How to Use Any Bread Machine: Tips & GuideHere is info that is for any type of bread machine:
1) Measure precisely - no rounded teaspoons or mounded flour cups. The machine only will work well with accurate measurements.
A special note about your ingredients: altering ingredients, especially liquids, sugars, or leavening agents can often have a dramatic effect on your bread when using a machine. Ingredients should be at room temperature unless your machine has a warming cycle before mixing begins (if your machine doesn't start mixing for the first 30 minutes after hitting the start button, your machine has a warming cycle.) Water should usually be lukewarm (around 110F) - too cold and your yeast won't activate, too hot (higher than 120F) and your yeast will die.2) Remove the pan from the machine when you want to add your ingredients (this way you don't spill in the machine). Return the pan to the machine and start the cycle.
3) Add ingredients this way (for any bread machine recipe except quick breads or cakes):
DRY FIRST METHOD:
First add yeast, then all dry ingredients except salt & chunky items (raisins, nuts etc) Next add wet ingredients and salt Add chunky items (raisins, etc) when the machine beeps (known as a raisin beep) or is starting its second mixing (without a manual, you'll have to pay attention and just jot down the time for future reference).OR
WET FIRST METHOD:
Salt and all wet ingredients first Next all dry ingredients (except yeast and chunky items) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and drop yeast into the well. Add chunky items at the beep or at the beginning of the second mixing cycle. Does your machine have any buttons for quick breads (like banana bread? )If so, mix your ingredients together in a bowl first, then pour into the machine and use the quick breads setting - it will only do a quick stir and then bake (no kneading or rising). Don't confuse this button with a Rapid cycle, which is for regular yeast breads made with quick yeast or rapid rise yeast - which will bake a traditional yeast bread in a 1 hour instead of 3.4) You also have to find out what size capacity your machine is - usually it says 1 pound, 1.5 pounds or 2 pounds or more somewhere - if your machine can handle a bigger capacity, you can still use a recipe for a smaller capacity machine, but you cannot use a large size capacity recipe for a smaller machine or it will overflow.
5) Another big tip: Always check you machine about 5 minutes into the mixing process - don't be afraid to lift the lid and peek inside briefly. If the mixture looks too dry, you will need to add a little water (a spoonful at a time), let it mix and jab at any stuck corners of dry flour with spatula if needed. If the mixture looks too wet, you may need to add a few spoonfuls of flour to the pan instead. The same recipe will produce different results depending upon the humidity of the day, so don't be surprised if one day it needs more flour, the next day more liquid.
6) Does your mixing paddle get stuck inside your dough? You can try spraying the paddle with a bit of nonstick cooking spray or brushing it with some melted butter or oil before adding your ingredients. This will make it easier to remove. If your bread has baked around the mixing paddle completely, tip the loaf over after it has cooled slightly, and then poke at the edges of the stuck bread with a knife, tongs, or even kitchen shears to loosen it. The paddle can then easily be pulled out using tongs or by hand using an oven mitt.
7) If you keep having problems with your results, it is a good idea to test your machine for defaults. A really easy way to do this is to buy a mix from your grocery store that is designed for bread machines. The mix is already measured out and even comes with the yeast, eliminating a lot of user error. Usually all you have to do is add water and follow the directions. If your mix works out, then at least you know your machine is functioning properly. If you are still having trouble baking bread that isn't from a mix, then either your ingredients were out of date, your water temperature was too hot or too cold, you may have measured incorrectly or made a substitution that didn't work, the recipe isn't right for your size machine, or you may have just found a bad recipe.
You can also try using the recipe again, but use the dough cycle only. The dough cycle will stop after the dough has been mixed and risen, but not yet baked. Place the bread into a regular baking pan and allow it to rise again (until it doubles in size or has risen to the top of the pan), then bake as usual in your oven. This extra rise is because you just disturbed the dough, which causes it to deflate a bit, and reshaped it into a new pan. Most yeast breads will bake at 350 F for around 30 minutes.