CRISPY CRUST WITH BREAD MACHINE

Ciao! If you followed one o my experiments with the bread machine, you must have met the technique of "Piercing and Overturning". This particular technique was created in order to cook bread  uniformly also in the upper part, obtaining a beautiful golden and crispy crust, and avoiding burning the bottom of the loaf. A really good method that I highly recommend to everybody .

Initially I made it with two knitting needles cross-x. As a result, I opted for a single iron, put diagonally as I had shown in my Flickr photo set .

The problem was this: The iron, inevitably passed too close to the paddle mixer, and, most of the times, they scratched it.

Then, at the suggestion of my father who knows a lot about strategies, I went to this new method: two needles inserted parallel to the short side of the basket, always an inch from the bottom of the loaf.

The irons are made of stainless steel and have a rectangular cross section. They were old knitting skewers. My father cut them for me.

All photos of the procedure and irons used can be found in my  photo set on Flickr .

If you do not have something like that at home, use knitting needles or, if you wish, I can also fit the sticks, wooden skewers. For the measurement, calculated two centimeters longer than the length of the short side of the basket, so that, once the bread inseritovi upside down, the knife come out of an inch per side. You have to experiment with your bread machine to see if you can use longer irons. In mine, if they were longer, prevent the cover from closing properly, thus compromising the cooking.

And here is the reverse side of my bread in the basket:

Remember, before proceeding, to remove the bread from the basket and place it to a lateral side to avoid damaging the crust. 

And don't forget to replace the basket inside the machine and close the lid to maintain the heat. 

When fixed the irons, open the lid, take the bread on the sides - use gloves because it's still quite hot - and put it carefully in the basket upside down as you can see in the picture above. 

You will see that it is not complicate, you just need to get used to it, as in all things. 

This method is just as amazing as clever!