蛋糕•煎饼果子

『櫻的烘焙日誌』---【戚风蛋糕】 2007-07-14 02:58:11 HYPERLINK "http://blog.sina.com.cn/main/html/showpic.html" \l "url=http://s4.album.sina.com.cn/pic/4cf04482020010y3" \t "_blank" HYPERLINK "http://blog.sina.com.cn/main/html/showpic.html" \l "url=http://s4.album.sina.com.cn/pic/4cf04482020010y3" \t "_blank" HYPERLINK "http://blog.sina.com.cn/main/html/showpic.html" \l "url=http://s8.album.sina.com.cn/pic/4cf04482020010y7" \t "_blank" HYPERLINK "http://blog.sina.com.cn/main/html/showpic.html" \l "url=http://s1.album.sina.com.cn/pic/4cf044820200110c" \t "_blank" HYPERLINK "http://blog.sina.com.cn/main/html/showpic.html" \l "url=http://s11.album.sina.com.cn/pic/4cf044820200115a" \t "_blank"  叮~，烤好后取出烤膜，立即倒扣经历漫长的等待。那时的我已经迫不及待地想要探求烤模中的Chiffon cake是否有空洞？是否有气孔？是否有蛋白泡结块？一切一切的不安，都要等开模的一刻决一胜负。如此紧张，尚属首次：） 有人说，蛋糕面的最高境界应该是不开裂的。非也。。。我查到的资料上说，完美的境界，应该是开五至六道裂缝。过分爆出模子不行，明显回缩也不可以。刚刚好才是王道。   做法 在这里俺总结6，7，8寸烤盘的配料，6和8寸的方子已经有人成功实践过了，我亲身试了7寸的，筒子们就放心地用吧。 按照图表上的配比准备材料。接下来我们要做的准备是：   1。鸡蛋从冰箱拿出来，放置室温。鸡蛋太凉，会有碍起泡。 2。洗干净要用到的盆，完全擦干。如果你没有把握，在电风扇前或者用吹风机吹一下。（准备两个盆，打蛋白用大盆，打蛋黄用小盆。） 3。把面粉和泡打粉一起过筛，建议过筛两遍。 4。量好油，水。（这个步骤要远离其他工具，免得溅到油渍让努力功亏一篑。） 5。烤箱预热170度+10度。（这么做是因为现在天气热大家都开空调，当烤箱预热到170度的时候，箱内温度已经降低了，所以要打出温度下降的余量，提高10度，待烤制的时候再降低到170度烘烤。）   准备好了吗？洗干净手了没？盆，打蛋器，胶皮铲，电打蛋器，是否都擦得干干净净一点油，一点水都没有？如果都ok了，我们就开始吧~~   *蛋黄液* 1。用打蛋器先将蛋黄搅拌均匀，蛋黄彻底均匀后，加“蛋黄用砂糖”继续搅拌，糖全部溶解后继续不停地打，直到蛋黄成乳黄色稍微有些粘稠为止，再一点一点地加入沙拉油，油和蛋黄融合后，一气儿加入水，搅拌成蛋液。   2。筛面粉进1中（这是第三次过筛，为了让面粉不起疙瘩，也为了让面粉在过筛的途中卷进更多的空气，这样烤出来的蛋糕更暄更软），搅拌均匀即可，不要过分搅拌，否则越来越粘，会导致失败的。 *蛋白泡*----如果你不抵抗用泡打粉，这个环节可以加一点点泡打粉（量大概在1g左右），如果不加泡打粉，请多加一个蛋白，这么做是要稳定蛋白泡，防止消泡。   1。擦干净打蛋器（别嫌我啰嗦，这个粉重要），在放入蛋白的盆里加一点点盐和柠檬汁（不加也可以），开打！全程尽可能中低速打，千万别图快。开始蛋白没什么变化，慢慢地你会看到蛋白从透明的粘稠液体变成了出现一个个大泡的泡沫，这个时候把“蛋白用糖”的1/3倒进盆里，继续打。当你看到那些大泡泡变成稍微小一点的细密泡泡时（好似肥皂泡），暂停电打蛋器，稍微将盆倾斜一下，如果蛋白，哗地一下滑下来的话，说明蛋白泡打到6.7成了，这时，将剩下的糖全部倒进去，继续打。   2。掌握蛋白泡的硬度是非常微妙的，初学者会摸不到窍门。     教大家一个识别的方法：用打蛋器舀起蛋白泡，这时它就像化了的冰激淋一样稍微软掉的话，就放下电打蛋器，换用手来打，不停地打几下，然后再舀起来观察，不停地重复，当你看到你的蛋白泡有光泽，细腻湿软，变成图中这样了，就停手不要再打了！倒过来试试看，刚刚好的蛋白垂直倒扣也不会掉下来。 （千万不要打过了，否则烤出来的蛋糕就不好吃了。） *混合* 将蛋白泡的1/3铲入蛋黄盆里，边转动盆，边用橡皮刀轻轻搅拌，不要因为怕挤破了蛋白泡而草草了事，如果不能搅拌均匀，烤出来的蛋糕就会有蛋白的结块。搅拌均匀后，再把余下的2/3倒进去快速轻盈地搅拌，目的是均匀，切勿搅拌时间过长。 *入模* 1。擦干烤模，把蛋糕液倒进去，不要哗啦一下子都倒进去，这样会卷进空气，烤出来就会出现气泡空洞。要从一定的高度往下慢慢地倒。如图所示。 2。倒好后轻轻地摇一摇，让它们高度一致。在捧起来大概5cm的高度掂一掂，这个步骤可以驱除停留在蛋糕液里的空气。   *烤制* 预热180度的烤箱，烤的时候降倒170摄氏度烤40分钟。 途中多观察几次，烤制途中糕体会慢慢膨胀，35分左右会涨到最高峰，随后将会随着成熟慢慢会缩正常高度。 40分钟到了用竹签子扎一下，什么都没沾上的话说明已经烤好了，关火取出，立即倒立在结识的杯子或者酒瓶之上。 （这个环节要快，据说戚风蛋糕回缩蛮快滴。。。）   *脱模*----脱模一定要凉透了再进行，否则容易破。 蛋糕完全冷却后，我们就要取出它了。因为模子里面，没有加任何柔润的加工，所以取出的时候要小心不要伤了蛋糕。 用细刀子沿着外围轻轻地刮，千万不要贪图快，一定要慢慢地刮。否则破相了后悔就晚咧：（ 中筒部位要用竹签子扎让模子和蛋糕体分离。 最后的顶部也要用刀子来刮，切勿心急，戚风超软超脆弱，用力大了，会破掉。 ok!! 慢慢地扣出来吧，软软的，绵绵的，还很轻盈湿润~~~~~~ 开吃吧！加上一些冰淇淋，或者鲜奶油会更湿润好吃，或者加一些巧克力酱，焦糖浆，当然，我也喜欢啥都不加。 好吃~ 有模子没模子的都试试看吧~ 我今天又做了一次，仍旧非常湿软好吃：）希望给想做戚风的筒子们一些帮助。 戚风蛋糕的制作心得和注意事项。 1。如果蛋白一直都打不发，要考虑到的原因是：        1）盆里有水或者油分（瞅瞅，我啰嗦的有道理吧。。），这时候不要再继续打了，重新再来。        2）蛋白里或许残留了蛋黄，请一定要注意蛋黄不要掉到蛋白里。请用新鲜的鸡蛋：） 2。如果烤出来的蛋糕硬邦邦，没有湿润柔滑的感觉，要考虑到的是蛋白打过了。如果蛋白打到发腻发粘，说明蛋白泡打过辙了，这样烤出来的蛋糕不会太松软。也失去戚风蛋糕的松软润滑感了。 3。如果想做其他口味的蛋糕，比如红茶或者绿茶，这类粉末会吸收水分，所以在搅拌的时候比正常的量多加10ml水，否则水分被粉料吸收了，也影响膨胀和松软度。 戚风蛋糕不该有的造型 如上所示， 1号选手，倒扣以后底部下凹貌似没有熟。失败。 2号选手，膨胀不均匀，凹凸不平，失败。 3号选手，膨胀过度，爆炸。。。失败。 4号选手，大概没选对尺寸，要尝口感评价，不过卖相不佳，失败。 除了上述模子的方子之外，关于其余尺寸模子的用量用下图算就可以了。 基本上常见的几种模子的配方按照上面的表格给出的方子不会失败。6寸模子大概在1500cc, 8寸的在2200cc，请酌情加减。 经典的仿长崎蛋糕（cicipeng) 2007-08-27 11:43:26     2个月前的博克里的漏网东西，没有在私方里贴过。希望大家喜欢，呵呵……本来这个帖子已经贴在我的博克有2个月了，为了保险期间我又做了一遍 果然还不错，呵呵…… 长崎蛋糕，是我最喜欢，吃的也最多的蛋糕。