Serves: 5

Each recipe has been carefully tested with a variety of bread machines.

Bread flour was used for all our recipes and sometimes combined with other flour, such as whole wheat or rye. We use bread flour because it is high in protein, which is necessary for successful bread baking. Bread machine yeast was used for testing all the recipes. We found that quick active dry yeast should not require any adjustments. However, if you use regular active dry yeast, you may need to increase yeast by 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per loaf.

Many recipes include directions for making both 1 1/2-pound and 2-pound loaves. There is also a special chapter for making 1-pound loaves, for those times when a smaller loaf is what you need. Loaf size is determined by the size of your bread machine pan. Check your bread machine's use-and-care book to find out what size loaf your bread machine makes, or use the following guidelines to determine what size recipe you should use.

We found that yeast amounts vary amount the different sizes of loaves and different types of bread. Some recipes for 2-pound loaves actually call for less yeast than the 1 1/2-pound recipe. If you are uncertain about how the bread will perform in your machine, try the recipe as written. If you would like a 20pound loaf with more height-and your bread machine pan can hold it-increase the yeast by 1/4 teaspoon.

We use table salt for our recipe testing because it is a staple on most homes. Coarse or kosher salt is not used in the recipes, but sometimes is used for sprinkling on top of bread dough's before baking, since it adds both flavor and a nice appearance to baked breads. We don't recommend using reduced- or low-sodium salt because it results in a poorer-quality baked product.

We used low-fat milk for our testing, but you can use whole, skim, or nonfat milk.

We used large eggs when testing our recipes.

We do not recommend making the bread machine loaves in glass-domed bread machines. Our result was inconsistent, and the loaves were not satisfactory. However, the dough recipes work nicely in the glass-domed bread machines.

The height and shape of bread loaves may vary form one loaf to another depending on the humidity and room temperature. On a humid day, you may find you'll need to add a little more flour. Check The Proof Is in the Dough below to see if your dough is too moist during the kneading cycle.

More Recipes from the Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook Cookbook:
Any Way You Want to Slice It
Basic Cycle Features
Betty's Tips for Shaping Dough
Bread Baking Glossary
Five Steps to Great Bread
Flour Power!
Freezing Bread
Helpful Nutrition and Baking Information
Here's How We Test the Recipes
Keeping Bread Fresh
Know Your Bread Ingredients
Let's Make a Great Bread Machine Loaf
Measuring Your Bread Machine Pan Size
Metric Conversion Guide
Mystery Punch
Refrigerating Dough
Some Like It Hot: Reheating Your Bread
The Proof Is in the Dough
Your Bread Machine Baking Questions