3 Easy and Simple Bread Machine Recipes

The bread machine is perhaps my favorite kitchen appliance, and the smell of fresh bread wafting through the house on a Sunday morning is simply irresistible. The wondrous machine brings so much joy to our family, and makes it so easy to experiment that it seems we have a new flavor every week!

Sometimes though, it's nice to go back to the basics, to make the simplest bread there is. So today, I'd like to share our recipes for a simple Amish White Bread, Simple Whole Wheat Bread, and Bagel Bread. Read on.

Amish White Bread:

Treat yourself to this gorgeous fluffy pillow-like white bread. You'll need

- 2 cups warm water

- 2/3 cup sugar

- 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

- 1/4 cup vegetable oil

- 6 cups bread flour

Instructions:

Dissolve the sugar in the water first, and stir in the active yeast. Then add to your bread machine in the order specified by the maker and set it on standard white bread setting, normally number 1.

Simple White Whole Wheat Bread:

For those of you who think white bread is unhealthy, well - it isn't if you make it yourself. The stuff you can buy in the shops - yep, that is pretty unhealthy. But if you are worried, then here is a whole wheat recipe instead.

- 1 cup warm water

- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

- 1 1/4 tablespoon dry milk

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter

- 1 1/4 tablespoons honey

- 1 tablespoon gluten

- 2 teaspoons molasses

Preparation:

The trick to making awesome whole wheat bread in the bread machine is to knead it twice. Add all the ingredients in the usual order specified by the machine maker, then when the knead cycle has finished, simply reset the machine and start again. This is assuming your machine doesn't have a specified whole wheat cycle - if it does, use that instead.

Bagel Bread:

The Bagel dough has a little more of a meaty texture to it, and is quite chewy and consequently filling. This is so simple to make you'll need to visit the store again!

- 110ml milk

- 5 tablespoons warm water

- 1 egg

- 310g bread flour

- 1 tablespoon caster sugar

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

Set it on the basic bread cycle, and remember to leave to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before cutting or serving it.

Enjoyed these bread machine recipes? If you have kids, why not try some of these bread craft kids recipes with your freshly baked bread!

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Make Cinnamon Bread

Cinnamon bread is a great and delicious snack or breakfast that you can easily prepare by simply following a few instructions. You will find that you can customize the appearance and flavor later on as you master the basics. It is important that you understand the nature of the bread as well, so you avoid minor accidents like burning the bread too much.

Initial Steps

First, take the bread, then toast it at around 4 to 5 degrees to attain the crispy nature. Ideally, you should use whole wheat bread. Make sure that you do not burn the bread. Kids should properly be trained, to avoid any injury. Put honey on the two slices of bread. Just put enough so that you get a bitter taste once you reach the next step. Bee's honey is recommended, especially those that are made only from all-natural ingredients. Processed honey may make the bread too bitter.

Sprinkle cinnamon on both slices of bread as you prefer. There are small packets of cinnamon available at your local grocery store. Stack the slices, then warm these inside the microwave for 20 seconds, so that the honey and cinnamon can melt at the same time, providing you with quality flavor.

To finish off the recipe, you can top the cinnamon with small banana slices or place these at the side. This can be stored easily inside your refrigerator, so you only have to microwave in the morning for a quick and easy breakfast.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Cinnamon swirl bread is also very easy to make. Make the regular dough, but instead of shaping it instantly into a loaf, roll it out on the counter. Sprinkle the dough with a combination of sugar and cinnamon. You will need about 2 teaspoons of cinnamon together with 1/4 cup of sucanat. Roll the dough up. Poke the ends underneath to create the loaf shape, then put inside a butter bread pan. Allow the loaf to rise about 30 to 45 minutes and bake. You will find that the bread is better if lightly toasted and buttered. Eat with a glass of milk or coffee.

The Cinnamon Pita Bread

To make cinnamon pita bread, add some cinnamon and sugar on top of the rounds of pita dough before you bake. You can readily eat this or stuff a few raisins inside the rolled form together with some butter for more flavor. It is not recommended, however, to cook the pita bread together with the raisins, since 500 degrees F will scorch the raisins, making your pita bread very bitter.

Feel free to add any condiments after you have cooked the cinnamon pita bread. You can add honey and butter while baking to give it a unique and savory smell. You can make more servings by sticking with the pita bread recipe. Store any excess inside an airtight container or inside the refrigerator. You can just reheat it anytime for a few minutes before serving. This can last several days or weeks.

