[[PageOutline]]
= The art of bread baking =

== Before you start ==
If you just start baking, you will find out that there is no recipe that is perfect. This is because bread is made of natural products for which there are many different qualities. Even different bread baking machines might require slightly different recipes.
So how to go about? Take a recipe and be very precise in your measurement. Especially in the beginning accurately note down the amounts you weigh for all components. If the result is not what you would like, change only one parameter when baking the next loaf and compare that with your expectations.

Besides the flavor, which is personal, there are some things that typically can go wrong:
1. The bread collapsed, this can be caused:
 * too much water
 * too much yeast
 * not enough salt can also make the dough too fluffy
1. The bread is too compact, it didn't rise enough:
 * not enough water
 * not enough yeast
 * too low component of white flour besides whole wheat flour
 * too much salt (less likely)
1. The Bread has too big holes
 * too much yeast
 * not enough salt

You will notice that after a couple of times (probably having had one or more loafs not suitable to give to your guests) the quality of your bread improves and you also start to get a feeling of how to adjust your recipe too adjust the end result to your liking.

== Prerequisites ==
 * bread baking machine
   * [[Image(breadmachine.jpg)]]
   * the cheap ones are fine in my experience, Panasonic however is somewhat more expensive and believed to be the best for home use.
 * a scale with 1 gram precision (preferably electronic)
 * measurement spoons
   * [[Image(spoon.jpg)]]

== General method ==
1. prepare the baking tin
 * grease the dough hook axle of the dough tin with a bit of vegetable oil
 * apply the dough hook in the tin
 * [[Image(bakingtin.jpg)]][[Image(doughhook.jpg)]]
1. measure all liquids in the tin
1. measure all dry ingredients, except the yeast in a separate bowl
 * mix with a spoon
 * put on top of the liquids in the tin
1. measure the yeast and put on top of the dry ingredients
1. chose the right program for the kind of bread and start the machine.