Getting the water/flour balance right here… I’ve discovered less really is more. Cutting the volume of water has resulted in better baking, texture and drier loaves (duh!)… and also prevents the dough sinking while baking. So if you’re making bread, cut 10ml of water out of the recipe and see if the texture improves or not.
I have one of these, and the paddle went missing, so I got one on eBay for like NT$1100 or so w/ shipping. At the same time, Mrs. Rocket found the tech support number in the manual and called and they said they’d deliver one for like NT$125 or so. Ooops.
Yeah, I got my ass well kicked.
Anyways, the point is, they do seem to have a reasonably functional service presence, it would probably be worth at least enquiring about getting it fixed
Did the same thing! Spent quite a bit to replace the paddle… then my wife broke the kneading pan. That was a shame… It really could do a great whole wheat loaf (100%)… my replacement does great bread, but it’s Japanese and doesn’t make great whole wheat bread… Usually comes out like a stone because the proving & kneading are inadequate.
I guess Cuisinart really wants to get rid of their stock of CBK-100 machines, they’re $279 on Amazon but I got one for $2750 on trplus.com, seem to be on sale for $2990 everywhere. Came today, I think it was made in 2014 and seems to not have left the original packing box since. We’ll see, but there’s a 3 year warranty, so can’t lose too much I guess. It looks fine. Posting just in case anyone is interested.
1 Like
And I thought I’d finished battering my credit cards after Christmas…Amazon seem to be taking the proverbial though, it seems to have been sub US$100 at some point,
1 Like
I guess there’s breadmaker shortages with covid, lol.
Actually 1 year. They weren’t sold through Cuisinart directly, but an agent company, Shouyo. Well, we’ll hope for the best.
How is is working out? Are you drowning in carbs or bureaucracy?
Used it yesterday, it works!
What kind of mode does it have for making wholemeal bread? My current breadmaker can’t do it, except 50/50 to white flour. My old Kaiser had no trouble doing 100% wholemeal. Sad that the S/O broke it!
There’s a Whole Wheat program, the recipes they supply with only whole wheat and no bread flour also call for a small amount of “vital wheat gluten”, wtfti.
It’s a way to provide the structure that bread needs (hah!) otherwise you will have a cake dough, I guess, with no or low gluten. Most people aren’t gluten-intolerant, so eating less gluten is a life-style choice. I guess they want to experiment with different kinds of flour, but without gluten you can’t make much bread as we currently describe it.
I had fun making Banana Bread (which is actually a cake recipe) with strong bread flour. I added it by accident thinking it was cake flour, and a dash of extra protein/glutein wouldn’t be a problem! Was I wrong or what? It came out quite difficult to mix… so we just baked it as it was. Came out really nice: A real Banana Bread!!!
2 Likes
Actually, I was surprised by how easy it is to make bread without a breadmaker. I’ve been making it quite often recently and it’s a lot easier than I thought. Wish I’d started sooner.
I’ve mostly been making sandwich baguettes (according to this recipe - the article has a link to a YouTube video), and I made naan bread (recipe) for the first time tonight to go with chicken tikka masala. Both have been turning out pretty well!
I’m thinking to try wholemeal next, when I can find a loaf tin and go get the flour.
3 Likes
It’s easy to use the breadmaker just to make the dough. Doesn’t save a lot of effort, but keeps the kitchen (my kitchen) tidy! If you’ve ever seen me cook, that’s a plus!
There are more baking stores these days around Taiwan. Some stock everything you need! I like the Bread maker because it helps to prove the dough more reliably and faster than open air proving. BUT it can’t really do Wholemeal bread… so I usually just do that by hand.
Yeah, that makes sense, especially with the current temperature.
I’ve checked a couple of baking stores, and Shopee (albeit not exhaustively) - most of the tins I’ve seen were smaller than I’m looking for. I do know of one place in Xiaobitan that might have the size I want, but haven’t had the chance to get out there recently. Do you have any recommended stores in Taipei?
Why can’t the breadmaker do wholemeal bread? Do you have to do something differently? (That may be a stupid question, but I haven’t researched it yet…)
I think it’s a matter of timing, temperatures and available food for the yeast to do its job.
My wife figured out that in order to produce a nice round bread in Summer, she had to put the water added in the refrigerator for one night. I always tried to do a mix rye and whole grain bread which at first rose up nicely but the machine does one more mixing before the baking starts and there wasn’t enough food for the yeast left to rise the dough one more time.
I suggest you take the dough out after it has risen up, take out that little shovel/mixer and put the dough back for the baking.
Other than that, try and error. More yeast, less yeast, leave one third of the dough over night and then add the other two thirds of ingredients and run the program.
Add more or less sugar. Add an egg at the beginning or later state.
Add some of the milk later or more.
The yeast needs something to produce the energy to make the dough rise and it either can’t access it because whole weed is delaying it or there is simply not enough and it runs out.
This one’s a bread machine keeper. I used dark brown sugar.
1 Like
Bread making is not just take flour, add water, yeast and salt and a little sugar. It’s actually more complex than that. And it has everything to do with gluten development. Which is temperature, time and mixing sensitive.
I’m seriously happy I bought a bread maker!! It’s honestly easier and not as messy as I thought. I’m making a second loaf now because I couldn’t help myself >.>
Has anyone used it to mix tortilla dough? That’s next if I have time tonight.
1 Like