Spinach Feta Bread - Bread Machine Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best yeast to use in a bread machine? ›

The Very Best: Instant Yeast

Always have and always will. The yeast of choice in most restaurant kitchens and commercial bakeries, it's easy and convenient. Ever seen a bread recipe that asks you to mix the yeast with warm liquid and allow it to bubble first before using?

Just be sure to use a flour with a high protein content. King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, with its high gluten, is an excellent flour for bread machines. Numerous people have told us that their recipes worked in the bread machine using King Arthur, when they didn't work with other all-purpose flours.

Not enough yeast – Try increasing yeast by ¼ to ½ teaspoon. Remember that yeast can be tricky. If you use too little, your bread won't rise. If you add too much, the dough could rise and then collapse during baking.

When determining the difference between bread machine yeast vs. active dry yeast, the main distinction is that active dry yeast must be proofed using a warm liquid before use, whereas bread machine yeast can be mixed directly into the bread dough.

Bread machine yeast and rapid-rise yeast are specially formulated for the bread machine and become active more quickly than active dry yeast. You can use active dry yeast in your bread machine, but it should be dissolved in water before being used.

“What is the difference between Instant Yeast, Bread Machine Yeast and RapidRise^® Instant Yeast?” Mainly names, but these are all the same yeast! Use interchangeably.

Strong Bread Flour is Higher in Protein

Strong bread flour is made from “hard” wheat varieties and has more protein, from 12 to 14 percent. This creates more rise and structural support in the dough, allowing the final product to lift and hold shape. It also creates a chewier texture and more browning in the crust.

While bread flour is more than adequate for everyday breads, some professional bakers use high-gluten flour with a 14% protein content to provide extra strength to dense, chewy doughs like bagels and pizza dough. High-gluten bread flour gives milk bread it's taut structure and compact (but tender) crumb.

You can always substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour one for one in any recipe that calls for it. Your bread might not raise quite as high or have quite as much chew, if you are using all-purpose flour, but it will still be delicious and homemade and all the good things.

In a 2017 article for TASTE, Tatiana Bautista argued that a widespread fear of carbs during the late '90s and early '00s led to the bread machine's demise. The gluten-free movement probably didn't help either.

Why is my breadmaker bread so dense and heavy? ›

Short, Dense, and/or Dark Loaf

Cause: typical of too much flour (or other dry ingredients) or not enough liquid; less often a result of too little yeast, too little sugar, too much salt, or old ingredients. Here's what you can try doing to improve your loaf: Reduce your flour* or increasing your liquids.

Speaking of adjusting, one common bread machine mistake is thinking the appliance is like a pressure cooker or blender and cannot be opened once it's on. Think again—it's actually a good idea to flip that lid and peek at the dough, especially about 10 minutes into the kneading stage.

Instant yeast is perfect for a bread machine because it dissolves “instantly.” That means you can dump the fine, dry yeast granules and the other ingredients into the bread machine without dissolving them first.

For each cup of flour (125 g), that is 1.5 g of instant yeast, or 1/2 teaspoon. For salt, I add 2% of the flour weight or 2.5 g per cup or about 0.4 teaspoons of table salt if all else is unsalted.

Bread machine yeast and rapid rise yeast are just types of instant yeast. This means that bread machine yeast, rapid rise yeast and instant yeast can all be used interchangeably.

Fresh yeast, sometimes called cake yeast or compressed yeast, is a block of fresh yeast cells that contains about 70% moisture and is commonly used by baking professionals. It's pale beige in color, soft and crumbly with a texture similar to a soft pencil eraser, and has a stronger yeast smell than dry yeast.

Active Dry Yeast is an ideal yeast to use for artisan breads or no knead breads that require a slower rise time. It's also the preferred type of yeast for those doughs that proof in the refrigerator for extended periods of time.

Not only does it skip the proofing/dissolving step, instant yeast simply ramps up more quickly than active dry. Dough made with instant yeast and shaped into a loaf will rise to its optimal height significantly more quickly than a shaped loaf made with active dry yeast.