Adapt your favorite recipes for Bread Machine use

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Adapt your favorite recipes for bread machine use

If you're looking for some great bread machine recipes, just adapt your conventional recipes. This way, you can still enjoy your favorite breads, but the machine will do most of the work for you. Here are some guidelines for adapting recipes for your bread machine:

Reduce the volume of your original recipe to fit the flour and liquid capacities of your bread machine. Most recipes will need to be reduced by half or two-thirds to suit the machine.
Once you reduce your recipe, the quantities of the essential ingredients should fall within the following parameters. You can make minor adjustments if necessary.

1-Pound Loaf	1 1/2 -Pound	2-Pound Loaf
7/8 to 1 cup liquid	1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups liquid	1 3/8 to 1 1/2 cups liquid
1/4 to 1 teaspoon salt	1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoon salt	3/4 to 2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons to 3 tablespoons fat	1 to 5 tablespoons fat	2 to 7 tablespoons fat
2 teaspoons to 3 tablespoons sweetener	1 to 5 tablespoons sweetener	2 to 7 tablespoons sweetener
2 to 2 1/2 cups flour *	3 to 3 1/2 cups flour*	4 to 4 1/2 cups flour*
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast	1 1/2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast	2 to 3 teaspoons active dry yeast

* Whole-grain breads often require the larger amounts of flour to produce an acceptable-size loaf. You will probably need to increase the amount of liquid as well when using the extra flour.

Additional tips for adapting recipes for your bread machine:

It is important to keep the flour and the liquid in the correct proportions, even if reducing the quantities means that you end up with some odd amounts. You can be more flexible with spices and flavorings such as fruit and nuts, as exact quantities are not so crucial.
One large egg equals a scant 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) liquid. If the original recipe listed one egg, and you reduced it by half, you can use either 2 tablespoons of liquid egg substitute to equal that 1/2 egg or add the entire egg but reduce the liquid in the recipe by the extra 2 tablespoons.
When working with non-wheat flours, if your recipe is 100 percent whole grain with little or no wheat flour, you will need to adjust the proportions to include a minimum of 2 cups wheat flour for each cup of non-wheat flour to avoid creating a loaf that is too heavy and dense.
Check the consistency of the dough when the machine starts mixing. You may need to add one or two extra spoonfuls of water, as breads baked in the bread machine require a slightly softer dough, which is wet enough to relax back into the shape of the bread pan.
If a dough mixes perfectly in your machine but then fails to bake properly, or if you want bread of a special shape, use the dough cycle on your machine, then shape by hand before baking in a conventional oven.
For re-creating roll recipes or specialty-type breads using the dough cycle, it is usually easier to handle the dough if you reduce the liquid by 2 tablespoons. Once you do this, if the dough is too stiff for your machine, and it's struggling to mix it, add the 2 tablespoons of liquid.
Monitor the recipe closely the first time you make it and jot down any ideas you have for improvements next time.
Look through bread machine recipes to find something similar. This will give you an idea as to the quantities, and which program you should use. Be prepared to make more adjustments after testing your recipe for the first time.