Free Bread Machines For Dummies by Glenna Vance, Tom Lacalamita

not included any recipes calling for a puree in place of fat because we’re not really satisfied with these breads. But some people think they’re great, and you can use the above method with any of the bread recipes in this book.

    One more optional liquid some people use is beer. Beer makes a smooth- textured bread and adds flavor. The added sugars and starch provided by the beer give the yeast a little something extra to feed on and cause the bread to rise a little higher. You won’t get a buzz from the beer in bread; the alcohol evaporates as the bread bakes.

Chapter 6
Sugar ’n’ Spice and All Things Nice
In This Chapter
    Sweetening for fermentation and flavor
    Salting for structure and seasoning
    Spicing things up
    Using herbs for extra flavor
    Adding fruits and nuts

    B read is the warmest and kindest word in any language. It means life, hope, and comfort. Throughout literature one can find endless metaphors and analogies that use bread as their object of comparison. Because bread is regarded as necessary for sustaining life, you commonly hear of one’s monetary means of support referred to as
my bread and butter.
The one who works and supports a family is regarded as the
bread winner.
    We not only sustain our life by including bread in our diet, we also enjoy abundant living when we discover the fabulous flavors that can enhance bread. When we delicately use sugars and spices, fruits and nuts, herbs and dried vegetables we can transform ordinary breads into delights of the palate — hallmarks of prosperity on our table.
    Sugar and Other Sweeteners
    Sugar furnishes food for the yeast, tenderizes the dough, promotes a good crust color, aids in the retention of moisture in the baked bread (thus prolonging freshness), and, of course, adds flavor. One can hardly eliminate sugar from bread and still say, “Umm, this bread is sooo good.”
    Unless, of course, it’s French bread, which uses no sugar. That’s right, there is no sugar in French bread. While it is true that as yeast ferments sugar, gases are formed that cause the bread to rise; it is also true that yeast will ferment the starch in flour. However, it takes a longer time for yeast to ferment the starch than it does for yeast to ferment sugar. That’s why most bread machines have a French Bread cycle with a longer rising time. Also, the baking temperature is higher on a French Bread cycle because without sugar the crust will not get too dark with a higher heat.
    Sugar browns easily and gives the crust a golden-brown color. For this reason, most bread machines have a Sweet Bread cycle with a lower baking temperature. Always use this cycle if the ratio of sugar to flour is higher than 1 tablespoon of sugar for each cup of flour or if you’ve added dried or candied fruits.

    If a little sugar is good, a lot of sugar must be better —
wrong.

Don’t overwhelm your yeast with too much food. The yeast will get sluggish, just like we do when we overeat, and you will end up with a small bread. Adding more sugar to your recipes is not the way to get creative; you will just upset the important balance among the ingredients.

    Store all sugars in airtight containers to prevent them from absorbing water from the environment or drying out.
    White granulated sugar
    Common table sugar has fine, granulated crystals that dissolve easily into the bread dough. Although it has little nutritive value (no vitamins, minerals, or fiber), it is the most commonly used sugar in breads.

    Where sugar comes from
    Sugar cane stalks are the chief source of the world’s sugar. They resemble a corn stalk and grow about 15 feet high and 2 inches thick. Sugar beets are also a source of sugar.
    A sugar mill removes the juice from the stalks or beets, heats the juice, and then runs it through clarifiers and filters to remove impurities. Next, the juice is reduced to a heavy mixture of crystals and syrup. After the crystals and syrup are