Bread maker have revolutionized the bread production process as busy at home chefs can include a healthy and delicious addition to home-made meals.

The history of bread can be traced down farther than man’s recorded past. When meat was insufficient people started to gather grain for food and when they saw that the grain began sprouting after becoming wet, they discovered that they could cultivate it.

Making bread was a profitable skill since ancient times. It was intense and the process required numerous hours. Early bakeries hired a lot of workers to help make the bread.

Later, in the 1800’s, Joseph Lee invented the first bread handling machine. As prior his design, the bread was tossed out, he invented a device that could crumble day-old bread to use in other recipes. With the money obtained from his initial invention, Lee created the first automatic bread maker. The machine could mix and knead the dough, which allowed bakers to focus on forming and baking the bread. In addition to speeding up the bread creating process, he invented a more hygienic method for making bread.

Bakeries started purchasing the bread maker machine to produce more bread products. During the 1950’s, most bakers used such a model, but the at-home chefs still did not have acces to it untill later in 1990’s.

A Japanese company, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company, which is now Panasonic, created the first bread maker that could make one loaf of bread. This bread maker machine became popular and other companies began producing similar versions to the point that they have discovered how to miniaturize Lee’s machine’s method. (McKinley, 2020)

Early bread machines would create loaves in unusual shapes, but today devices typically produce loaves that have a classic appearance. When preparing bread at home, ether with a bread maker or from scratch. Cooks should remember that it will be lacking preservatives and won’t last as long as store-bought bread.

More and more people started to purchase this appliance, and years later, manufacturers found themselves increasing the machine’s usefulness as the machine now can make pizza dough, dinner rolls and other baked goodies.

Today’s bread maker has become a household staple and is one that permit cooks to provide a homemade meal for their family, which includes freshly baked bread.

The device presented next is one of Panasonic’s original breadmaking machines, which is very similar to the Panasonic SD-206 Model. Works on the same concept as most of bread makers. The main parts of this bread machine are presented in Figure 1.

 

Figure 1. Panasonic SD-206 Model

This bread making machine is as simple as it looks. The body has a removable baking tin in which the kneading blade is inserted and at which bottom has the kneader mounting shaft. It also has an opaque lid, a cord and a plug. The control panel helps to navigates through the functions (Panasonic SD-206 Operating Instructions and recipes, 2012).

Looking inside of this model, it can be observed many other components as seen in Figure 2.

 

Parts identification of Panasonic’s original bread maker model

Figure 2. Parts identification of Panasonic SD-206 Model

1. Baking tin cover integrated into a folding opaque lid.
2. Folding, hinged lid contains steam exhaust vent in the center.
3. Exhaust port allows steam to escape from baking tin and flow out through lid.
4. Air vent allows air into the dough to help it rise.
5. Power supply lead.
6. Hole where baking tin screws securely into place containing, at its center, the motorized axle that turns the kneading paddle.
7. Plastic outer case insulates the oven and makes the bread maker safe to touch during operation.
8. Simple LCD display and wipe-clean touch-control panel.
9. Recessed groove where the bottom of the lid locks in.
10. Removable baking tin will bake a single loaf at a time.
11. Detachable kneading paddle click onto an axle slotted through the center of the tin in a waterproof seal.
12. Tongue around edge of lid fits securely into groove in bottom part of machine to ensure heat is retained (Woodford, 2020).

 

How does it work?

The proper ingredients are poured into the machine and the bread maker takes over and finishes the recipe by creating a delicious loaf of bread. In most cases, the liquid ingredients are added first and then the dry items. The order should be respected to ensure that the instant yeast becomes activated by the liquid. Therefore, the water and the yeast must remain separate until the dough making process starts.

Looking down into a bread maker that has the lid open (Figure 3),

Figure 3. Top view of Panasonic SD-206 Model

we can tell that it looks very much like a simple compact oven. It has in its sides two heating elements for baking the bread and it has an axle at the bottom that connects into an electric motor underneath.

Before starting, just make sure that the paddle is in the tin. Then, pop the removable baking tin in the oven, measure all your ingredients and load them up. Close the foldable opaque lid. Select the program you need by touching the control panel and then press START.

At first you will hear the machine’s motor whirring as the paddle spins round which means that the dough is kneading. After mixing, everything will go quiet during the rising phase of the dough. Then, there will be a little more kneading and another period of quiet during proving. Last, the oven will switch on and the baking operations starts. Steam will escape time to time through the exhaust port and you can start smelling the delicious aroma of baking.

 

Panasonic SD-206’s electronic control panel

The first model that Lee invented was able to prepare and cook only regular dough. Nowadays, most bread makers machines can have different programs for making many kinds of loaf. It can be obtained white bread, wheatmeal, or some special loaves by using different kinds of flour and varying the other ingredients.

Panasonic SD-206 model offers various options too: basic, whole meal, multigrain, French, pizza and bake only as see in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Panasonic SD-206 Control Panel

When preparing a different bread, there should be a different mix added to the tin. A different program should be selected from the display and the bread maker will handle different kneading, rising, and even baking times and everything is automatically. Some innovations also offer a “fast-bake” (energy saving mode) that delivers your loaf in about half the time, but the appearances of it would be different also.

This model is very easy to use. First, select the type of bread, then select the bake mode (bake, bake rapid, sandwich, dough). This varies the sequence of mixing, kneading, rising and baking. The next step is to select the size of the loaf (large, medium, or small), the type of the crust and by pressing TIMER button, the display will show how long the process will last. Usually it takes about three to four hours for the loaf to be prepared and baked. Last, by pressing the START button, the process will begin.

Overall, making bread at home is a much healthier option than buying it at a supermarket or even certain bakeries. Beside the extra convenience that this appliance offer, the results are even more satisfactory. Bread maker machines are getting more popular as more and more people prefer homemade products over anything that is mass produced. As life quality is taken in count when looking at food healthy habits, these appliances will be constantly changed to better versions with better performances.

 

References

[Manuslib]. (n.d.). https://www.manualslib.com/manual/652691/Panasonic-Sd-206.html

McKinley, J. (2020, September 18), History of the bread maker found in Home Tips Plus website. Retrieved from http://hometipsplus.com/history-of-the-bread-maker/

Panasonic SD-206 Operating Instructions and recipes found on Manualslib website. Retrieved from https://www.manualslib.com/manual/652691/Panasonic-Sd-206.html

Woodford, C. (2020, October 15), Breadmaking machines found in Explain That Stuff website. Retrieved from https://www.explainthatstuff.com/breadmaker.html

Woodford, [Panasonic SD-206 Control Panel], https://www.explainthatstuff.com/breadmaker.html

Woodford, [Panasonic SD-206 Model], https://www.explainthatstuff.com/breadmaker.html

Woodford, [Top view of Panasonic SD-206], https://www.explainthatstuff.com/breadmaker.html