Are bread machine mixes useful? Yes, some of them are, but the problem with all bread machine mixes is that they place limitations on your choice and discourage your creative talents. That may sound a little harsh, but think about it for a while. If you rely on bread machine mixes you can only make the bread for which you can find a bread machine mix and you can only put the bread machine mix into the bowl and switch the bread making machine on. You are not encouraged to alter the bread machine mix for fear that it won't work.
What is the alternative? Well, the old-fashioned cookbook, of course! Not any old cookbook, but a specialized bread making machine recipe book. Bread making is a very simple, but rather tedious process. The ingredients are everyday, household items: water, flour, yeast, salt, sugar and oil. You already have those items in your cupboard with the possible exception of the yeast, which can be bought everywhere at low cost.
And you know what happens when you follow a recipe, don't you? You've read the recipe through and you know you have everything in the kitchen, but when the recipe calls for, say, currants, you open the cupboard door and see that you don't have any currants - they were sultanas! Oh, well you think, they'll do. You make do. You experiment. You are developing your skills and creativity. Bread making mixes cannot do that for you.
A good bread making machine cookbook will have something over 100 recipes originating from several countries and you will get really enthusiastic about experimenting with the various ones. Have you ever tried Welsh bread - Bara Brith? Or Amish bread? Cajun bread or onion bread? Cranberry bread is lovely too, but one of my favourites is Brazil Nut Bread - absolutely delicious.
The fact is that you may not find recipes for all these breads in one place, but if you have a safe starting point, like a bread recipe cookbook, you can start off by using already tried and tested gourmet bread recipes and gradually concoct your own - ofttimes you don't have everything.
I once made a really great loaf of bread by adding some of the leftover vegetables from my Sunday dinner. It was very delicious, however I could never quite make the same loaf again, try as I did many times, because I had not written down the weights of the added vegetables. I could only remember that I had added green beans, potatoes and sweet corn in it!
Bread machine mixes will never ever give you that, will they? Furthermore bread machine mixes are relatively expensive compared to the cost of ten pounds. I usually vary the ingredients too: honey instead of sugar, milk instead of water, olive oil or butter instead of just corn oil. Rock salt instead of sea salt or visa versa. You get the picture.
Bread machine mixes are limited and limiting. A bread making machine is a great way to use up leftovers. I have often added meat and fruit in my gourmet bread. My principle is: if it'll go in a sandwich it'll go in the dough - like an Indian stuffed paratha or stuffed naan bread.
Save your money by not buying bread machine mixes and be creative with a bread machine recipes cookbook. - 32406
What is the alternative? Well, the old-fashioned cookbook, of course! Not any old cookbook, but a specialized bread making machine recipe book. Bread making is a very simple, but rather tedious process. The ingredients are everyday, household items: water, flour, yeast, salt, sugar and oil. You already have those items in your cupboard with the possible exception of the yeast, which can be bought everywhere at low cost.
And you know what happens when you follow a recipe, don't you? You've read the recipe through and you know you have everything in the kitchen, but when the recipe calls for, say, currants, you open the cupboard door and see that you don't have any currants - they were sultanas! Oh, well you think, they'll do. You make do. You experiment. You are developing your skills and creativity. Bread making mixes cannot do that for you.
A good bread making machine cookbook will have something over 100 recipes originating from several countries and you will get really enthusiastic about experimenting with the various ones. Have you ever tried Welsh bread - Bara Brith? Or Amish bread? Cajun bread or onion bread? Cranberry bread is lovely too, but one of my favourites is Brazil Nut Bread - absolutely delicious.
The fact is that you may not find recipes for all these breads in one place, but if you have a safe starting point, like a bread recipe cookbook, you can start off by using already tried and tested gourmet bread recipes and gradually concoct your own - ofttimes you don't have everything.
I once made a really great loaf of bread by adding some of the leftover vegetables from my Sunday dinner. It was very delicious, however I could never quite make the same loaf again, try as I did many times, because I had not written down the weights of the added vegetables. I could only remember that I had added green beans, potatoes and sweet corn in it!
Bread machine mixes will never ever give you that, will they? Furthermore bread machine mixes are relatively expensive compared to the cost of ten pounds. I usually vary the ingredients too: honey instead of sugar, milk instead of water, olive oil or butter instead of just corn oil. Rock salt instead of sea salt or visa versa. You get the picture.
Bread machine mixes are limited and limiting. A bread making machine is a great way to use up leftovers. I have often added meat and fruit in my gourmet bread. My principle is: if it'll go in a sandwich it'll go in the dough - like an Indian stuffed paratha or stuffed naan bread.
Save your money by not buying bread machine mixes and be creative with a bread machine recipes cookbook. - 32406
About the Author:
If you have been using bread machine mixes visit http://bread-machine-mixes.the-real-way.com to see what you have been missing.
