How to Add Ingredients to a Bread Machine

Select the freshest ingredients available. Bread contains relatively few ingredients, so only use fresh, high quality ingredients. Using old yeast may prevent the dough from rising properly and result in a very dense texture. Check the expiration date on food labels to ensure freshness.

Allow the ingredients to come to room temperature, unless the recipe states otherwise. If the ingredients are the wrong temperature, it will adversely affect the way the bread rises and bakes.

Measure each ingredient accurately. Measure liquids with a liquid measuring cup. After filling the cup to the desired measurement, place the cup on a flat surface and double-check the measurement. Measure dry liquids and solid fats with a dry measuring cup or spoon. Use a spoon to add dry ingredients into the measuring cup and then level off the excess with a knife or spatula. Never scoop flour with a measuring cup, because this will compact the flour and cause you to add more flour than desired.

Add the ingredients to the bread machine in the same order given in the recipe. As a general rule, add liquids first, dry ingredients second and the yeast last. Before adding the yeast, make a shallow indentation in the dry ingredients and pour the yeast into the hole to keep it from coming into contact with the liquid ingredients. This will prevent the yeast from being activated too early in the bread machine cycle.