The Bread Maker thread

Tuna's recent Teflon coating thread inspired me to look for a bread machine at good will. I picked up a brand new, made in USA (in 1997 ) West Bend machine for $9.99. The first batch of wheat bread is baking as I type.

We go through about 5 loaves a week, so I'm hoping this will let us have nice, fresh bread without going to the store all the time.

Anyone have any good recipes to try?

Only problem I have with homemade is getting a decent slice for a sammich.

I skipped the machine and went for the no-knead recipes you can find in a million places online. It's in no way a taxing or talent-kneading project, but it does require some forethought to mix the dough at the right time.

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1016271/speedy-no-knead-bread.html

Make sure to use the right kind of yeast, it really does make a difference. Instant is different than 'active dry'.

And yes, using this as sandwich bread is not ideal, imho. But then again I'm happy to just eat fresh bread, occasionally smothered in butter...

Ranger50 wrote: Only problem I have with homemade is getting a decent slice for a sammich.

Bagel slicer=good bread slices

A good extremely sharp bread knife, cut the slices a little thicker and only cut what's needed. Not ideal but better than going to the store multiple times

I had a friend that used a meat slicer with her bread maker bread... always seemed to work well and made consistent slices

How about it smells so good on a cold winter Saturday afternoon that you eat the loaf when it's finished and have nothing left for the day or two?

Yep, an electric carving knife works great. As for recipes, Google is your friend, though I've never bested the ones that came with my original DAK machine decades ago. Since they appear to be out of print, I'll see if I can put up a couple favorites later when I'm not typing on my phone. Any recipe will work, as long as you size it for your loaf size and add the wet and dry ingredients in the order specified in your instruction manual.

Margie

I remember my mom had better luck with just using the machine to knead the bread. Take it out of the machine to let it rise, then stick it in the oven.

Otherwise we used it for years to make bread, it was the best thing coming out warm with just butter.

Fresh bread is killer.... I was soooo fat when I worked at the bakery...

Mmmm... fresh bread. Too bad my bread maker is taking a nap.

How about my bread, Margie? How did it compare to the DAK recipes?

Thought this thread was going to be about making money... now I just want a sandwich

The bread maker when with the Ex.

hmmm, I've got a bread maker here somewhere I'll send to anyone who wants it for the cost of shipping (if you really want it take note its old and used but it works, or did last time I used it). Making bread isn't hard, the bread maker doesn't really make it any easier at least not for the quality loss. I love to make bread once you loose the restraints of the machine you can make so much good stuff with really little effort, its just the waiting times between steps that make it seem like a lot of work.

The whole wheat bread using this recipe turned out good. Maybe a touch more yeast next time.

I'm now using it to make pizza dough. With the time delay feature I will no longer have to choose between homemade pizza only on the weekend, or eating it at 8:00...this thing can make the dough while I'm at work.

In reply to Dr. Hess:

Yours was awesome (seriously, best ww) but I can't really volunteer you--was hoping you'd chime in with the recipe.

Margie

I've got a great white bread recipe that we use all the time, but I don't have it here. I'll try and copy it when I get home.

I think Alex needs to be paged. He is the expert in the matter.

OK, I'll share:

1 cup whole wheat flour (I buy my whole wheat flour direct from the farmer, ~$29 for 23 lbs in a bucket shipped. If you want to buy from him, PM me and I'll get you his email address.)

2 cups white flour (use a high gluten flour, like "better for bread" or other flour that says "bread" on the label. I buy 25 lb sacks of Bread Flour at Sam's)

1 tablespoon yeast (get it at Sam's or equivalent, it's 2 lbs for 5 bucks. I store the open bag in a zipper baggie in the 'fridge.)

1 teaspoon salt (I use iodine free salt, I think the yeast like it better)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use Canola because it's supposed to be good for you, but any vegetable oil will do)

2 tablespoons sugar

10-12 oz of water, depending on the bread machine. Measure exactly using the same cup each time and the same measuring technique.

With my current bread machine, it works best if I put in 1 cup of flour, then all the dry ingredients, then the other 2 cups of flour, then the oil and water. This one has a rectangular shaped pan and after it starts mixing, it helps if I take a spoon and knock the dough stuck in the corners back into the dough ball. Water measurement is critical with most of these machines. Even using a different flour can effect the required water. Basically, if the top falls in, you used too much water, so try 1 tablespoon less water next time. If it didn't rise enough, add a tablespoon next time. Set the bread machine program to just regular bread, not whole wheat or any other "special" setting. Just "make me bread." I set it to Light crust, usually. When it finishes, it is best to take it out immediately and put it on a rack to cool, so the air will circulate around it. Store in a tupperware type box. Cut with a large serrated thin carving knife.

Making it in the bread machine takes <5 minutes, then push the button and come back in 3 hours. There's directions for sourdough on my web site. That one takes a few days, though, and is not bread machine friendly.

My father in law has been making nearly all of his own bread and baked goods for nearly 2 decades (no fancy machines other than the mixer). He'll analyze the bread at restaurants and occassionally take a sample home to recreate. His trick is to use weight rather than volume (grams rather than cups, etc) for measuring ingredients. He has a spreadsheet taped on his fridge for wet ingredients and one on his cabinet for the dry ones. My daughter has become his apprentice so the skills are getting passed along. I usually make bread during the winter and it never lasts as long as I want it to.

When I make bread I am normally just cooking it in my Dutch oven.

Found some very interesting recipes on Drew Kaplan's site. He was the original importer of bread machines into the U.S. under his DAK company name, and his newsletters always did (and apparently still do) have lots of wacky, often very delicious, recipes. Here's a couple from the site:

Peanut Butter & Banana Bread

Childhood's favorite sandwich auto-baked into a funtastic bread - for a special treat, spread toasted slices with a mixture of 1 part chocolate sauce to 2 parts peanut butter.

Ingredients:

1 package yeast

2-1/2 cups Better for Bread flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

3 Tablespoons gluten

2 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon salt

1 large banana (6 oz. after peeling) sliced directly into the inner pan

3/4 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky

1 egg

1 cup very warm water

Mom's Tuna Noodle Casserole Bread

The aroma and taste of this bread is just like our mom's favorite Sunday night supper. The kids make a meal of it.

Ingredients:

1 package yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2-3/4 cups Better for Bread flour

1 Tablespoon gluten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1- -6-1/2-oz. can white tuna packed in water, well drained

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 Tablespoons dried minced onion

1 cup Chow Mein noodles

1 egg

1 10-1/2-oz. can Cream of Mushroom soup, heated

1 Tablespoon oil

1 Tablespoon water

I haven't tried either, and frankly fear the second, but I'm oddly tempted. Always have respected his spirit of "what the hell, anything can become a bread." I think I'll drag my machine out and improvise some this week. It has to be better than tuna casserole bread... unless, of course, I'm not able to see the awesome in that recipe.

Margie

We started with the machine, and then just started using the recipes here: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/