A Yeast 101

There are 2 kinds of dry yeast instant yeast and regular active dry yeast. These can be used alternately depending on the needs of the baker and the kind of bread you want to make. There are some advantages between the two. You can also boost the standard yeast and bread recipes and formulations by altering the yeast. You will find that the characteristics of the bread also changes as you make the necessary adjustments.

Yeast Introduction

Instant yeast is also called quick rise, rapid-rise, fast rising or bread machine yeast. This kind has the benefit of boosting rising time. Compared to active dry yeast, the dough gets to rise only in half the time. The standard yeast bread formulations can be enhanced by alternating the yeast inside the recipe. Instant yeast is ground more finely and can absorb moisture in a smaller amount of time. It quickly changes sugars and starch to carbon dioxide, the little bubbles that cause the dough to stretch and expand.

About Active Dry Yeast

Active dry yeast is also known as compressed yeast or cake yeast. Prepare 1 package of dry active yeast. This is equal to about 1/4 ounce or 2.25 teaspoons. A 4-ounce jar of active dry yeast is equal to 14 tablespoons. 1 cube or cake of compressed yeast or fresh yeast is equal to 1 package of active dry yeast. Active dry yeast possesses a larger particle size compared to the instant active type, making it vital to proof water before using. The recommended water temperatures will change depending on the manufacturer, although it is usually between 100 to 115 degrees F.

You can store active dry yeast longer (about 1 year) if not opened at room temperature. It will also have a longer shelf life if frozen. You can put it directly inside the freezer in its vacuum sealed pack. If frozen, you can directly use it without thawing.

Opened active dry yeast can keep longer than 6 months in the refrigerator and about 12 months inside the freezer. You should store yeast in its original container with the open flap folded closed in a resealable plastic bag. It can lose its power by as much as 10% every month if only stored at room temperature and opened without the safety outer container.

Instant Yeast

1 envelope of instant yeast is equal to 1.25 ounce or 2.25 teaspoons. 1 cube or cake of compressed yeast is equal to 1.5 to 2 teaspoons of instant yeast. To exchange bread machine or instant yeast for active dry yeast, you can use 25% less instant yeast compared to active dry yeast. Instant dry yeast does not necessarily have to be active by warm liquid. The yeast has been made from various strains of yeast to make breads. Rapid rise yeast is more finely granulated compared to active dry yeast, so it cannot be dissolved in water first. It can placed straight to the dry ingredients. It is a good choice among bread machines.

Instant active yeast is added to dry ingredients. The liquid part of the recipe's ingredients should be warmed to about 120 to 130 degrees F to make the dough. The bread recipe will only need one packet of instant dry active yeast to rise. The first rise is substituted by a 10-minute rest. You do not have to punch the dough in after. The second rise is after the dough is shaped into a loaf.

Simple And Delicious Bread Machine Recipes

If you've tried all the recipes that came in your bread machine recipe book you may want to be a little adventurous and try out some new ones. To avoid baking disasters its best you start off with recipes that are simple and straightforward. But this doesn't mean you have to bake bland bread; far from it.

If you've just been baking bread maybe you should be a little more adventurous and try making dough for bagels, brioche and other delicious pastries. As well as the bread maker recipes that follow, there's some dough ones too, that will, hopefully, whet your appetite enough to try them out.

Autumn Seed Bread

For me fall and the approach of winter signal the start of the home baking year. It's a time when the harvest is in and most ingredients that are used in baking are produced; things like wheat, seeds and preserves.

Ingredients - this will make a 1.5 to 2lb loaf

1 cup warm water

1 (.25 ounce) package yeast

1/4 cup honey

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

3 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat bran (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup shelled, toasted, chopped pumpkin seeds

Directions

Apart from the seeds, put all the other ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the whole wheat cycle and press start. If your machine has a signal for fruit or nuts, add the sunflower and pumpkin seeds at the beep. Just before the bake part of the cycle you can brush on some beaten eggs on top of the dough loaf and sprinkle on some of the seeds.

Blue Cheese And Port Bread

This is delicious bread that I bake around Christmas time. I love to eat it while still warm in front of the fire with a glass of rich red wine.

Ingredients - this will make a 1lb loaf

2/3 cup warm water

2 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons butter

2 tablespoons port red wine

1/4 cup Danish blue cheese

1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 1/2 tablespoons applesauce

1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Directions

Apart from the cheese and walnuts, put all the other ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the basic bread cycle and press start. If your machine has a signal for fruit or nuts, add the cheese and walnuts at the beep.

