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22.
KNOW YOUR INGREDIENTS
It has been said that cooking is an art that relies on the creativity of the chef. Baking
bread is much more of a science, since the process of combining flour, water and yeast
results in a chemical reaction that produces bread. You must remember that when the
ingredients combine with each other, they produce a specific result. Read the following
information carefully to gain a better understanding of the importance each ingredient
plays in the breadmaking process. There are several Bread Baker recipe books available
that may use these ingredients.
All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is a blend of refined hard and soft wheat flours ide-
ally suited for making quick breads and cakes. The most popular brands of flour have
been tested for quick bread and cakes in the Breadman
®
Cool Touch Automatic Bread
Baker by Salton with excellent results.
Bran: Bran (unprocessed) is the coarse outer portion of the wheat or rye grains that is
separated from flour by sifting or bolting. They are often added to bread in small quanti-
ties for nutritional enrichment, heartiness and flavor. They are also used to enhance
bread texture.
Bread Flour: Bread flour is a high gluten/protein flour that typically has a higher gluten
concentration than all-purpose flour. Using bread flour with the Bread Baker will pro-
duce loaves with better volume and structure.
Corn meal and Oatmeal: Corn meal and oatmeal come from coarsely ground white or
yellow corn and from rolled or steel-cut oats. They are used primarily to enhance the fla-
vor and texture of the bread.
Cracked Wheat: Cracked wheat has a very coarse texture. It comes from wheat kernels
cut into angular fragments. It gives whole grain breads a nutty flavor and crunchy
texture.
Rye Flour: Rye flour must always be mixed with a high proportion of bread flour, as it
does not contain enough gluten to develop the structure for a high, even-grained loaf.
Self-Rising Flour: Self-rising flour contains leavening ingredients that will interfere
with bread and cake making. It is not recommended for use with your Bread Baker.
Seven Grain Cereal Blend: Seven grain cereal blend is a blend of cracked wheat, oats,
bran, rye, cornmeal, flax seeds and hulled millet.
Vital Wheat Gluten: Gluten manufactured from wheat flour that has been treated to
remove nearly all of the starch, which leaves a very high protein content. (Gluten is the
protein in the wheat that makes the dough elastic.) Gluten is available at most health
food stores and in the baking aisle in many markets. It is sometimes used in small por-
tions with dense, low-gluten flours (such as whole wheat) to increase volume and
lighten texture.