Friday, September 26, 2014

Best Bread Machine Bread Recipe and Tutorial


This recipe really is the best bread machine recipe especially for a beginner.  Even though it flies against bread machine "rules," it is foolproof and makes a soft bread with a flaky crust.


Best Bread Machine Bread

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
2 tbsp. white sugar
1 (.25 oz.) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt

Place the water, sugar, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine.  Don't stir.  Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes.  Add the oil, flour, and salt in that order, and don't stir.  Select Basic or White Bread setting, medium crust setting, and the 1.5 lb. loaf setting.  When finished baking, remove the loaf from the pan, and allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.


The first time I used my bread machine, I used a mix, because I thought it would be an easy way to learn how to use my machine.  It was a disaster.  Who messes up a mix?  Me.  My friend Becky shared this recipe with me, and I'm so thankful she did, because this recipe gave me the confidence to try many others. ♥

Bread Machine 101 for Best Bread Machine Bread:

 Place the water, sugar, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine.  Don't stir:


 Let the yeast dissolve and foam for 10 minutes.  Here is what it will look like at the end of 10 minutes:


Add the oil, flour, and salt in that order, and don't stir.  When measuring the flour, don't "overpack" the flour into the cup.  To avoid this, fill the measuring cup to overflowing, then tap the side of the cup with a knife to remove air pockets.  Level off the measuring cup with the knife.  Pour the flour into the bread pan evenly covering the yeast mixture.  Make a small well in the middle of the flour where you will pour the salt.  Salt shouldn't come into contact with yeast as it will kill it:


Select Basic or White Bread setting, medium crust setting, and the 1.5 lb. loaf setting.  Here is what the dough will look like after 1 minute:


After 7 minutes...the dough has come together and is circling the pan:


After 17 minutes:


After 31 minutes...the dough ball is smooth, round, and dry and circles nicely in the pan.  It is now ready for the first rise:


After the first rise, the dough will be punched down, will rise again, will be shaped, will rise one more time, and then will bake.  Enjoy!  :)












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