Brioche Dough

Brioche is a sweet, eggy bread that is almost a cake. It's perfect to eat first thing in the morning along with a cup of strong French coffee. The loaf is baked in the oven but the dough is prepared in the bread machine.

Ingredients - this will make a 1.5lb loaf

1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

3/4 cup softened butter

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

Directions

Put all the other ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the dough cycle. While the dough is being nixed and kneaded you can preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Turn finished dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead 5 to 10 times. Separate into 2 or 3 pieces. Roll with hands into strips. Braid or twist strips together. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and brush the top with egg wash. Bake for about 20 minutes or until medium browned.

Perfect Bagels

Bagels make great sandwiches. The heavy, dense dough makes a bagel sandwich a meal in itself.

Ingredients

4-4 1/2 cups flour

2 x (.25 ounce) package yeast

1-1 /12 cups warm water

3 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 additional teaspoon sugar

1 beaten egg white

Directions

Put all the ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the dough cycle. After the first kneading is finished, turn the machine off and allow dough to rise in pan for about an hour. Then bring a large pot of water to boil and add additional sugar; simmer, maintaining a slow steady boil. Turn on oven to 350°F. Prepare baking sheet with non stick spray and cornmeal. Turn out dough on a floured surface. Divide into 12 pieces. Shape bagels by making balls and punching a hole in the center. Put bagels, 3 or 4 at a time into water and cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Transfer to baking sheet with slotted spoon and brush with egg white. Add any toppings you wish to use. When all the bagels are on the baking sheet, bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

The above bread machine recipes are just a few of my favorites. They're all delicious and easy to make. Experimenting with different recipes has not only been rewarding for me but also great fun and I hope you'll soon discover more recipes that you can call your own.

Follow the links for more delicious bread machine recipes as well as bread machine reviews on leading brands like Oster, Cuisinart and the Breadman bread machine.

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Experiment With Your Bread Machine

A bread machine is a great little appliance that makes a nice addition to any kitchen. It's amazing that someone figured out how to use the same pan for mixing the ingredients, kneading the dough, providing a warm place to rise the dough, squeezing out the gas in between dough risings, and finally baking the bread. The process is totally automated and for many recipes can be put on a time delay so that bread comes out of the hot oven when you are ready to eat it.

Bread produced by a bread machine is a little different from the store-bought sliced bread. The main difference is the texture. Bread produced by a bread machine has a coarser texture when compared to a slice of bread produced commercially. The crust may be firmer or darker depending on the bread cycle used and the amount of certain ingredients used in the bread.

Sugar as an ingredient in bread gives browning to the crust and color to the loaf and it improves the taste. Try substituting honey or molasses for the sugar in your recipe for a more natural bread. Use equal amounts, so if your recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of sugar use 1 tablespoon of honey or molasses instead.

The kinds of bread that a bread machine can make are as varied as your imagination. The basic white bread is a standard on which variations can be built. Many bread makers will sound out an audible alarm to alert you that now is the time to add your special ingredients so they can be incorporated into the dough before the last rise and bake.

Add any kind of "trail mix" ingredient that you like a couple minutes before the kneading cycle is complete. Raisins, sesame seeds, millet, crushed walnuts, pecan bits, chopped dried apricots, sunflower seeds, or any other favorite ingredient can be added to the bread dough. Try at first a quarter cup of your special ingredient for a regular-sized loaf or half a cup for a large loaf.

Another easy substitution to make is one egg for 1/8 cup of the liquid called for in your recipe. Eggs add softness to the bread and give it a wonderful aroma and flavor.

Recipes may call for applesauce, peanut butter, cottage cheese, or canned pumpkin for a totally different taste. Flavored breads make for wonderful toast, especially with a dollop of jam or cheese.

Naomi Gallagher is a writer and a fantastic cook with a love for machines that help her make the most of her time in the kitchen. Making homemade bread has become one of her specialties. Learn more by visiting her sites where she likes to write about making bread and cooking great food: http://carouselspicerack.com/ and http://sunbeambreadmachine.com/.

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Simple, Delicious And Easy Bread Machine Recipes

There are thousands of free bread machine recipes online, so you really don't need to buy any recipe books. You can easily find them of recipe sites and forums. Here are a few to get you started.

Just because a bread maker recipe is free doesn't mean it's bland; many folks with a passion for home baking love to share their knowledge with others. And, don't be afraid in trying out a new one; bread machines allow you make perfect bread easily - you just have to follow the directions given and, in a couple of hours, you'll be eating delicious wholesome bread.

