Baking Bread

We have had a breadmaker for many years.  We use it off and on, but not all that regularly.  Now that I'm retired, I've been trying to bake bread a little more often.  Earlier this week I attempted to make a batch of Cinnamon Raisin Bread.  But, the breakmaker died and the motor would not rotate the mixing paddles.  I pulled out the pan full of ingredients, dumped them in a bowl, and kneaded them by hand.  Then I baked the bread traditionally in our oven.  It turned out OK... but not great....

I tried to take the bread maker apart to see if I could fix it.  It was assembled with some tamper proof screws.  But I had the appropriate bit, and was able to open it up.  I discovered that one of the two drive belts that transfer power from the motor to the paddles had broken, and melted, and become wrapped around the drive shaft and drive gear.  The second belt that transferred power from the first paddle to the second, was also in poor condition.

I contracted Black and Decker, the manufacturer of the appliance to see if I could buy repair parts.  I was told that these are not consumer replaceable parts, and therefore they don't sell them.  I found an after market set on Ebay, that included both drive belts and the gear.  But it would have cost me over $60 to get those few small pieces shipped to me, and would have taken two to three weeks.  And, they are non-returnable parts, so I would be at the mercy of the seller as to whether or not they fit properly.

What a shame that our society has become so wasteful.  I could easily repair this.  But our bread maker is over ten years old, and I'm concerned about investing 60 dollars in it.  The lid is warped and melted from the heat of baking, and I question how much life is left in the motor and the controls.  I can buy a new bread maker for about $150... so reluctantly I will do that.....

Once I got beyond the frustration of the appliance issues, I turned back to the matter of baking bread.  I'm not really happy with any of the bread recipes that I have.  The bread is OK, but its always kind of heavy and crumbly.  So I searched around online and eventually found a recipe for Artisan European Style rolls.  I love the rolls that are available in Austria and Germany, and have struggled to make something like that myself.  I tried the recipe yesterday, and it called for the dough to be left overnight to rise, and then baked the next morning.  I just finished baking the rolls now, and they look really good.  I haven't tried one yet as they are still cooling.  Here's what they look like...   Stay tuned...