Bread-making Ingredients
Flour
Main ingredient of bread. The protein
in flour forms gluten during kneading.
Gluten provides structure and texture
and helps the bread to rise.
● Use strong flour.
Do not use soft or plain flour.
Dairy
Products
Add flavour and
nutritional value.
● If you use milk instead of water, the
nutritional value of the bread will
be higher, but do not use in timer
setting as it may not keep fresh
overnight.
➔ Reduce the amount of water
proportionally to the amount of
milk.
Water
● Use normal tap water.
● Use warm water if using ‘RAPID’, ‘rye’ or
‘gluten free’ settings in a cold room.
● Use chilled water if using ‘rye’ or ‘french’
settings in a hot room.
● Always measure out liquids using the
measuring cup provided.
Salt
Improves the flavour and
strengthens gluten to help the
bread rise.
● The bread may lose size/flavour if
measuring is inaccurate.
Fat
Adds flavour and softness
to the bread.
● Use butter, margarine or oil. 2
tbsps oil are equivalent to 25g
butter.
Sugar (granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, treacle etc)
Adds softness and gives crust colour.
Yeast
Enables the bread to rise.
● Yeast which has
‘Easy Blend’, ‘Fast
Action’ or ‘Easy
Bake’ written on
the packet is
recommended.
● When using yeast from sachets,
seal the sachet again immediately
after use, and keep in the fridge.
(Use within the manufacturer’s
recommended time)
If using a bread mix...
■ Bread mixes including yeast
1 Place a 500g mix in the bread pan, then add
water. (Follow instructions on the packet for
the quantity of water)
2 Select the ‘basic’ – ‘BAKE RAPID’ – ‘Large’
size setting.
● With some mixes, it is not clear how much
yeast is included, so results may vary.
■ Bread mix with separate yeast sachet
1 First place the measured yeast in the bread
pan, then the bread mix, then the water.
• Bread Bakery Capacity
400-550g mix (for a loaf), 250-600g mix (for a dough)
2
Set the machine according to the type of flour
included in the mix, and start the baking.
• White flour, brown flour ➔ basic
•
Whole wheat, multi grain flour ➔ whole wheat
• rye flour ➔ rye (SD-255 only)
■ You can make your bread taste better by adding
other ingredients:
Eggs
Improve the nutritional value and colouring
of the bread. (Water amount must be
reduced proportionally)
Bran
Increases the bread’s fibre content.
• Use max. 50g (2oz).
Wheat germ
Gives the bread a nuttier flavour.
• Use max. 50g (2oz).
Spices,
herbs
Enhance the flavour of the bread.
• Only use a small amount (1-2 tsp).
Main Flours Used in Bread
White flour:
Made by grinding wheat kernel, excluding bran and germ.
Used in e.g. ‘basic’, ‘french’ modes.
Strong flours: Milled from hard wheat. High content of protein, needed for producing gluten to make dough rise.
Weak flours: Milled from soft wheat. Lower content of protein.
• Always use strong flour when using the recipes in this book.
• Do NOT use plain or self-raising flour as a substitute for bread flour.
Wholemeal flour:
Made by grinding entire wheat kernel, including bran and germ.
Makes bread rich in minerals, but lower in height and denser than bread baked with white flour because the gluten
strands are cut by the edges of bran flakes and germ.
Rye flour:
Contains some proteins, but these do not produce as much gluten as wheat flour.
Makes dense, heavy bread with a flat or slightly sunken top crust (use in rye mode).
• Do not use more than stated quantity (could overload motor).
Spelt flour:
In the wheat family but is a completely different species genetically. Although it contains gluten
some gluten-intolerant people can digest it. Makes loaves with a flat/slightly sunken crust.
■ Alternative flours which may be used
Brown flour: 10-15% of wheat grain removed during milling.
Softgrain flour:
Strong white flour with wheat and rye grains added. Provides extra fibre, texture, and flavour.
• Do not use with ‘Timer’ option (grains can absorb water and swell up, spoiling texture of loaf).
Granary
R
or Malted Grain flour:
Has crushed wheat or rye grains added together with malted whole wheat.
Makes brown bread coarser and moister with nuttier flavour.
• Do not use more than stated quantity (could damage bread pan’s non-stick finish).
Stoneground flour:
Grains are crushed between two large millstones rather than with steel rollers.
• Do not use more than stated quantity (could damage bread pan’s non-stick finish, or overload motor).
Other flour:
Products milled from other grains (i.e. corn meal, rice, millet, soy, oat, buckwheat, barley flours).
• Do not use more than stated quantity (hinders rising and texture).
• Should not be used as substitute for bread flour.
● Coarse ingredients such as flours with whole grains or the addition of nuts and seeds may damage the
non-stick finish of the bread pan.