对于它的细腻、浓浓蜂蜜和甜酒香，我自不用多讲了。这款日本蛋糕，我想可能是因为制作工艺保密度程度比较高吧，嘿嘿。我几乎搜遍了方子，其实都不太像它那种细腻感觉，我也跟着多做很多，发现这个网上流传的方子是来自网络书籍——《巧手做蛋糕》。要说一下感觉，就是这个方子吃起来像蜂蜜海绵，吃起来干干的需要吃一口喝一口水，在口感上是相差甚远的，所以就决定放弃。 一年多以前喵呜子贴过一个仿长崎，这是我做过的在口感上最像的，但是味道上还有有些淡。这一年我就是在琢磨怎么把蜂蜜和味淋的味道给加进去，做蛋糕是个精益求精的工作，一点点改动，就会直接影响蛋糕成败，所以我的这个厨房就是我的实验室。 为了做这个蛋糕，今年我也没少买这东西吃，吃一次，想一次，再做一次。（这个蛋糕在我们这里买的好贵的，基本上5美元就那么一长条，放开吃一天就没有了呵呵） 长崎蛋糕工艺复杂，要用特殊的木质烤盘来烤，里面添加乳化剂，使油脂水分耐受得住长时间搅拌不至分离沉淀。先期面糊还要静止，烤两分钟再搅拌。等等这些完全在家里是做不到。 所以我这个蛋糕充气量也就是个冒牌货，只是尽量仿造的像一些，要想吃到正宗的只有等真正的长崎蛋糕做法重现江湖了。 我这个口感到满湿润的，也吃得出蜂蜜和酒的味道。起个名字叫大家来看，也是探讨。希望那个蛋糕大师快快研究出可以家庭生产的长崎蛋糕造福我们胃口。 量份上我用了两个铝质长方形蛋糕模，没有的这个，也可以用8寸铝制圆烤模来烤，wilton的8*3的(就是那种8寸比较深的） 后来最终定下一个玻璃长烤盘来烤，还是一样的体积，比较好一些 材料： 鸡蛋 5个（蛋白蛋黄分开） 低筋粉：100g 牛奶：30ml 蜂蜜：40ml 味淋：40ml 色拉油：40ml 糖：60g 玉米粉：1大勺 盐：1/4小勺 图片说明 图1：4种液体：油，味淋，牛奶，蜂蜜 图2：混合后味淋牛奶蜂蜜 以下是做法： 1.牛奶+味淋+蜂蜜+20g糖搅拌溶化 （图3） 2.加入色拉油，打到成略浓稠的均匀液体，半透明，像米汤（图4） 3.加入5个蛋黄，搅拌均匀。 烤箱预热，华氏300度。 4.筛入面粉后拌匀，一定要切实搅拌均匀，像丝绸一样光滑，不要有任何颗粒 （图5） 5.电动打蛋器打蛋白，低速打至粗泡，加入40糖、玉米粉、盐、高速打至硬性发泡。（图6） 6.蛋黄糊加入三分之一蛋白的，搅拌均匀，再全倒回蛋白盆中，炒菜一样从底部翻起大幅搅拌均匀， 一定要搅拌均匀，不要害怕消泡不好好搅拌，搅拌不均匀也是烤蛋糕的大忌。 7.将蛋糕糊倒入模具，在桌上向下摔两三下模子，震破大泡。 8.放入预热好的烤箱下层，烤1小时+10分钟，（要切实烤熟，蜂蜜蛋糕一般就是低温长时间的烘烤），由于我第二次使用的是一个很深得长烤盘，我就又加烤了10分钟）中间可以在表面加盖铝箔。 9.取出后立即倒扣至凉，密封包装入冰箱冷藏24小时后再食用就会吃出很好的口感。 这是内部组织：定下就是这个方子，所以来不及修剪，就掰开看内部组织，亲自品尝呵呵 定下方子后我又做了一次，使用了一个大个的loaf玻璃烤盘烤得，做好后用刀裁好了边，这个冒牌货就更像了嘻嘻…… 这就是味淋 终于定下来就是这个啦 权威的烘烤知识--做面包的小窍门 2008-01-30 19:11:24 Yeast Proofing To "proof" yeast, first dissolve the sugar (about 1 tablespoon for each 2 cups of liquid) or other sweetener in warm water (about 95°F) and then add your yeast. Wait several minutes for it to dissolve and begin to "work," or develop tiny bubbles. If it doesn't show signs of life, discard it and try another batch. Because yeast doesn't like salt, add it after the yeast is "proofed." A Better Measure Because flour settles and compacts in storage, fluff it up before you measure. Then, gently sprinkle it into your measuring cup and scrape the excess off with the back of a knife. This will ensure a 4 ounce cup of flour rather than the 5 ounces you would have if you scooped it out with your cup. Rest When You "Knead" It! After 3 or 4 minutes of kneading dough, let it rest for a few minutes. This relaxes the dough and makes the remaining kneading easier. Liquid Assets Instead of the water your recipe calls for, try juices, bouillon, or water you've cooked vegetables in. Instead of milk, try buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream. It can add a whole new flavor and improve nutrition. Sweeteners Even though you don't need it when making bread, a little sugar can bring out flavor, just as salt can. For added moisture, try honey or regular or dark unsulphured molasses. Oil for Longevity If you don't mind a few extra calories (12 to 15) per slice (a slice of bread without fat has only 60 to 65 calories!), add a couple of tablespoons of butter or vegetable oil to your dough, and your bread will stay fresher for a longer period. Storing King Arthur Flour If you use your flour fairly quickly, store it in a cool, dry cupboard and stick a couple of bay leaves in the bag to discourage any visitors. If you use your flour more slowly, especially your whole wheat, put it in a lock-type plastic bag and store it in your freezer. Nutrition For a heartier taste and better nutrition, try using 1/3 King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour