- Always put the wet ingredients in the pan before the dry ones and always keep the yeast separate from the liquid, so add it last on top of the flours. The ingredients are listed in the order they should be added to the pan, which makes the recipes very easy to follow.
- Measure ingredients exactly, using the measuring spoons and cups supplied with your breakmaker - never use ordinary teaspoons or tablespoons. You may weigh the flours on your scales, if that's easier, but be accurate! Spoon measures are always level.
- All the ingredients are given in metric, imperial and American measures. Use only one set per recipe, never a combination.
- American terms for ingredients and utensils are given in brackets.
- Fill the pan outside the breadmaker to avoid dropping any ingredients on the element in the machine. Then place the pan in position and make sure it has clicked into place.
- If you life softer, paler loaves, go for the lighter crust settings. [It is often recommended to use] dark because [it has been found] some gluten-free flours don't brown quite as well as wheat ones and [a darker setting has to be used to get] a rich brown crust. Experiment for yourselves.
- If you leave the bread in the breadmaker for up to 1 hour before removing it, the crust will soften. [It is suggested to leave] the cooked loaf for 10 minutes as this often prevents the paddle getting stuck in the loaf. However, you can turn them out immediately if you prefer.
- Don't use the timer settings. Gluten-free mixes don't work well after sitting for hours.
- Always check the ingredients a couple of minutes after mixing starts and scrape down the sides, if necessary, with a plastic (never metal) spatula to prevent a build-up of flour around the edges, taking care not to touch the rotating paddle.
- If your machine doesn't have a viewing window (which is extremely useful), once you've scraped down the sides and know the mixture is the right sort of consistency, don't be tempted to peep again unless it's to add ingredients as specified in a recipe. If you keep doing so during the heating, rising or baking process, you could ruin your loaf.
- When the programme is complete, always use oven gloves to lift the pan out of the machine as the pan and the machine will be very hot.
- Eggs are medium unless otherwise stated.
- For some recipes ... easy-blend fast-acting yeast [is used]; for others the ordinary active dried yeast (that you usually mix with liquid and sugar first but not when using it in the breadmaker) is best. The reason is that for some recipes the easy-blend variety works too quickly. For best results [follow the recipes], if you don't have both varieties, use easy-blend for all recipes. A sachet of yeast = 15g/1/2 oz. Do not use fresh yeast.
- Always wrap flavoured loaves before storing.
Source: gluten-free breads & cakes by carolyn humpries (p.13-14)
