Sunbeam BM7800 - Manual (Page 15)

Baking bread is part chemistry and part artistry.
Your Sunbeam Quantum SmartBake does most
of the work for you; but there are still some
things you should know, about each of the basic
ingredients and the bread baking process.
The ingredients in basic bread are very simple:
flour, sugar, salt, liquid (such as water or milk),
possibly a fat (such as butter or margarine), and
yeast. Each of these ingredients performs a specific
job, and each lends a special flavour to the final
masterpiece.
That’s why it is important to use the right
ingredients in exactly the right proportions to
ensure you get the most delicious results!
Yeast
Yeast is actually a microscopic plant. Simply stated,
without yeast, your bread will not rise. When
moistened by a liquid, fed by sugar and carefully
warmed, yeast produces gasses that power the
dough to rise. If the temperature is too cold, the
yeast will not be activated, if it’s too warm, it
will die. Your Quantum SmartBake takes care of
this worry for you by maintaining just the right
temperature in the baking chamber at all times.
Some yeasts may require the use of a bread
improver. The Bread Improver will provide
additional gluten to the flour to produce a better
loaf.
Note: We do not recommend the use of fresh or
compressed yeast in your breadmaker. Sunbeam
recommends the use of dry yeast only. Always
ensure it is used well within the use-by date, as
stale yeast will prevent the bread from rising.
Flour
In order for the bread to rise, the flour has to
have a sufficiently high protein content. Sunbeam
recommends the use of a good quality plain or
bread flour. Some recommended brands are listed
on page 22.
Note: Do not use self-raising flour in any recipes,
except for program (8) Damper.
Unlike white flour, wheat flour contains bran and
wheatgerm which are heavy and inhibit rising.
Wheat breads therefore, tend to be heavier in
texture and smaller in size. A lighter larger loaf
can be achieved by combining wheat flour with
white flour for whole wheat bread recipes.
Sugars
Sugars sweeten the bread, brown the crust, lend
tenderness to the texture and supply the yeast with
food. White or brown sugar, molasses, maple or
golden syrup, honey and other sweeteners may be
used in equivalent quantities.
Note: Artificial sweetener can be substituted in
equivalent amounts, however the taste and texture
of your bread will vary.
Liquids
When liquids are mixed with the proteins in flour,
gluten is formed. Gluten is necessary for the bread
to rise. Most recipes use powdered milk and water,
but other liquids such as milk, fruit juice, beer
and water can be used. It’s a delicate balance:
experiment with quantities of these liquids to
obtain optimum results as a recipe with too much
liquid may cause the bread to fall during baking
while a recipe with too little liquid will not rise.
Note: Liquids should be used at room temperature.
15
The Art and Science of Baking Great
Tasting Bread.