A guide to bread machine parts

Bread machines come in many shapes and sizes. The design and the parts of all bread machines are mostly similar and therefore, if you have a Panasonic bread maker or a Morphy Richards one, it should make little difference to the overall design of the bread pans parts. To learn all that there is to know about bread machines and their parts, read the guide below.

Description of the pieces

The parts Bread machines are very simple devices and have only three main parts: The first one being the machine itself, the second is the bread pan or bucket and the final part is the paddle or kneading blade. The bread pan This is usually square-shaped or rectangular. It will have a retractable handle that folds down so that the lid shuts correctly. It fits inside the machine by simply clicking into place. Usually, a small turn to the left or right will secure it in place and the opposite to free the bucket.
Paddle or kneading blade This small part is responsible for mixing or kneading the dough together. The loaf, when it cooks, will bake around this part and it needs to be removed from the loaf once it has finished cooking.

The bread machine

The lid This part lifts up to gain access to the bread machine's interior and is sometimes operated by a switch or button to release the lid. There may be a window in the lid so that you can see the mixing and baking as it proceeds through each process of bread-making. The lid may also contain a small vent to allow excess heat to escape. Control panel This section contains some buttons and a display screen. There should be a Select button, a Start and Stop button and another for Crust Colour. Further buttons or switches are for the Timer. The Stop/Start button This is pretty much self-explanatory, although it may need pressing twice to operate while the machine is in motion.
Select button This switch has settings for White or Basic, Whole Wheat, French, Sweet, Rapid and Dough. Keep pressing the button until the setting you require is displayed in the digital display. This may be in the form of a number with it relating to the order in which each selection is displayed. Crust colour This allows you to select your choice of crust from light, medium or dark. It may require a little experimenting to find the crust that suits you best. Timer This cycle allows you to pre-set the machine to complete its cooking process for a later time giving you freshly baked bread as you return from a hard day's work.