with 2/3 King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour in your cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins, pies and pastries; or use all King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour in your cookies, brownies, and muffins...it's sweeter and 100% whole wheat! Dry Assets Try substituting a little dried fruit, vegetables, cheese, nuts, grains, seeds or herbs and spices for some of the flour in your recipes. Merely add it into the cup before you measure your flour. It will add a whole new dimension to your baking! King Arthur "Cake" Flour Put 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into your measuring cup. Fill the remainder of the cup with good King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. Blend. Presto! You have cake flour with the unbleached goodness of King Arthur. King Arthur "Self-Rising" Flour Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 5 tablespoons of double acting baking powder to 8 cups of King Arthur Flour. Blend, and store what you don't use in an airtight container. (Be sure to label your container.) Flexible Flour The amount of moisture already in flour varies depending on the temperature and the moisture in the air. Thus, in recipes calling for flexible amounts of flour, always start with the least amount and add more gradually to achieve the desired consistency. Tenderizing for Pastries and Pie Doughs Add one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice as part of your liquid for each cup of King Arthur Flour in pastry and pie dough recipes. This won't affect the flavor but will result in more tender baked products. 水煎包 2008-02-22 15:40:45 应允朋友们要拍软面包图，但是最近比较的忙（一晃4年，什么证件都要去延期：（），一直没顾上。今天下大雪，早早回家，正好买了很新鲜的韭菜花，于是动手做水煎包，和做软面包步骤一样，只是最后不烤，做成包子水煎了。第一次拍流程，还是漏了几张。见谅哈~ 参考了毛毛妈的生煎，小李子的韭菜盒子，还有小蝌蚪的指导，真的是太太太好吃了！！ 成品图~ 俺还做出蕾丝来了~ INCLUDEPICTURE "http://i27.tinypic.com/33kano3.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET 很软很软，想来做烤鸭的饼也不错，馅料是韭菜木耳鸡蛋的，没有粉丝，用了bulgur. 好了，流程....具体用量参考俺的零失败软面包 打开面包机，把温水，鸡蛋，油，盐，糖，加进去。。 放入面粉，按个小洞，放酵母。 开到和面档（dough) INCLUDEPICTURE "http://i26.tinypic.com/2m7c4uv.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET 1个半小时后，发的很大了 取出来，整形，包馅，再发1个小时， 如果做软面包，就涂鸡蛋液烤，很多大侠都演示过的。 今天我用它作水煎包。 2个鸡蛋，加入一大匙水，1/4小匙盐， 油锅里慢慢的煎熟 韭菜花 INCLUDEPICTURE "http://i26.tinypic.com/28049hi.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET 细细的切成小粒。 泡发的木耳。。 切碎。。 INCLUDEPICTURE "http://i30.tinypic.com/258aqlh.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "http://i32.tinypic.com/9h5sfm.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET bulgur用少量开水烫，不要太软，这里起到粉丝的作用。 把馅料混合，调味，我只放了一点白胡椒，居然忘了拍照。。！——！ 一点油，大火加热，把发好的包子放进去，加入1/2杯稀淀粉水。等到水快干的时候，转小火，看到淀粉刚刚结片的时候，关火，继续焖2分钟左右，注意中途不要掀锅盖！ 倒扣。。还像个样子吧？：）   权威烘焙知识--面包的疑难杂问 2008-01-30 19:06:58 BREAD TROUBLESHOOTING The Dough Does Not Rise Old yeast Water was too cool to activate the yeast or so hot that it killed the yeast The dough is too stiff Rising place is too cool The Bread Falls In The Oven Dough rose too much and got too light The Bread Does Not Brown On The Sides Pans are too bright and reflect heat away from the sides Poor pan placement in the oven and therefore overcrowding The Bread Has An Excessive Break On The Side Oven is too hot Insufficient rising period Improper shaping The Tops Of The Bread Loaves Are Cracked Bread cooled too