I recently broke down and bought a bread machine. You know, living all the way out in the country, it seems like a good idea to try to be self sufficent and besides, it seems pointless to drive 10 miles to the store to buy bread. (Besides, breads in the making will cover up for any disaster cooked up in the kitchen prior to the bread baking :-D)

Anyways, I have a question about the paddle: Do you remove it when the dough is ready to rise?
(My user guide says nothing about this, but I read about this in a recipe.)

(If you have a good tip about how to get the bread out of the pan I'll be glad to hear about it too as I'm having a hard time getting the bread out the pan without getting a big stinkin' hole in the bottom of it.)