Bread makers: the aroma of homemade bread |
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It has been known since ancient times that bread perfectly satisfies hunger and gives a feeling of warmth and comfort of home. Nowadays, on store shelves, you do not often find such a ruddy bread with a golden crust, which would be suitable both in price and in the composition of the ingredients. People began to cultivate the first cereal crops in the 12-11 millennium BC on the territory of modern Palestine and Lebanon. Only then they did not know how to make bread. From cereals, or rather from barley and spelled, they cooked porridge. And we can only imagine how one day a prudent hostess, putting to heat yesterday's porridge in the hearth in order to feed her husband, as a result, without knowing it, baked the first bread. One way or another, but since the 9th millennium, archaeologists have found bread ovens throughout the Middle East. I must say that the bread of that period was unleavened, like modern matzah. Yeast dough technology appeared only in the 4th century BC in Egypt and from there it spread throughout the world. In Greece and the rest of Europe, until the time of Herodotus, unleavened bread was eaten. In Russia, bread has always been associated with a home. For the holidays, our distant great-grandmothers also baked patterned wheat loaves and cakes. And for every day “rough” rye bread was served to the table. At lunch or dinner after prayer, the head of the family solemnly cut him open.
Russian festive loaf
In modern families, especially urban ones, baking homemade bread is no longer engaged, believing that this is a troublesome occupation. Meanwhile, a number of companies-manufacturers of household appliances are trying to return us, as they say, to our origins, providing the opportunity to bake bread at home using automatic bakeries. The first homemade bread makers appeared in the 80s of the XX century, and since then they have become more and more popular. Modern people, perhaps, can be divided into those who already have a homemade bread maker, and those who have not heard of it yet. A bread maker is a useful item in the kitchen. Its main advantage over gas and electric ovens is in the excellent quality of the prepared bread, evenly baked, with a beautiful brown crust. If you already have such a device, you can forget about the existence of bakeries forever and enjoy fresh homemade baked goods. Most modern bread makers are equipped with a timer that can be used to bake a roll right for breakfast. Such a fresh bun, baked with your own hands, is always desirable, since its taste and aroma invariably contribute to raising the mood. And what could be more important than a good mood at the beginning of the day? Problem of choice All bread makers work according to the same principle. Inside each device there is a special mold covered with a non-stick material, in the bottom of which there is a paddle for kneading the dough. The constituent ingredients are poured into this mold, and the mold itself is placed inside the oven. The oven lid is closed and the desired mode is selected. For example, "white bread", "French bread", "grain bread" or "dough". You can also set the desired crust color: light, medium or dark. Then they turn on the food, and the process begins. The bread maker does all the rough work, from kneading the dough to baking itself. After a certain time, usually after 3-4 hours, the finished bakery product can be taken out of the oven.
Homemade bread cannot be compared with purchased bread
Before purchasing a bread machine, think about its spaciousness. Modern bread makers can bake loaves weighing from 0.5 to 1.5 kg. If you eat a lot of bread, choose a bigger car. The bread maker takes up quite a lot of space, so think about its placement in advance.Also check if it comes with detailed instructions in Russian and a recipe book (it's easier to experiment with in the kitchen). If you plan to add any special ingredients to your bread, please note that there is an option. Bread makers are relatively inexpensive devices: the price range for them varies from 2 to 5-6 thousand rubles. The Russian market is represented by such manufacturers of bread makers as Kenwood, LG, Moulinex, Panasonic, Hitachi, as well as Eta, DeLonghi, Binatone and others. How not to get lost in this variety of manufacturers and choose the right model? Practical tests To feel the delicious taste and aroma of fresh homemade baked goods, we decided to study in detail two popular models of bread makers (Panasonic SD-253 and LG HB-206-CE) and tell our readers about it. So what are they capable of? Overall dimensions of the Panasonic oven - 37 × 34 × 26 cm, weight - 7.5 kg, color "white". LG's characteristics are as follows: dimensions - 35 × 35 × 23 cm, weight - 7.6 kg, color “white”. The covers (doors) of both models are located next to the controls - this is convenient. Both models are equipped with a small, but very convenient LCD display, which shows information about the current stage of preparation. The Panasonic oven has a lot of nice features ranging from low price to low energy consumption. With this machine you can bake bread weighing up to 1.25 kg. The oven is equipped with a small container on the lid - a dispenser. If you are planning not just bread, but bread with raisins, seeds or nuts, all these ingredients should be poured into the indicated container. In the process, they will be added to the loaf, and at the right time and without your direct participation.
