Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Bread machine blues

A little before Hanukkah the pan on my bread machine cracked, so I couldn't use it. (The liquid would leak out.) It was under warranty so we called the company and they said to cut off the cord and send it back, and they would replace it. So we did that. In the month or so since then we've been relying on the 99-cent, day-old bread pile at the health food store.

In the end the company sent us back one that is a slightly higher-end model than the one we had. It's significantly wider, with two blades in it instead of one. We have enough counter space for it, but for some reason I haven't worked up the enthusiasm for it as I had when I first brought the original one home.

One complication is that because the machine is bigger, the size of the loaves is bigger. The first one had measurements for 1, 1.5 and 2 lb loaves; this one has recipes for 2, 2.5 and 3 lb loaves. So I can still use the measurements for the larger size loaves in the old book for the smaller sized loaves in this one. Also, the new book only contains one recipe for each setting (wheat, white, fast-bake etc.), as opposed to the other one, which had 4 or 5 recipes for each setting. Also, the new one relies heavily on milk as an ingredient, where the other one didn't; I was avoiding using milk so as to keep the thing pareve so I could eat the bread with meat if I wanted to.

So ... I need to find a recipe book for bread machines that gives measurements for the right size but doesn't rely on dairy. (The ones in the library mostly do rely on dairy, but I'll google it eventually, I'm sure I'll find something.) Then I need to get back into the rhythm of doing it a couple of times a week. Maybe I should re-read the chapter in Barbara Kingsolver's book, that might help. I'll get used to it.

3 comments:

Mary said...

I thought my 'new' used bread machine was a bit too big also. I found that I can use the extra bread for other things--make my own croutons, stuffing, breading, etc. Also-- bread crumbs with a little butter, salt/pepper or fresh herbs are great on roasted veggies. Mine is not too big anymore in any case since I now have another kid moving home. Also I found recipes online- they are all over. I didn't get a book with mine--since it came from Goodwill.

Anonymous said...

I actually make the recipe for the bread dough in my Kitchen Aide blender and then let the dough rise in a large plastic bag. This is especially good for pizza dough.

Jo said...

have you thought of using a pareve soy, rice, or almond milk like you would use in coffee with a fleishing meal?

Meanwhile it is wonderful to meet a fellow Kansan who is shomer kashrus.

Yochi in SEK