Italian Rosemary Bread

Ingredients - this will make a 1.5lb loaf

1 cup warm water

3 tablespoons olive oil - use good quality oil as it really does make a difference in the overall taste

1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried rosemary - you can also use fresh as well.

2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

Put all the ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the basic bread cycle.

Spicy Apricot Bread

Ingredients - this will make a 1lb loaf

1/2 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup water

2 1/4 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon dry milk

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground anise seed

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

3/8 cup to 1/2 cup apricot nectar

1 tablespoon canola, safflower -- or oil

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

Put the apricots in a small saucepan with a little water and bring to boil. When at boiling point, remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Drain the apricots, reserving the liquid, and spread them out on a double thickness of paper towels. Allow the apricots and the liquid to cool to room temperature. Except for the apricots, place all ingredients in the bread machine according to the manufacturer's directions. Measure the reserved cooking liquid and add enough apricot nectar to measure 5/8 of a cup. Select the whole wheat mode and start the machine. When you hear the signal to add extra ingredients, add the finely chopped apricots. At the end of the baking cycle immediately remove the loaf and allow it to cool completely before slicing or wrapping for storage.

Blueberry and Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients - this will make a 2lb loaf

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 (16-ounce) can of blueberries

3 cups bread flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

Pour the contents of the can of blueberries into a 2 cup measure. Add water or reduce juice so that the total volume is 1 1/2 cups. Put all the ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the basic bread cycle.

The above are just some of the delicious and free bread machine recipes available online. There are thousands available, so spend some time looking and find some that really appeal to your taste buds.

Follow the links for free bread machine recipes as well as bread machine ratings on leading makes like the Toastmaster bread machine.

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Follow Bread Machine Recipe Measurements for a Great Loaf

We all love a hot slice of bread, fresh from the oven. Whether you enjoy your bread with butter and garlic or toasted with jam, fresh-baked bread is hard to beat. It can be a tasty treat for a snack or the basis for everyday meals.

Putting effort into baking bread, with all the mixing and kneading and waiting necessary to form a loaf, there can still be bread failures. What a bummer to have your bread not turn out right after all that effort. Fortunately, most bread failures are still edible so all the ingredients shouldn't go to waste.

Unsatisfactory results are things like the bread not rising enough or having too much rising. The top or sides may collapse or the loaf may have an overall poor shape. Sometimes bread will have a very dark and too-thick crust. When it's a heavy or raw-tasting bread, we call that a brick and it's a do-over.

The easiest way to avoid these types of bread failures is to follow the recipe exactly and add the ingredients in the order given. Standard bread machine recipes have been researched and tested time and time again, so these recipes have the right proportions of ingredients. The amounts of ingredients are very important in making a perfect loaf of bread. Experimentation with amounts of ingredients is not suggested, except for the addition of special ingredients added near the end of the kneading cycle. It probably doesn't matter, except for taste, whether you add ¼ or ½ a cup of raisins to the mix for raisin bread.

Because altering the amounts of ingredients may affect the rising of the bread, carefully measured ingredients are the key to making a delicious and beautiful loaf of bread. Large amounts of dry ingredients, like one cup of flour or sugar, should be lightly spooned into a measuring cup so that the cup is overflowing. Do not scoop the empty cup into a container of flour as you might trap a large air bubble or pack in the flour too densely, which would make for an inaccurate measure. Take the flat edge of a knife and scrape the excess flour from the top of the cup. Make sure the cup is totally filled and has a smooth, even top. The same leveling technique should be used to measure small amounts of dry ingredients, like baking powder, cinnamon, dried milk or salt, using teaspoon or tablespoon measures.

A tip for measuring bulky items, like cottage cheese or applesauce, is to add them directly to a liquid measuring cup. The bread recipe will call for water or milk as the liquid ingredient, so measure that into a liquid measuring cup. It's easiest to use a two-cup measuring cup for this task as there will be enough liquid for measuring and enough space left over to add the second ingredient. Note the height of the liquid on the measuring scale. Spoon in the bulky ingredient until the correct amount is added. No need for dirtying a second measuring cup. Liquids go into the bread machine mixing pan first, so empty the measuring cup into the bread pan and continue with carefully measuring out the dry ingredients.

Naomi Gallagher is a writer and a fantastic cook with a love for machines that help her make the most of her time in the kitchen. Making homemade bread has become one of her specialties. Learn more by visiting her sites where she likes to write about making bread and cooking great food: http://lazysusanspicerack.com/ and http://toastmasterbreadmachine.com/.

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