On Sep 25, 2:44*am, "Brian Christiansen"
> wrote:
> I recently put together a toastmasters group presentation about making
> bread. *While I was puting it together I got to wondering if a bread machine
> truly saves time.
>
> The bread certainly does not rise or bake any faster in a bread machine.
>
> If you use a bread machine, you do not have to knead the bread, and that
> saves about 10 minutes, but at least some of that savings is countered by
> having to get the bread machine out of and back into storage, unless of
> course you have the counter space to keep it set up all the time.
>
> If you make bread by the sponge method, the sponge has to be started the day
> before the actual baking (or at least that is the impression that I get from
> several of the recipes that I looked at - I have never used that method),
> but it isn't like you have to sit out in the kitchen watching the sponge
> develop.
>
> Also the impression that I get is that the development of the sponge is what
> develops the flavor, and whether the kneading method is by hand or
> mechanical in a bread machine or whatever really does not make that much
> difference (though opinions seem to vary on this as well), but like with the
> straight dough method, I dont think it really saves that much time.
>
> Brian Christiansen

The main usefullness I found with a bread machine was that the results
were consistent, Doesn't really save time, unless you count that you
don't have to be there to punch the dough down once it's doubled, so
it gives me over an hour where I can go and do the shopping or some
yardwork, and don't have to worry that my dough will overproof. also,
I tend to add too much flour when kneading, so the machine saves me
from myself more than anything else.

I only use the dough cycle, punch down the dough, shape it, and put it
in a loaf pan so I have reasonable sized slices for sandwiches. That
means another half hour for the final proof, and 35-40 minutes in the
oven.

maxine in ri