rapidly, probably in a draft The dough is too stiff The dough is not mixed well Baked Loaf Crumbles Easily Dough is not mixed well Too much flour added Rising place is too warm Rising period too long Oven temperature is too low The Bread Is Doughy On The Bottom Loaves were not removed from pans and allowed to cool on racks after baking The Crust Is Too Thick Too much flour Insufficient rising period Oven temperature is too low The Bread Is Heavy & Dense Too much flour added Insufficient rising period Certain flours (whole wheat, rye, and others) create a heavier loaf than all-purpose unbleached flour The Bread Is Wet Inside & Has A Coarse Grain Insufficient rising period The Bread Is Dry & Has A Coarse Grain Too much flour added Dough not kneaded long enough Rising period too long Oven temperature too low The Bread Contains Dark Streaks Uneven mixing or kneading Bowl was greased too heavily Dough was not covered during rising period The Bread Has Holes In It Air not completely pressed out of dough when loaves were shaped Dough rose too long before baking loaves The Bread Smells & Tastes Of Yeast Rising periods too long Rising place is too warm The Bread Has A Sour Taste Yeast This basic ingredient is a living organism that eats and "breathes" just as we do. It's this breathing (actually, the process of fermentation) that gives off carbon dioxide gas, which is in turn trapped by the gluten in the flour, causing bread to rise. Yeast is inactive in its dry form, but touch it with liquid and give it something to eat and it starts to work. That's why, in the bread machine, we make a practice of separating the yeast from the liquid with a barrier of flour. If you're going to put all of the ingredients into the pan and start it up right away, it doesn't matter in what order they go. But what if you want to use your machine's delayed cycle, where the bread won't be ready till tomorrow morning? You want the yeast to stay dry till your machine actually starts its cycle, so a general rule is to use the flour in your recipe to separate the yeast from the liquid. Yeast likes to eat sugar, but doesn't like salt. It doesn't like extremes of temperature, and feels more comfortable in an acid environment. It also is prone to over-eating; too much sugar in a recipe, rather than boost the yeast to greater heights, will slow it down to a crawl. Your machine will provide the draft-free environment yeast loves, neither too hot nor too cold. Many manuals suggest warming ingredients before putting them into the machine. Some machines have a pre-heating cycle, which does this for you. However, we've found that you can add ingredients right from the refrigerator, use cold tap water as well, and the dough will still rise just as successfully. The heat generated by the vigorous kneading raises the temperature of the dough sufficiently. Yeast likes an acidic environment. Although the fermentation process naturally creates an acidic environment, to make yeast even happier, increase the dough's acidity a bit. You can do this by adding a pinch of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or by replacing some of the liquid with an acidic liquid (a tablespoon of orange juice, lemon juice or vinegar). This is especially helpful when you're following a sweet bread recipe, one in which the yeast will be slowed down by