Red Green Repeat Adventures of a Spec Driven Junkie

How One Recipe Made Me Love My Bread Maker

I share my experience in finding a recipe to get great bread from an automatic bread making machine.

I discuss the recipe to get this great bread, how that changed my view of the bread maker and share additional tips I use when making bread now.

You will learn about a great bread recipe for your automatic bread maker.

This article will take you less than five minutes to read.

Myers Myers - Basket source and more information

Introduction

One day while exploring my apartment complex, I met a couple moving out and they were giving away their things. One of those things was a bread maker. It was in decent shape and I was able to find the instructions manual for it.

Following the recipe in the manual gave “ok” bread. Nothing to get excited about. Better than bread from the store.

Can I Do Better?

Recently, I got 1lbs of yeast and got into using the bread maker again.

Instead of using the recipe from the manual, I wondered: can I do better?

Well, I found another recipe, specifically for bread maker. With over 3,000 reviews, this must be good!

What did I have to lose?

The 3,000 Review Recipe

The recipe I am referring is this one:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17215/best-bread-machine-bread

Let’s see what it is.

Requirements

  • Automatic bread maker

I’m specifically looking for a bread maker recipe, an automatic bread maker is essentials.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package bread machine yeast
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Steps

  1. Place the water, sugar and yeast in the pan of the bread machine. Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes. Add the oil, flour and salt to the yeast. Select Basic or White Bread setting, and press Start.
  2. Eat!

This turns out great bread. Far better than the recipe in the manual!

I can talk about all the ways it’s great, honestly, it’s best you try it yourself. Words are not enough and even if I do write the words, it’s just unbelievable.

Let’s just say, this recipe changed my view of breads from automatic bread makers forever.

Tips

Some tips I use with this recipe now:

  • The longer you let the yeast proof, the better the results.
  • Proofing the yeast is a good way to test the yeast before committing to hours (or gambling your breakfast) on it.
  • You can leave all the ingredients in the machine and then have it rest until the timer can starts. I have found the results are the same.
  • The smell of fresh baked bread is a wonderful alarm clock.

Results of My Bread Experiments

Because of this recipe, I keep making it and experimenting more. If you want to try more things with the recipe, these are items I have found to work well or found important.

Yeast

I knew yeast was alive (hence the water temperature has to be “just right”). I didn’t know that yeast has a shelf life and varies with temperature. It’s hard to know if the yeast is past the expiration date.

This bread maker recipe help me understand yeast’s shelf life directly and that using old yeast will not give desired results. I did learn I could use more old yeast to compensate.

To avoid the same fate, I found I can freeze yeast as frozen yeast stays fresh longer.

Oatmeal

I add a cup of oatmeal into the recipe to make things healthier. The texture stays the same. Add a little more water to compensate, about 2oz.

Adding too much water can create a deflated loaf (because the oatmeal adsorbs the water and becomes heavier.)

The one thing that is variable is the amount of rise as the humidity may affect it as well.

Previous loaves were great. Recent loaves, not so pretty. :-/

Oils

Different oils give different flavored breads. Olive oil gives a richer, heavier bread. Bacon fat didn’t make a bacon loaf. :-/

I have found butter (75grams) makes a wonderful light bread. Thanks marmite junction!!

Spices

When you make your own bread, you can add your own spices. I found oregano, rosemary, basil to add great smell and flavor. If you add them, soak them in some olive oil to bloom it.

Another spice I’ve love to put in my bread: Everything But The Bagel spice! It’s a great flavor if you love Everything Bagel, now in a bread! :-)

My Current Recipe

The current recipe I use.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) (I do about 80% cold water + 20% boiling water)
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 1/4 tsp yeast
  • 1/3 cup butter (75g)
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 1 cup oatmeal
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Setting

I set my machine to have:

  • XL size (I’m confused why this setting does anything…)
  • medium crust (not light or dark)
  • default bread mode

Steps

  1. Add yeast + sugar into the bread maker.
  2. Proof the yeast by making the warm water and pouring into maker for at least 10 minutes.
  3. Add in oatmeal, flour, butter, and salt

I usually prep everything at night and set the timer to finish as I wake up.

Conclusion

For me, bread from an automatic bread maker was just “ok”, with the recipe from AllRecipes, I am in love with my bread maker and trying different breads and combinations.