Back when I was living in Japan, I acquired a bread machine from the Japanese equivalent of FreeCycle mailing list. I'd always wanted one, though I have no idea why. I then spent the next 6 weeks making a new loaf of bread everyday, experimenting with various recipes and perfecting them. My house guests were rather pleased with the results, though I must admit I hid a few of failures. I thought I'd pass on some of that knowledge today along with a quick and basic easy first recipe to get you going with your new bread machine. This article is really aimed at guys like myself who fancy making delicious bread, but really have zero experience.
Quick Bread Science and Tips:
Bread rises because of the yeast, so you're absolutely going to need to go out and buy some. Buy in bulk, if you can, as you will be using a lot when your first recipe goes well! Buying the small packets of yeast might be convenient, but you're about 5x more for that convenience. Also, don't make the same mistake as me in thinking that baking powder (for baking bread?!) and yeast are the same thing, because, well, they aren't.
Most important tip I'm going to give you - the order in which you put things in the machine is crucial. Start with wet stuff - warm water, eggs, anything like that. Then on top of that put the flour, and finally the yeast. The reasoning behind this? You don't want the yeast to get wet before it's been properly mixed in, or you will use up it's magical power. And that stuff truly *is* magic.
Also, try not to bang and crash around the kitchen, or knock the bread machine at all while your bread is rising. If you do, the air will escape and your bread will fall flat, which isn't cool. In fact, just sit and play some video games or something.
Onwards, our first ever bread machine recipe is going to be... Rosemary. It smells fantastic and you may find your neighbours coming round increasingly often.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 and a half tablespoons sugar
- 1 and a half tablespoons rosemary
- 1 tablespoon yeast
Instructions:
Really, you need instructions? It's a bread machine, you literally just put everything in there (in the order I've listed above), set the cycle to normal bread, and press go. And remember what I said about banging things while it's rising.
This bread will go really well with a simple soup, but personally I suggest dipping it in some balsamic vinegar with some extra virgin olive oil. If you've never heard of this it might sound a little strange, but believe me it's tasty. Just pour a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar into a little bowl, and 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil on top of that. Don't mix them, just dip the bread in it like that. You might the oil is unhealthy, but far from it. Turns out olive oil is actually very healthy for you.
When you feel like making some more bread, try a bread machine recipe from this stash of tried and tested formulas.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_A_Bruce
http://EzineArticles.com/?Breadmachine-Recipe-for-Someone-Whos-Never-Made-Bread-Before&id=5351645
