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IMPORTANT:
Never try to slice soft cheese like mozzarella or
hard cheese like Parmesan. You may damage
the slicing disc or the food processor itself.
You can successfully shred most cheeses
except soft ones. The exception is mozzarella,
which shreds well if thoroughly chilled. Hard
cheeses like Parmesan shred well only at room
temperature. Therefore, only attempt to shred
mozzarella when well chilled, and Parmesan
when at room temperature.
TECHNIQUES FOR
KNEADING YEAST DOUGH
The Premier Series 11-Cup (2.6 L) Food
Processor is designed to mix and knead dough
in a fraction of the time it takes to do it by hand.
You will get perfect results every time if you
follow these directions.
NEVER TRY TO PROCESS DOUGH THAT IS
TOO STIFF TO KNEAD COMFORTABLY BY
HAND.
There are two general types of yeast dough.
Typical bread dough is made with a flour mix
that contains at least 50% white flour. It is
uniformly soft, pliable and slightly sticky when
properly kneaded. It always cleans the inside
of the work bowl completely when properly
kneaded.
Typical sweet dough contains a higher
proportion of sugar, butter and/or eggs than
typical bread dough. It is rich and sticky and
it does not clean the inside of the work bowl.
It requires less kneading after the ingredients
are mixed. Although 30 seconds are usually
sufficient, 60 to 90 seconds give better results
if the machine does not slow down. Except
for kneading, described below, the processing
procedures and use of the DOUGH button are
the same for both types of dough.
Machine capacity:
Recommended maximum amount of flour is
5 cups (1.25 L) of all-purpose flour or 2¾ cups
of whole-grain flour. If a bread dough calls for
more than the recommended amounts of flour,
mix and knead it in equal batches. Do the same
for sweet doughs that call for more than
3½ cups (875 ml) of flour.
Measuring the flour:
It’s best to weigh it. If you don’t have a scale,
or the recipe does not specify weight, measure
by the stir, scoop and sweep method. Use a
standard, graduated dry measure, not a liquid
measuring cup.
With a spoon or fork, stir the flour in its
container. Do not measure flour directly out of
the bag; it is too packed to get an accurate
measure. With the dry measure, scoop up the
flour so it overflows. With a spatula or knife,
sweep excess flour back into the container so
the top of the measure is level. Do not pack
flour into the dry measure.
Proofing the yeast:
The expiration date is marked on the package.
To be sure your yeast is active, dissolve it in
a small amount of warm liquid (about
1
⁄
3
cup
[75 ml] for one package of dry yeast). The
temperature of liquid used to dissolve and
activate yeast must be between 105˚F and 115˚F
(40˚C and 46˚C). Yeast cells are not activated at
temperatures lower than this and they die when
exposed to temperatures higher than 130˚F
(54˚C). If the recipe includes a sweetener like
sugar or honey, add a teaspoon with the yeast.
If no sweetener is called for, add a pinch, or add
a pinch of flour. The yeast won’t foam without
it. Let the mixture stand until it foams, up to 10
minutes.
Processing dry ingredients:
Put the flour in the work bowl with all the other
dry ingredients. If the recipe calls for herbs, oil
or solid fats like butter, add them with the flour.
Turn the machine on and let it run for about
20 seconds. (Cheese, nuts and raisins may be
added with the dry ingredients or during the
final kneading. To leave them almost whole, add
them 5 seconds before you stop kneading. For
a finer texture, add them sooner.)
Adding liquids:
All liquid should be added through the
small feed pusher while the machine is running.
Add liquid in a slow, steady stream, only as fast
as dry ingredients absorb it. If liquid sloshes or
splatters, stop adding it but do not turn off the
machine. Wait until ingredients in bowl have
mixed, then add remaining liquid slowly. Pour
liquid onto dough as it passes under feed tube
opening. Do not pour liquid directly onto bottom
of bowl.
Follow the recipe carefully. It is important to add
enough liquid to make the dough soft enough to
knead. Kneading dough that is
too stiff can strain the machine.
All liquid, except that which is used to activate
yeast, should be cold, to minimize the possibility
of overheating the dough. You must never knead
a yeast dough to a temperature higher than
100˚F (37˚C). Doing so will slow or even prevent
the action of the yeast.
Kneading bread dough:
Do not try to use the machine to knead dough
that is too stiff to knead comfortably by hand.
Doing so can strain the machine.
After the dough starts to clean the inside of
the work bowl completely and forms a ball,
process it for 60 seconds to knead it. Stop
the machine and test the dough to be sure it’s
properly kneaded. Typical bread dough should
have a soft, pliable texture and it should feel
slightly sticky. Stretch the dough with your
hands to test it. If it feels hard, lumpy or uneven,
continue processing until it feels uniformly soft
and pliable. Make sure that the blade is firmly
pressed back into place after removing the
dough to test it.
Kneading sweet dough:
Process dough for at least 30 seconds after all
the ingredients have been incorporated. It will not
clean the inside of the work bowl. If necessary,
scrape the bowl and process for
5 more seconds.
Rising:
Put the dough in a large, lightly floured
resealable plastic bag. Squeeze out all the air
and close tightly, allowing space for the dough
to rise.
Or put the ball of dough in a large bowl coated
with soft butter or vegetable oil. Roll the dough
around to coat its entire surface. Cover it with a
damp towel or a piece of oiled plastic wrap.
Let it rise in a warm, draft-free place, about 80˚F
(26˚C). The rising time is usually about 1½ hours
but will vary from 45 minutes to several hours,
depending on the type of flour and the humidity
in the air.
To test whether the dough has risen enough,
stick a finger in it. An indentation should remain.
If it doesn’t, let the dough rise more and test
again.
When it has risen enough, punch the dough
down.
Shaping, finishing and baking:
If you shape the dough in loaf pans, fill pans
only half full. Let rise until dough is just slightly
above the top of the pan. If shaping free-form
loaves, let them rise on an oiled baking sheet
until at least doubled in bulk.
Making consecutive batches:
You can make several batches of bread dough
in a row. The motor in the Premier Series
11-Cup (2.6 L) Food Processor is extremely
efficient.