Panasonic SD-253 Mini Bakery
Of the many programs and modes, in addition to the main one, we will especially highlight: quick baking from flour with bran, baking Italian bread, muffins, rye and French bread, gluten-free bread baking, jam-making mode and several dough preparation modes. From this variety, you can choose the one that best suits your idea, be it a breakfast bun or an Easter cake. Furnace power - 550 W. It should be noted that if the electricity goes out during operation, the bread maker, due to thermal insulation, will be able to maintain the desired temperature for another 40 minutes and will not let your bread go to waste. And after the restoration of the power supply, the miracle of its manufacture will be completed. True, if they are "cut down" for the whole day, they will still have to have supper with bread from the store. Oven LG: Its power consumption is 660 W. Of the available functions, only the most necessary ones: basic mode, sweet bread, wheat bread, French bread, quick bread, dough, jam. The device can bake loaves weighing up to 900 g. In a bread maker, you can make bread not only from white wheat flour, but also from flour with bran or a flour mix consisting of several varieties. Moreover, by analogy with the first model, you can bake bread with the addition of raisins, nuts or even cheese and sausages. You can also make a cupcake or jam.
Bread maker LG HB-206-CE
On both models, we tested four main programs: regular wheat flour baking and French bread, kneaded the dough and made jam. The first mode is baking from wheat flour. The cycle time is 3.5 to 6 hours depending on the recipe. For those who do not have enough time, there is an accelerated baking program, which significantly reduces the cooking time. Moreover, the bread baked according to the accelerated program turns out to be almost as lush and tasty as the one baked according to the regular program. To speed up the rise of the dough, add a little more yeast to it and slightly reduce the amount of water. As already mentioned, you can "put" in the car and the color of the crust of the finished loaf. Everyone will be satisfied - both lovers of loaves with a "fried" crust, and those who prefer only slightly toasted buns. The "French bread" regime is the second regime we have tested. The characteristic feature of the French loaf is its crisp crust and soft middle. We baked it. I must say that both devices did a good job and baked quality bread. Using products of the same quality, the bread is well baked with a characteristic crunch. The crust came out beautiful, golden brown, and inside the bread turned out to be airy and porous. The next important program is "dough". Both bread makers prepare yeast dough quickly and efficiently, eliminating the need to knead it by hand. It is enough to pour the necessary ingredients into the mold and after an hour and a half you can sculpt pies and buns. This is especially pleasant to do when all the dirty work has already been done. And finally - a mode that may seem strange for a bread machine, but which is presented in both models under consideration, as well as in a number of other devices - for example, in almost the entire line of DeLonghi bread machines. This is the jam mode. It is not intended for gardeners stocking up on canned jam for the winter, but for lovers of a traditional English breakfast with orange jam. Pour sugar, crushed in a blender and pre-scalded oranges with zest, a little pectin into the container, and after a couple of hours pour real jam into jars. Summing up Having mastered the preparation of bread, which includes only flour, water, sugar, yeast, salt and milk powder, start experimenting. Bake breads with different types of flour and ground with milk, juice, beer, cider or liqueur. Add spices, nuts and seeds, fresh or dried vegetables. The bread maker can easily bake bread with fried onions, dried mushrooms, tomatoes, smoked meat, grated cheese or herbs. You can also make sweet muffins with chocolate, fruits and berries. Just imagine the aroma of strawberry bread or mango bread ... Remember that for the best results you need to use special "bread" flour and fast acting yeast. By the way, an open sachet of yeast does not last long.
Fragrant bread with nuts
The main reason for buying a bread machine lies, of course, in the great taste of homemade baked goods. But there is one more important detail: when baking bread at home, you always know what it is made of. Such bread does not contain soy flour, E300 agent and other, by no means useful additives, which are generously stuffed with loaves on supermarket shelves. However, it is for this reason, precisely because of the absence of artificial preservatives, that the shelf life of homemade bread is shorter - only 2-3 days: this should be remembered. Store loaves of your own production at room temperature in a tightly closed paper bag. Better yet, not store at all, but bake directly to the table. By the way, before cutting a freshly baked loaf, it must first be cooled. If a bread maker has appeared in your house, then:
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