First – yes, a loaf of fabulous bread a bread machine does make. However, that’s simply the tip of the bread machine iceberg. When I realized that not only can you go from start to finish in the machine and fill your kitchen with intoxicating bakery smells – the machine can also double as an extra pair of hard-working kneading hands, well, no bread was off limits. Make the dough in the machine, take it out and roll & twist your way to any bun, baguette or loaf your little heart desires – any bread beyond the loaf, is a batch of well-kneaded bread machine dough away. And if that’s not enough to get you going – how about jams, cakes, meatloaf, and even dog biscuits courtesy of your breadmaker. Shut up! No, you shut up!
PS For all you non-bread machine owners, if you don’t have one – 2 words – get one! Fresh baked bread every single day is yours for the taking. This is one of the few appliances out there that will earn its keep at break-neck speed. Let’s do the math – even if you go for broke and spend a couple of hundred dollars – that’s 40 loaves at $5 each which, if you’re feeding a family, might last a couple of months. So there, now that it’s paid for itself by Christmas, put that bread machine front & centre and start baking bread like humans have been doing since someone discovered that pounded grains and water makes awesome bread – look who’s baking now!
read it – get yourself some serious know-how
- ultimate bread machine resource
- why a bread machine?
- how to choose a bread machine
- what to look for in a bread machine
- bread machine options
- bread machine basics
- shaping dough: a visual guide
- converting bread recipes for a bread machine
- bread machine recipes beyond the basics
- bread machine recipes
- cooking with a bread machine
- different uses for a bread machine
watch it – class is in session – videos await
click here to jump down to the whole-grain bread in a machine recipe
1. Gather the players.
2. Get your bread machine ready.
3. First in is the milk and water.
4. Then the flour.
5. Then the whole-grain cereal.
6. Then the yeast & salt.
7. And finally the olive oil & blue agave.
8. Set it and forget it – sounds like an infomercial!
9. Thankfully I have a little window where I can peak at the progress. If you don’t have a window – resist every urge to lift the lid – invaluable heat will escape and derail you before you even have lift-off!
10. And we’re off – it’s now baking; my nose is telling me before my eyes need to!
11. Looking good –
12. The word I’ve been waiting for …
13. Hello gorgeous!
14. Remove it from the pan and let it cool on a rack – walk away, walk away!
15. Once it’s cooled, grab a knife and start slicing – pass the butter – or not.
16. So there you have it – whole-grain bread from a machine!
whole-grain bread in a machine
yield 1 loaf
1. Place the following in the order listed into the pan of your bread machine:
- 1 cup milk
- 2/3 cup water
- 33/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup 9-grain cereal
- 2 tsps. salt
- 3 tsps. rapid-rise yeast or 2 tsps. active dry yeast
- 2-3 tbsps. melted butter or olive oil
- 2 tbsps. blue agave
2. Close the lid and follow the directions for your bread machine for whole grain bread.
3. Wait.
4. Sigh.
5. When the cycle has ended, remove the bread from the machine and place it on a rack to completely cool before slicing.
6. Dig in!
get creative
Add a teaspoon or 2 of an endless array of combinations of flavours to bake a different loaf every time: