions for the recipe you are following for that particular bread.

Look up alternative measurements for the ingredient you need to add. You can sometimes measure solids by weight if you have a food scale, and an ingredient like butter can often be measured right on the stick by the markings on the wrapper.

Since honey normally exists below its melting point, it is a supercooled liquid. At very low temperatures, honey will not freeze solid. Instead, as the temperatures become lower, the viscosity of honey increases. Like most viscous liquids, the honey will become thick and sluggish with decreasing temperature.

It depends on the machine. Some have settings for both scenarios. Read through the user manual for your particular make and model or call the manufacturer's customer service number.

Yes, as long as you don't put too much of either, because salt can be very sour, and too much honey doesn't taste good.

Yes; while more expensive ones may have more features, all bread machines are basically the same.

Yes, otherwise you will end up with bacteria that is not good for bread or you.

Yes, because many bread makers do not have a lid sensor. You should not open the lid during the baking cycle.

Yes, you can.

Just clean it up using warm water and dish soap.

You should let the bread cool for 1 hour so the moisture can escape and there is no condensation.

It depends on how much flour and other dry ingredients are called for in your bread recipe. If your recipe calls for 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 cups of dry ingredients, use the 1 pound loaf setting. If the recipe calls for 3 to 3-3/4 cups of dry ingredients, use the 1.5 pound loaf setting. If the recipe calls for 4-1/4 to 4-3/4 cups of dry ingredients, use the 2 pound loaf setting.

You can remove the dough paddle or blade once the bread has finished cooking.

Unplugging the machine will send it to its default settings. Then you can start over.

Yes. My machine keeps the loaf warm for a couple of hours after baking, then shuts off automatically.

Bob's Red Mill has a Gluten-Free bread mix that you could use, but if your daughter-in-law has issues with gluten, perhaps you should avoid bread altogether.

The minute the machine is turned on, the start button lights up. Most machines should begin to heat up at this point.

You can just use an ordinary white vinegar. When you bake more bread than you need, freeze it wrapped in a plastic bag, then thaw it in the fridge overnight to eat the next day.

No, it does not.

Maybe the yeast was old or stored in improper conditions. Sugar is very important, as the yeast feeds on this. Also, water temperature must be lukewarm for the yeast to work properly. Yeast is a living thing, not a chemical.

No, honey would go in with your liquid, then sugar, flour, yeast is last. Make an a little well in flour to put the yeast in.

No, you don't need to do that with a bread machine. You can simply put all the ingredients and start bread making.

You could set the bread machine to just knead the dough, then bake it yourself in a loaf pan in the oven.