bread machine that makes small loaf?

I borrowed a friend's bread machine. Made 2 loafs so far and decided I want one myself.

The machine makes 1 or 1.5 lb loafs. I need to make small loafs. Even 1-lb is too big. Since I like to experiment, the smaller the loaf the better. Plus, I'm the only person eating the bread anyway.

A quicks search turns up a model called west bend just for dinner breadmaker. It makes 3/4 lb loaf, and does it in 45 minutes. Quick turnaround is good for experimenter, but I wonder if 45 minutes is taking too much short-cuts. I also would like a programmable cycle so that there's more things to experiment with.

Is 3/4 lb loaf the smallest loaf that bread machine can make?

Reply to
peter
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I'm surprised that there are machines that make loaves that small. The smallest I'd seen were 1 lb models.

Actually, not only is 45 minutes too fast, so is an hour. I wouldn't suggest any machine, or cycle, that was less than 2 1/2 hours, and longer is better. Remember, you don't have to be there to watch it. With most machines you can load the ingredients at night and set it up so you'll have fresh bread in the morning. Or load it in the morning and you'll have bread when you get home.

As to sizes, you might consider letting your bread machine do the kneading and such, then take out the dough, put it into several smaller loaf pans and bake a number of small loaves. Or, you could make rolls. Then, you can freeze the extras for later.

In general, the longer it takes to make bread, the better it will taste and the longer it will last, which is another reason to not use the "express" settings on bread machines. In France people tend to buy a large loaf to feed their family for a week. The loaf is called a Miche, and people talk about which day after baking the bread is at it's best. Many people prefer that the bread be a few days old. We Americans have an obsession with "fresh bread" that really doesn't have much of a culinary basis. Many breads are better after they've had a chance to breathe. So what if you can't finish the loaf in one sitting? It'll last for a number of days, and chances are it will improve for several of them. Have toast for breakfast. Make sandwiches to take to work. Use bread crumbs to thicken a soup. Bread.... it's not just for one meal!

Mike

Reply to
Mike Avery

I know that you have already thought of this but, why not make a full loaf, on the dough cycle, shape into smaller loaf and put into small bread pans, rise, bake and when cooled, freeze the extra ones for later.

Reply to
Norvin

Any model with a vertical loaf pan should make loaves as small as 1/2 lb. with no problem.

-- Larry

Reply to
pltrgyst

Because I want to taste the loaf, make adjustment to the ingredients, then make an improved loaf.

Reply to
peter

I was a hand-made bread bigot until a friend with trusted gourmet instincts pointed out that you could wake up to the smell of fresh bread without having worked during the night. So one birthday the GF gave me a Breadman Ultimate (enlightened self-interest on her part; she too got to eat the bread) which is now an indispensable accessory. It has a 1# loaf setting, and on Basic cycle the difference seems to be 5 minutes less duration than 1.5#. This is probably in the bake time. With a vertical pan (not Breadman) and programmable cycles, you can probably knock the loaf size down a bit more.

One thing I have learned with the machine is that working by weight rather than volume, particularly for the flour, consistently yields superior results. Yeah, the instructions usually say to check the dough during first kneading and adjust moisture content, but that detracts from the "load-and-forget" beauty. Heck, just convert to baker's percentages and then you can scale that little test loaf up to whatever you want.

Reply to
Tim Mueller

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