Owner's Manual

- 8 -
Characteristics of Ingredients
• All Purpose Flour is a blend of refined wheat flour especially suitable for making cake, croissants and
pizza.
• Bread Flour is a type of wheat flour made from hard wheat that includes all of the gluten from the
grain. Since bread flour has a higher gluten from the grain. Since bread flour has a higher gluten and
protein content than all purpose flour, it is well-suited for use in yeast breads. Gluten gives structure
and height to the loaf, thus bread flour rises better than other flours. It produces a higher loaf and bread
that has a coarser texture.
• Cracked Wheat * is very coarse in texture. It comes from wheat kernels cut into angular fragments. It
gives whole grain breads a nutty flavor and crunchy texture.
• Gluten is an elastic protein found mainly in wheat flour (all flour contains some gluten). Gluten is an
important element in all yeast breads, as it gives bread its structure or framework. Flours with a high
gluten content make the best bread flours.
• Vital Wheat Gluten (also called vital gluten or wheat gluten) is the dried gluten protein obtained from
high protein, hard-wheat flour by rising off most of the starch. Adding gluten to bread recipes helps
improve the strength, texture and height of the loaf, it is especially useful in recipes that call for wheat
bread flour or low-gluten flours.
• Whole Wheat Flour, ground from the entire wheat kernel, is heavier, and richer in nutrients.
• Seven-Grain Cereal Blend** is a blend of cracked wheat, oats, bran, rye, corn meal, flax seeds, and
hulled millet.
• Active Dry Yeast feeds on sugar and ferments it, thus causing dough to rise. Active dry yeast (simply
dried granules of yeast) is made of tiny plants that change food (especially gluten and sugar) into
bubbles of carbon dioxide. As these bubbles expand, the bread rises. The recipes developed for the
Home Bakery used "Fleishmann’s Active Dry Yeast" or "Fleishmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast". Active dry
yeast should be kept in the freezer or refrigerator. Please be sure that fresh yeast isused. Using old
yeast is not recommended and may adversely affect the outcome of your bread.
• Butter and Oil tenderize texture of yeast breads. French bread gets its unique crust and texture from the
lack of added oils. However, breads that call for oils stay fresh longer. Butter should be measured and
cut into small pieces. The recipes developed for the Home Bakery used unsalted butter; however,
regular butter ormargarine can be substituted for unsalted butter.
• Eggs add richness and velvety texture to bread doughs. Use large-size eggs in these recipes.
• Homogenized Milk & Buttermilk add texture and flavor. You may substitute homogenized milk or
buttermilk for dry milk, but the loaf may be come out shorter and the crust may be darker than dry milk
breads.
• Salt is necessary when making yeast breads. It not only adds flavor but controls the growth of yeast,
which helps the bread rise. Too much salt can kill the yeast, but too little lets the dough rise so fast it
may fall before baking is complete. Salt also keeps bread from getting stale too quickly.
• Sugar is important for the color and flavor of breads, as well as to feed the yeast. Recipes that call for
sugar require granulated sugar. Do not substitute powdered sugar or brown sugar unless indicated.
• Fructose* is a naturally occurring sugar found in fruits, berries, and honey. The taste of fructose is
identical to that of common sugar with the added benefit that it is 1-1/2 times as sweet as sugar.
Fructose is a carbohydrate which must be accounted for in the diet.
Characteristics of
Ingredients
CHARACTERISTICS OF INGREDIENTS
* Available at health food stores.
** Available at health food store or in your local supermarket’s hot cereal department.