a larger amount of sugar. What kind of yeast should you use? Use a good quality active dry or instant yeast, preferably bought in bulk (which tends to be fresher, as well as much less expensive). We prefer using instant yeast; either regular instant or instant gold for all-purpose bread baking, or special instant for sourdough or sweet breads. Instant yeast is a stronger, faster-acting yeast that performs particularly well in bread machines. We don't recommend rapid-rise yeast, as it goes against one of the tenets of good bread making: the longer the rise (and fermentation process), the better the flavor. As we mentioned before, this fermentation is creating acidity (or sourness) that, if carried to the extreme, would yield sourdough bread. Bread dough that rises quickly has no time to develop flavor, and will be noticeably inferior, in taste, to bread that is given a longer rising time. In other words: unless you are in a tremendous hurry, ignore the "rapid-bake" cycle on your machine. Sweeteners How much sugar should you use in your machine? If you don't have any dietary restrictions that preclude sugar entirely, we suggest 1 to 2 teaspoons. Although yeast makes its own food by converting the starch in flour into sugar, a little "fast-food fix" of pure sugar right at the start gives it the quick energy it needs to work. (If you need to avoid sugar, just leave it out; your bread will be just fine, although you may find it doesn't brown as well). How about if you're making a sweet bread, one that requires sugar for flavoring? This is where you need to learn the nuances of your own machine. As a general rule, we've found that any more than 2 tablespoons of sugar per cup of flour will slow yeast down to the point where you can't make a nicely risen loaf in your machine, without making some other adjustments, such as increasing the amount of yeast, increasing the acidity of the environment, etc. No one kind of sugar is better for you, nutritionally, than another kind. White sugar, light or dark brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, honey, maple syrup, concentrated fruit syrup -- all are suitable for the bread machine, although the liquid sugars must be counted as a liquid when you're tracking your liquid/flour ratio. Don't use artificial sugar substitutes; they don't help the yeast, and we feel they give bread a strange flavor. Flour Flour is the basis of good bread, but many of the bread machine manuals give the reader poor information concerning flour. Be sure to use a good quality flour, one that is untreated with either bleach (powdered bleach belongs in your laundry, not your bread), or potassium bromate, a suspected carcinogen. Despite the fact that some machine recipe books call for bromated flour, it isn't necessary to the success of your bread, and also poses a health risk. Be sure to use a flour made from hard wheat, which means it's high in protein, and therefore high in gluten. The gluten combines with water to form the elastic strands that trap carbon dioxide given off by yeast, allowing bread to rise. A flour high in gluten will produce a nicely risen loaf, while a low-gluten flour (such as pastry flour, cake flour or self-rising flour) will not. Most bread machine manuals and cookbooks call for bread flour rather than all-purpose