- Making a loaf of bread in the bread machine requires assembly of the bread recipe in a specified order. Materials can't simply be dumped into the pan at will. This is usually done with the liquids going in first and then the solids on top, although the exact order depends on the contents and the specific bread recipe. There are bread machine pre-packaged ingredient sacks that have the flours and yeast mixed together already, greatly simplifying an already simple procedure. The key consideration is that the yeast and water be kept apart, because the yeast for bread machines is water-activated.
- Bread machines come with a paddle built into the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is filled with ingredients and put into the machine, the machine is activated and the pan is heated to a controlled temperature while the paddle kneads the ingredients into dough. This process is called proofing.
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A finished loaf of bread.With the proofing done, the machine starts baking the bread. The machine's controller does everything automatically, setting baking temperature and running the process with an on-board timer.
