Hi, Judy. If you're comfortable with the idea, you might try mixing your dough in the machine, but baking it in your oven. The small space between the top of the dough and the bread machine's lid traps a lot of moisture, making it hard to get the crust you're looking for. It's also common for bakeries to use an egg white only wash on the tops of their breads, which makes the top chewier. You can use a carton of egg substitute for this (using only what you need); it's egg whites only with a bit of color added. Hope this helps. Susan

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