Kitchen Drama: Paddle for Gluten-Free Breadmaker Vanished!
December 2, 2010 by Amy Leger | G+ Amy LegerIt’s a caper of sorts. A gluten-free “who dunnit” filled with the drama of the unknown! Although accurate, that may be stretching it a bit, but I did have a bit of a mystery on my hands recently that I had to get to the bottom of.
Last weekend, I was on a domestic rampage; Deep cleaning my house, while cooking and baking at the same time. I had the remains of a turkey boiling down on my stove, a pot roast in the slow cooker and my celiac daughter, Emma’s favorite gluten-free bread in the bread machine. Multitasking at it’s finest.
Of course late in the afternoon everything was done cooking including the bread. I took the bread out and the paddle that mixes the ingredients in the pan comes out with the bread. It’ is sort of baked inside. So I let the bread cool and I pull the paddle out as I’m cutting it. It usually has bread caked on it. I put the “bready” paddle inside the water in the bread pan which is in the sink — and think nothing of it.
Bread Pan won’t do much in the bread machine without the paddle inside.
Fast forward to Monday night, Tuesday night and Wednesday night, when I keep seeing the clean bread pan but no paddle. The fleeting thought “where did that end up?” keeps crossing my mind. If I drag my feet on finding this darn thing too long, we’ll be out of bread and my daughter (who really doesn’t care for most store-bought gluten-free bread) will be desperate for more.
So I finally ask the pressing question to Emma — who is also the chief dishwasher (sounds about right for age 11 you think?).
“Have you seen the paddle for the bread maker,” I ask.
“No,” she responds.
“Do you remember washing it? Maybe putting it in the dishwasher,” I ask.
“NNooo,” she responds in a slightly more sing-songy way.
And then the moment hits me. “Do you think you may have thrown away what seemed like a big chunk of bread floating in the bread pan?”
Emma pauses, “Maybe,” she responds.
I explained to her that the paddle always has bread all over it so I soak it to get most of it off before cleaning it. And I asked her if it felt heavy at all?? She said no. But then apologized for throwing away the bread machine “thingy”.
Who dunnit solved! Who knew an unexpected holiday gift for Emma would be new Cuisinart parts and accessories! And maybe I’ll get an extra one — just in case.
Tags: bread maker, gluten-free, lifestyle
December 2nd, 2010 at 10:17 am
From one Amy to another, I feel your pain. I guard the bread machine paddle around the sink like a heirloom diamond ring you take off to wash the dishes. And I’ve done it for about 20 years — thankfully with no mishaps. The first bread machine I had lasted almost that long and was not being produced anymore long before mine ended its faithful service making gluten-free bread for my daughter, who has celiac disease. I always worried that I would not be able to get a new paddle if the original was lost.
I’m glad you were able to order a new one — and I would definitely get a spare while you can!
Amy
December 3rd, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Amy – so funny! I have lost more than my fair share of paddles, leading to my purchase of a handful of “spares.” Just last week I sent a loaf to school with my son to give his gluten-free teacher … with the paddle inside! Thus began the email trail to track down the paddle and warn the unsuspecting teacher of the metal object inside her loaf!
Anyway, I wanted to share that I have come up with another great solution for lost paddles and bread machines (born of necessity before I had my “spares”): I mix the dough in my stand mixer and pour into the bread maker pan, let it rise, then set it on a simple bake cycle for 60 minutes and it makes an incredibly beautiful loaf – without the paddle!
December 3rd, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Love the suggestion Jules! Glad I’m not the only one!
July 5th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Wonderful information. Can anyone share a crock pot gluten free bread recipe with me? I like simple and try to avoid the gums and chemicals. I am eating buckwheat pancakes made with seltzer and pureed jalapeno peppers that look like pita bread. Pretty good, but I miss the real bread crust texture.
Patricia
January 6th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
I lost my paddle, how do u make dough without it??? I tried and it didn’t rise at all and baked the way I mixed it and placed it in there… A large dry lump. I need help!
June 9th, 2013 at 10:38 am
I ended up buying paddles online from the company.