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INGREDIENTS
There are essentially three things required to make bread : flour, yeast, and water. Of course,
you can add additional ingredients to make thousands of varieties of breads, each with its own
texture and flavor.
To achieve optimum results, please take a few minutes to read the following information before
you shop for the ingredients.
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ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS
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• Flour: Bread Flour Is Essential
Bread flour is a necessity. It is milled from a hard winter or spring wheat. The protein content is
higher and more durable in bread flour than in all-purpose flour. The protein becomes gluten
when mixed with liquid. When gluten is kneaded it becomes elastic, and when baked, it is the
structure of the bread. All-purpose flour, milled from a combination of hard and soft wheat,
becomes elastic too easily for use in a bread machine and quickly loses its ability to stretch well.
The bread made from all-purpose flour will be small and dense. Several well-known mills now
market bread flour. The packages are labeled as bread flour and are readily available at grocery
stores.
Wheat is the only grain that contains gluten, the type of protein that becomes elastic when
kneaded. Other flours (oat, rice, barley, soy, rye, and buckwheat) add flavor and fiber to breads
but do not become part of the dough. Therefore, it is necessary to have wheat flour as a base
when making breads with other flours.
Vital Wheat Gluten is produced by processing white flour an extra step. White (all-purpose) flour
contains protein and starch. Mills can now remove most of the starch, leaving only the protein
(gluten). This is more expensive but is used in very small amounts. When vital wheat gluten is
added to recipes containing all whole grains, it helps to improve the volume and shape of the
loaf. Usually 1 teaspoon per cup of flour will make a difference. If more than a tablespoon per
cup of flour is used, the bread may be tough. Grocery stores are beginning to stock this
ingredient in the aisle with baking ingredients. It is also available at health or natural food stores.
To measure flour, s p o o n into measuring c u p and level off.
DO NOT : tap c u p
pack flour into c u p
sift flour
Store flour for long periods of time in the freezer rather than the refrigerator. Refrigerators tend
to dry out flours. Be sure the flour is at room temperature before placing it in a bread machine.
• Yeast: The Number One Ingredient
Active Dry Yeast or Quick Rise Yeast can be used in the GoldStar Automatic Breadmaker. This
can be purchased in small packets, jars, cans, or in bulk at a health food store. Cake yeast
cannot be used. Because yeast can grind against itself and become very fine, it is packaged by
weight and not by volume. A
1
A oz. package of yeast contains approximately 2
1
A level
teaspoons of yeast. The activity of yeast will deteriorate when it is exposed to oxygen, moisture,
or warmth. Therefore, yeast needs to be stored airtight, refrigerated or frozen. Yeast is granular
and comes to room temperature very quickly. Be sure to check the expiration date on the yeast
since aged yeast usually performs poorly. Measure yeast accurately for best results and follow
the quantities given in each individual recipe.
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