response 67 of 205:

Dec 1 22:27 UTC 2002

That is good advice. 

response 69 of 205:

Dec 1 22:42 UTC 2002

That sounds complicated. I dont even know what sponge is. haha. 

response 71 of 205:

Dec 3 02:05 UTC 2002

My machine is a Regal from early '96.  I bought a replacement pan & paddle
for it a year or two ago.

My impression is that many bread machines are bought with good intentions,
then fall into disuse fairly soon.  Depending on your budget, it could be
good to borrow one or buy second-hand.  Consumer Reports briefly lists a
few favored models in their Xmas gift issue - they go for $75 to $100 new.

It's certainly possible to make fancy stuff with a bread machine (if you
have time to burn & itchy fingers), but regular use of one with a proven
recipe pretty much amounts to (1) measure & dump stuff into machine, (2)
plug in machine & push buttons to start it, and (3) remember to remove
finished bread semi-promptly & leave it out to cool for a while.

You'll probably need to add a few standard bread ingredients to your 
pantry.  Yeast and bread flour almost certainly.  Probably oil.  Whole
wheat flour in your case.  There's no need for lots of ingredients; but
somebody somewhere has found & bought & grated & measured 15 different
kinds of cheeses because they just *had* to bake 15-cheese bread.

response 73 of 205:

Dec 3 02:49 UTC 2002

We do not put any oil in our bread, just flour, water, yeast.  Jim has been
experimenting with how much rye flour can be added to the wheat before the
machine overloads and he has to take it apart and replace the thermal cutout.
He is up to about 1/4 now, I think.

response 75 of 205:

Dec 3 05:05 UTC 2002

Re #73:  That's pretty funny.  How many times has he blown the cutout?

response 77 of 205:

Dec 3 16:34 UTC 2002

Jim has, at present, three bread machines.  The one into which he is putting
rye flour has not 'broken' yet.  One of the others arrived with blown cutout,
which he replaced.  First time he made bread it blew again so he tried a
smaller batch or more water.  Then his housemate blew the cutout on the third
machine.  So the answer is three.  Some of these machines are really not well
designed for non-fluffy type bread.  Another friend with another machine also
had problems with whole wheat bread - it would start moving and then stop
every time until Jim gave him an adjusted recipe.  Until then he would always
take the unkneaded dough out and bake it (without waiting for it to rise) and
eat a hard lump.  He does not quite understand how bread is made.

Two of the three problem machines are Wellbuilt.  The one which always works
well is a Regal, so you might try a Regal for heavier breads.  We actually
paid $20 for it used (at Miller Manor thrift shop).  Kiwanis often has bread
machines for $10-25.

If Slynne's mother's bread machine stops working Jim will be happy to fix it.
Ask him for a recipe suggestion for whole wheat bread.  He did a lot of
experimenting and discovered that it helps to preheat the pan and the water
so it will rise faster.

response 79 of 205:

Dec 3 16:36 UTC 2002

(er, worth the $160 to buy the machine, not to replace the belt.  The new belt
cost something like $10-15 with shipping)

response 81 of 205:

Dec 4 12:15 UTC 2002

Note that most bread recipes probably need to be tweaked (adjust yeast,
sugar, liquids, etc.) to your machine (which has slightly different times,
temps, pan shape, etc. than the recipe-writer's machine).

response 83 of 205:

Dec 23 03:14 UTC 2002

I'm thinking more about a toaster oven.  Cooking for one, there are a
fair number of times when turning on the stove's oven just seems silly
(making 6 muffins or some such).  I don't make toast, so the "can also
reheat pizza" bottom-end models are out.  I want something that'll do
a loaf of banana bread, small casserole, etc. 

Measuring tape, etc. will tell me if it would fit in & not blow fuses - 
but how useful are such things?  Are good ones really a smaller version
of a "real" oven, or just glorified TV dinner heaters?  Is "convection"
a real feature or a noisy price-hike? 

response 85 of 205:

Dec 23 12:11 UTC 2002

Toaster ovens are Great for small batches.  I even have a set of baking
pans that fit toaster ovens.  It includes a jelly roll pan (the cookie pan
with 3/8 in sides), a 9 1/4 by 6 1/2 by 2 in baking pan that is a great
lasagne size, a 7 1/2 by 3/3/4 by 2 1/4 in loaf pan, three mini pie pans,
and four mini loaf pans. Made by Mirro.  I don't remember the last time I
saw them on sale, but check the (fake) hardware store on Stadium, next to
Big George's. [We all know that Stadium Hardware is the REAL hardware
store on Stadium}. 

Over the years I've collected a couple 6-hole muffin pans, a springform
pan with both a flat bottom and center-hole insert, 7 inch pie pans, two
small round cake pans, and numerous tart pans of various shapes.  I make
biscuits, muffins, cookies, cornbread, and just about everything else in
my toaster oven.  

The Jiffy mix single layer cake mixes make the cutest little layer cakes.
For mixing small batches of cookies, my Cuisinart Little Pro Plus is a
whizz.  (It also whips egg whites, juices limes, lemons and oranges, and
doubles as a salad shooter, with a side-directed, continuous feed shredder
or slicer.)

That said, I don't bake much, compared to many people here.  If I ate
baked goods very often, I'd probably go the big oven, big freezer route.

response 87 of 205:

Dec 23 17:58 UTC 2002

I have not used my stove oven for over a year, since we got the bread machine.
I have a small round Nesco electric oven (insulated walls) that works for
potatoes.  Congrats on mastering the bread machine. Whole wheat bread never
rises enough in those.   I wonder if the Nesco would bake bread.

response 89 of 205:

Dec 24 16:01 UTC 2002

Hmm... We probably should replace our four-slot toaster; one of the handles
won't stay down, so only two of the slots are useable.  A toaster oven would
be easier for some of the larger things, like bagels.  Hmm...