Few sensations are more pleasant than the smell and taste of home baked bread. The art of bread making, however can be a difficult thing to master. The Bosch Universal Bread Maker takes much of the guesswork out of dough mixing to ensure a perfect loaf every time. And, with it's other mixing and blending capabilities, this machine has earned its reputation as a favorite kitchen appliance.
Choose the Appropriate Beater
The Bosch Universal comes with two beater options. The independently rotating, twin beating whisks are ideal for sponge cakes, mixes, meringues and some cookie doughs. Use the dual armed, dough hook for thicker doughs such as yeast breads, cinnamon rolls or cookies with nuts or chocolate chips. All three speeds may be useful for thinner batters, but when using the dough hook on thicker breads, it is not necessary to advance past the second speed.
Mixing Yeast Breads
Securely attach the mixing bowl and dough hook to the unit and fasten the splash ring in place. If you are using a bread recipe intended to be mixed by hand, it is no longer necessary to add the ingredients separately. With the Bosch Bread Mixer, simply add all the wet ingredients and blend. When the mixture is blended, add the flour a little at a time until a dough forms. Continue adding flour until the dough pulls away from the bowl. This indicates that the dough has reached the right consistency. Let the mixer knead the dough for seven or eight minutes. At this point, if you are making a dense bread, such as whole wheat, you may want to add a dough enhancer. These are typically a combination of lecithin and vitamin C in a whey base that helps the denser breads turn out lighter and crumble less easily. After adding the dough enhancer, knead for two more minutes. If you leave the bread in the Bosch mixing bowl to rise, be sure remove the spill guard.
Using the Blender
The Bosch Universal Mixer also comes with an attached blender with an unbreakable jar. The blender can liquefy fruits and vegetables quickly, pulverize nuts and crush ice. If you are using the blender on dry ingredients, it is best to process up to a half-cup at a time.
Care and Cleaning
Almost all attachments for the Bosch Universal machine are dishwasher-safe. It is recommended that you wash the dough hook, the blender blade and the twin whisk holder by hand with warm water and mild dish soap. The unit itself should be wiped down with a clean, damp cloth. Do not use harsh cleaning agents on the Bosch Universal Mixer, and do not immerse the unit in water.
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