Recipe for Making Bread in a Cuisinart

Instructions: First, some info I omitted in my first posting: Ive found it works well, when getting ready to shape your dough, if you spray the counter with non-stick pan spray, and then place your dough on it to shape. I like this better than shaping it on a floured counter.

Estimating sizes of bread pans: If you have used approximately 6 cups of flour in your dough, you can make 2 loaves in 6 cup pans. If you have used 8 cups of flour, this will make 2 loaves in 8 cup pans. If you used 5 cups of flour, use 2-6 cups pans, and the loaves will not be as big. You do not want to put too much dough into a pan, or the loaf will end up strangely shaped. You really need to measure the content of your pans yourself. Ive found that the size on the pan is not always the true size-fill it with water, counting the cups it takes. Then you know the true size.

Now, using a Cuisinart-Im not speaking generically for any food processor. In teaching classes over the years, Ive found many other brands do not have the motor capacity to knead the dough without damage to the machine. Read your instruction manual. If your brand does not recommend bread making, dont.

There are 4 main sizes of Cuisinart F.Processors. The Classic, or 10; the 8 or 11; the 7 or 14; and the X. The Classic or 10 works best if you use no more than 4 cups of flour; the 8 or 11 work best with no more than 5 cups; the 7 or 14 with no more than 6 and the X with no more than 10 cups of flour. If you are using all whole wheat, cut the quantity down to 3,4,5 and 8 respectively as it is heavier and stickier. Used half and half, whole wheat and white, you can stick to the originally recommended quantities.

In any bread recipe that contains more than 3 1/2 cups of flour, always use the plastic (white) dough blade. It kneads the dough better with less strain on the motor.

Always put the dry ingredients in the machine first. I do not add my yeast in a dry state, but always proof it in a little liquid, with a pinch of sugar. After your dry ingredients are in, pulse once or twice to combine them. Add the butter in unmelted state, cut into 3-4 pieces, pulse again. Then proof your yeast in 1/4-1/2 cup of liquid and measure the remaining liquid into a cup. The larger amount of the liquid should be cold. Faucet cold water or milk out of the refrigerator, or whatever you are using. Turn the processor on and pour in the yeast mixture, then, in a slow steady stream, while the machine runs, pour in the remaining liquid. After it is all in, the dough should come together into a ball. DO NOT STOP THE MACHINE.

Let the ball bounce around and around for about 45 seconds. Then stop the machine. I will assure you the dough is as fully kneaded as if you spent 10 minutes working it by hand. The dough is now ready for you to let it rise the first time. Proceed as you always have. Exceptions: if your dough is not coming together, but stays in small clumps, add water, 1 Tablespoon at a time. Allow it to continue bouncing, and then if needed, add another Tablespoon. If on the other hand the dough is too sticky, and doesnt clump at all, add flour, 1 or 2 Tablespoons at a time until it is right. If you run the machine too long, the dough will overheat and the yeast will be killed. I had one student who had tried before class to make bread, and had let the machine run 5 minutes. It died.

I mentioned using other ingredients in combination with the liquid. I had a question about how. If you want to vary your recipe by adding an egg, break it into your measuring cup and add liquid to the measure the recipe called for. If you want to use part sour cream, put it in your cup first, and then add liquid to the quantity called for. If your recipe calls for eggs, or sour cream in the first place, measure the liquid and then add the eggs &/or sour cream to the measuring cup, stir a bit and pour it in as if it were all liquid.