Do you love making homemade bread but keep on wondering how does a bread machine work?
A breadmaker is a simple yet effective machine that lets you prepare bread in the comfort of your home. Not to mention, most breadmakers have a compact design and do not take up too much space on your kitchen countertops. While they are smaller than ordinary oven cookers, they can help you cook different types of bread.
Many bread makers work using the same principle, whether you want to bake a basic sliced white loaf, whole wheat bread, or bread with chocolate chips.
But how does a bread maker work? Well, in this post, we are going to show you how. Let’s get right into it.
Different Parts of A Bread Machine
Here are some of the various parts that you might come across while using bread machines.
Baking Tin, Bread Pan or Loaf Pan
As the name hints, the bread pan is a container that holds baking ingredients while they are getting baked inside a bread machine. On top of that, the baking tin/bread pan makes it easier for you to prepare various ingredients to meet the requirements of different baking recipes. Baking tins may have different sizes, depending on the bread machine that you are using. The baking pan should also have enough space to accommodate different kinds of paddles that can easily stir the bread mixture.
Lid
The lid of a bread machine covers the whole baking unit while you are baking bread to improve the efficiency of the bread machine. Most breadmakers come with a lid that can be moved easily.
Driveshaft
The driveshaft is located inside a breadmaker machine and rotates at a certain speed to spin the small metal paddle, mixing the dough properly.
Kneading paddle
A kneading paddle is a long and wide tool that spins at a certain speed to mix different ingredients (bread flour, water, salt) inside a bread machine.
Heating Element
The heating element produces the heat that prepares your bread. It is designed to produce heat energy from electrical energy in a bread machine.
Baking Chamber
The baking chamber is a metallic compartment that holds the baking tin while baking different bread types. Since this compartment contains materials that conduct heat easily, it transfers heat from the heating element of the bread machine to the baking tin to give you superb results while you are preparing bread.
Motor
This is the mechanical part of a bread maker, which produces enough energy to rotate the spindle. As a result, the spindle spins the kneading paddle at a certain speed, mixing some of the ingredients that might be in the baking tin of the bread machine.
An outer casing
The outer casing of most breadmakers is made from a plastic material that is quite effective in insulating heat. This makes it easier for you to touch the bread maker machine while you are baking, saving you from burns and other injuries.
Air Vent
Since the bread preparation process is dependent on air circulation, most bread machines come with air vents that boost the air circulation inside a bread machine. Due to this, it becomes easier to prepare the perfect bread dough, which produces delicious homemade bread at home.
LCD display
The LCD display gives you an insight into different baking settings and functionalities. For instance, it can display the setting that you are using while preparing freshly baked homemade bread at home.
Exhaust Port
Since various ingredients produce steam after being exposed to high temperatures, a bread maker comes with exhaust ports.
The Process of Preparing and Making Bread
Are you still wondering how does a bread maker work?
While a breadmaker is designed for baking different types of bread in a short period, it is also quite effective in mixing and preparing other ingredients to give you the perfect dough. Due to this, we will take you through the process of preparing and baking bread, making it easier for you to understand how a breadmaker works.
Mixing Ingredients
In this procedure, you have to mix various ingredients to produce the perfect dough for your homemade bread. Since the requirements can vary according to the recipes, you might use different ingredients while preparing different types of bread with a bread machine. These include yeast, salt, flour, sugar, and oil.
Knead
Once you mix the ingredients based on the recipe’s requirements, you have to knead the dough to get superb results while baking. This process helps you prepare the dough to a certain point. Afterwards, the dough rises to a certain point to give you a fluffy loaf of bread.
Rising
Unlike other procedures, this procedure is quite easy and doesn’t require a lot of energy. For your dough to rise to a certain point, you have to place it in a warm environment. Next, leave it for about 45 minutes – 60 minutes, giving it enough time to rise to a certain point.
After 45-60 minutes, you will see the dough rise and increase in size: air will circulate through the pores found inside the dough to increase the overall size of the dough.
Knock down
Well, this process is almost similar to the rising procedure. However, the dough has to be pressed lightly to get rid of the extra air. After that, place the dough in a warm environment, then leave it there for about 45 minutes to 60 minutes, giving the dough enough time to rise again.
Baking
Once you finish preparing the baking ingredients and kneading the dough, you have to bake the dough until you get freshly baked bread.
How a Bread Maker Prepares and Bakes Bread
The good thing about bread making machines is that they automate the whole process, making it easier for you to prepare various ingredients and bake a loaf of bread in a short amount of time.
You must fasten the paddle inside the baking tin for a bread maker to work effectively and give you freshly baked bread.
Next, the baking tin must be placed inside the bread machine and fastened to the clips. Most bread making machines come with sturdy clips that can hold the baking tin in one position while baking, minimizing any movements.
Since these machines are designed to automate the whole baking process, they can mix various ingredients in a short period of time.
Once you place the baking tin inside the bread maker, you’ll need to tweak various settings to get perfect results. Depending on the types of bread recipes, there are different specifications, and these will make it easier for you to bake with a bread machine.
Due to such functionalities, the preparation time of making bread might differ based on the type of bread that you might be baking. For instance, French bread might take longer to rise and give you the perfect dough. On the other hand, recipes like sweetbread might take less time to give you perfect results.
Some examples of such different specifications include multigrain, pizza dough, pasta dough, gluten-free bread, wholemeal, and wheat bread functionalities.
Once a suitable setting is selected, the bread-making machine will start working on the ingredients. The paddle will mix the ingredients effectively to produce the perfect dough, making it easier for you to get freshly baked bread.
Furthermore, the paddle will produce an electric sound as it spins inside the bread machine. The kneading process will come to an end after some time. While some models might come with a glass lid, some models do not have a transparent lid. Well, lids that are made from glass make it easier for you to monitor the kneading process and other procedures.
Once the kneading process comes to an end, the paddle will stop rotating/spinning, giving the dough enough time to rise. The whole rising procedure might take about 1 hour to 2 hours, depending on the type of bread that you might be baking.
Afterwards, the paddle will continue rotating or spinning at a certain speed to mix the ingredients the second time. The process will last for some minutes, and then the paddle will stop rotating. Next, the dough will rise for some hours before the baking process begins completely.
Once the dough rises, the bread maker will automatically turn on to heat the dough to a certain temperature. As a result, steam will rise from the main compartment of the bread-making machine. Not to mention, an aroma will fill your kitchen as dense bread bakes inside the compact oven.
The whole baking process might take a certain period of time, depending on the type of bread you will bake.
Different Buttons and Their Functionality
Most bread makers come with various buttons that help you perform different tasks while baking a loaf of bread. For starters, every bread making machine features a power on/off switch for turning on the machine before the baking process begins.
Apart from that, baking machines also come with other buttons that help you do various things. Such buttons make it easier for you to program your machine to bake different types of bread to perfection.
Bake Some Bread With Your Bread Maker!
By now, you probably know how a bread machine works. Think of it like a compact electric oven that can handle tons of wet ingredients.
Not to mention, many bread makers are quite effective in making fresh bread. They can also help you bake a wide array of different bread; french bread, whole bread, and white bread. If you love eating freshly baked bread, you can use a bread machine to get superb results.
On top of that, a bread machine makes it easier for you to bake bread until you get the desired crust colour (dark crust or medium crust), depending on the dough setting that you might be using. The best bread machines have a control panel with tons of functionalities that can handle a dough ball easily in the bread pan. If you have unlimited space in your kitchen, a bread maker machine might be suitable for you. However, most bread makers have a compact design and can fit in tight spaces.
