A bread machine should be the key to easy home baking. Unfortunately many people purchase one, use it and then put in a cupboard never to be seen again. This normally occurs because they are not happy with their first attempts at using it.

Don't give up. It a simple message but with perseverance the bread machine will see you making healthy home baked bread in no time. Listed below are some tips that can make using your bread machine that little bit easier.

The most important thing any new owner of a bread machine can do is to read the instruction manual. Most manuals will come with a care and maintenance section, included in this or often separately is a section which talks about what should be done before you start baking. One of the most important steps is to run the machine through a baking cycle with no dough in it. Do not be tempted to start with dough straightaway.

Care and maintenance is important. After baking the mixing paddle needs to be removed. You will find that often the dough mixture has baked the paddle in place, and it can become a nightmare to remove. Lubricant, in the form of olive oil or margarine, will make this easier if spread on the paddle before baking. Whatever you do, do not try and use a knife or similar metal tool to force the paddle out. It probably won't work and you will just end up scratching the non-stick coating on the inside of your machine.

Cleaning is also an issue, which can impact the performance of the bread machine. Many manuals will state that the pan and paddle from the machine can be dish washed; don't take the risk. It is a lot safer to wash the inside of the pan with warm soapy water; it is recommended that the pan is not submerged in the water. Leaving the inside of the pan to soak for a quarter of an hour should be sufficient to allow a dish cloth to clean to a high standard.

New owners are often faced with baking issues with their first attempts using the new bread machine. Recipes are there to be followed but even following the recipe to the letter may not provide perfect results. There are variables that will impact upon the baking process. The freshness of the ingredients is vital, but of equal importance is air temperature, humidity and even altitude, all of these variables will change the baking process.

It is quite possible that you may need to adapt the recipe and instructions to make the bread machine produce perfect bread. Always remember that where you change a recipe or instructions, you will need to make a note of it or else you will never be able to reproduce the results again.

Where a loaf comes out of the machine sagging in the middle, it is normally a consequence of their being too much liquid and/or water in the dough mixture. Reducing the liquid amounts should resolve this, although if it doesn't there may be an issue with the yeast being used.

The yeast could make your bread sag or it could make it rise too much. If the latter is the issue try adding some salt to the mixture. Salt will reduce the amount of growth that the yeast undertakes. If the yeast grows too much then the bread can easily rise too much, causing a collapse and the possibility of an uneven surface on it. The reverse is also true, if the bread is sagging, try removing some of the salt from the recipe, it may allow a greater rise in the bread.

The crust is often another issue. Many people find that the bread will come out of the bread machine with a crust that is too thick or hard. The most common cause of this is that the dough mixture is too dry. This is easily rectified with the addition of extra water or milk. Some bread machines also have a 'sandwich' setting which will avoid a hard crust being formed.

A similar problem occurs where the roof of the bread does not brown evenly. The best way for fixing this is to place some aluminum on top of the bread prior to baking, although ensure that the aluminum is dull side up.