Greetings, Here’s a quick bread machine tip that might surprise you—don’t melt the butter! It might seem helpful to soften (as specified in most bread recipes) or melt it before adding it to your bread machine pan, but room-temperature or warm butter can actually make your dough too soft or sticky… especially when combined with the friction factor (the heat a bread machine generates while kneading). Instead, try cutting cold butter into small pieces and adding it straight from the fridge. It...

You've just pulled a beautiful loaf from the oven—golden crust, warm, with an aroma that's driving you crazy. The temptation to slice it right now is real. But if you want the best texture and flavor, give it time to cool. Here’s why patience matters: – Avoid gummy texture: Cutting too soon traps steam before the crumb finishes setting. – Avoid squishing your loaf: Warm bread is delicate and can compress under the pressure of a knife. For delicate breads like babka, this can be disastrous. –...

Ever mixed up a beautiful batch of bread machine dough only to have it bake up too short...or overflow the pan? 🤦🏼♀️ Picking the right pan makes all the difference! I'm sure the above loaves tasted equally good, but which one would you rather share? In my latest post, I break down exactly which loaf pans work best based on your dough weight, plus a few tricks for improvising when you don’t have the perfect size on hand. 🔹 The Golden Rule for choosing a pan 🔹 Exceptions for whole-grain and...