flour. King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, because it's higher in gluten than national brands of all-purpose flour, works perfectly in the bread machine. King Arthur also makes an extra-strong bread flour, King Arthur Unbleached Special Bread Flour, which is especially good in sweet breads and breads containing whole grains, which may have difficulty rising sufficiently. Be aware, however, that the higher the protein level of the flour you use, the more liquid it will absorb; be sure to check your dough during the kneading cycle, and add more liquid if necessary. The proper consistency for your dough is a smooth, soft ball. If you read the protein content on a bag of whole-wheat flour, it's actually higher than all-purpose flour. So why doesn't whole wheat bread rise sky high? Because the bran cuts the gluten strands as they form, rendering them useless, unable to trap the carbon dioxide being generated by the yeast. This is one of the reasons 100% whole-grain breads tend to be dense, rather than light. So we've established that you want to use a good-quality, high-protein flour in your bread machine. But what about whole wheat bread? And pumpernickel? And New York rye? You can make wonderful whole-grain breads in most bread machines. But, keep in mind the fact that grains other than wheat -- rye, barley, buckwheat, amaranth, corn, rice, the whole array of grains and flours available to today's baker -- contain little or no gluten. To make a successful bread machine loaf using these grains, you should "cut" them with some high-protein all-purpose or bread flour, to provide the gluten necessary for rising. You can also try adding some pure gluten to the mixture. Look for vital wheat gluten (not gluten flour) and for each cup of whole-grain flour used, put 1 tablespoon of gluten in the bottom of the measuring cup before filling with the flour. When making whole-grain breads, we like to tell people to start with a mixture that is 1 cup whole grain flour, 2 cups all-purpose flour, then work from there. Gradually increase the whole grain and decrease the all-purpose, at the same time increasing the yeast a bit and perhaps adding gluten, till you get the combination of taste and texture you enjoy. (This is the part where some creative experimentation is involved.) Here's an interesting point concerning whole-grain bread. Many people feel they have to eat only whole-grain bread to get any health benefits at all. This is simply untrue. All-purpose flour is certainly not "nutritionally empty", as many believe, but in fact is better nutritionally in some areas than whole wheat flour. The endosperm from which all-purpose flour is ground is, after all, the food source for a new wheat seedling (the germ); the bran is merely its protective coat. Whole wheat flour contains more fiber, but by the same token, that fiber helps to "flush" a lot of whole wheat's nutrients through your body before they have a chance to be absorbed. All-purpose and whole wheat flours are comparable in many areas. It's really a toss-up as to which one you should choose, and it's based on your personal needs and the rest of your diet. Clearly, whole wheat flour's the winner in the fiber category; but much of that fiber is insoluble, meaning it provides bulk and roughage in your diet, but that's about it. Whole wheat is also noti