bread machine help!

greeneyes

Thu, Jul 22 2010, 2:19 pm

I'm finally attempting to use my bread machine. I bought it when I got married but for some odd reason I always found it intimidating & never actually used it. So there's challah dough mixing in the machine right now.

I have this suspicion that my daughter may have added a little water to the mixture when I turned my back. The dough looks very "liquidy", not at all like the consistency I would expect. Also, there is some flour on the side of the bowl that doesn't seem to be getting mixed in. I want to open the machine and push down the flour so that it gets incorporated, & possibly add a bit more flour if necessary.

Can I open the machine & do this in the middle of the dough cycle?

I don't see any instructions about this in the manual.

Any advice?

TIA

mrsERK

Thu, Jul 22 2010, 2:22 pm

I dont know what kind of machine you have - BUT for mine - it would be fine to open it mid cycle (I often do). I cant really think of a situation in which it would be detrimental.. unless of course by opening it it is going to restart the whole thing or something - If it looks too liquidy, and you decide to open it - I'd add some flour a bit at a time and see whether it starts looking more normal.

GOod luck!!

greeneyes

Thu, Jul 22 2010, 5:53 pm

Thank you both for your help!

By the time I read your responses, the kneading was finished already, but I ended up adding some more flour anyways. I had to add a LOT of flour which was strange, because if my daughter did manage to add some water, I don't think she managed to add that much. The challahs are baked now & they look delicious, so I'm thankful for that!

For next time though, can I push down the flour that is stuck to the side while the machine is kneading the dough? (I was afraid to try. embarrassed

)

mrsERK

Thu, Jul 22 2010, 6:12 pm

greeneyes wrote:

For next time though, can I push down the flour that is stuck to the side while the machine is kneading the dough? (I was afraid to try. embarrassed

)

Absolutely! Imagine it like a mixing bowl and you are just scraping the sides to make sure everything gets mixed. The only thing is to be conscious of what stage it is in (still kneading, or onto rising) so you dont end up with clumps of flour in there after its already done kneading (but if you do, just knead that area a little yourself before you braid)

I'm sure your challah will be fantastic - enjoy it!!

egam

Thu, Jul 22 2010, 6:38 pm

Last week I tried a new recipe. I put everything into the bread machine, started the cycle and went my merry way. When I came back 1.5 hour later the dough was sticky and clearly didn’t have enough flour. I just added some flour and started new cycle. Challos came out really good.

greeneyes

Thu, Jul 22 2010, 7:24 pm

mrsERK wrote:

greeneyes wrote:

For next time though, can I push down the flour that is stuck to the side while the machine is kneading the dough? (I was afraid to try. embarrassed

)

So I can stick a spatula or spoon in the bowl, while the blade (is that what it's called?) is moving & I don't have to worry about getting hurt?

(I am a bit paranoid about injuring myself while cooking after an unfortunate incident with a handblender a few months ago that resulted in LOTS of stitches. embarrassed

)

greeneyes

Thu, Jul 22 2010, 7:25 pm

egam wrote:

I thought about doing that, but didn't know if it would work. I'm glad your challos came out good! Very Happy

mrsERK

Thu, Jul 22 2010, 7:44 pm

greeneyes wrote:

mrsERK wrote:

greeneyes wrote:

For next time though, can I push down the flour that is stuck to the side while the machine is kneading the dough? (I was afraid to try. embarrassed

)

Okay I dont know the exact configuration of your bread machine - but for mine the blades are really low down in the bowl and pretty dull so I dont think they would hurt much. Depending on how sharp you think your blades are - I would say use a spatula - scraping the edges and dont put your actual hand in. That way - the worst case is your spatula gets a bit beat up, and you dont end up in the ER :-)