If you have ever made bread by hand, you will know how a bread maker works. These basically copy the method of hand baking it and do it all mechanically, without the need of a human standing to watch what is happening. To start your baker, you just need to put in the ingredients that are required for the bread that you are making.
You simply start the bread baker, and it will begin mixing all of the ingredients together. Once they are fully mixed together, a bread maker will knead it all. This basically makes the ingredients expand a bit, and makes sure that everything is well and truly mixed up. There is nothing worse than biting into a loaf of bread and finding a lump of flour! The kneading and mixing process is done by a belt driven paddle (or two) which just continually spins around. They are interesting to watch, and a good one will ensure everything is well and truly mixed up.
From there, the bread baker will begin to heat the kneaded ingredients, and cook it. Some bread makers will do this rapidly while most take at least 1.5 hours to cook the bread. As the ingredients are heated up, the yeast makes the loaf rise up so that it isn't so thick and heavy. You will know that the yeast didn't work if the bread didn't rise at all, or if the bread feels like a rock. Bread makers are heated by an electrical element, and most of them have a timer to ensure that your bread is ready when you want it most!
