Posts Tagged ‘Bread’

How To Bake Easy Focaccia With Your Bread Machine

December 12th, 2011 admin

Ingredients

1 1/4…

Keywords:
, bread, how to, recipe, , crusty, crusty bread

Article Body:
This is just about as as it gets for some really good focaccia. Make the dough in your bread (or with a stand-type mixer). It doesn’t take a lot of time and it’s a great project to tackle with the kids.

Here’s how:

Start with a lean, white bread machine mix, or use the recipe below. By lean, we mean one that is low fat and doesn’t call for fresh eggs. A buttermilk bread mix is .

Easy Bread Machine Focaccia

Bread Ingredients

1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dough conditioner
1 4-gram yeast packet

Add the ingredients in accordance with the manufacture’s directions or mix in your stand-type mixer. Set the bread machine to the dough setting. If you are using a stand-type mixer, after mixing, let the dough until doubled.

Punch down the dough, shape it into a ball, and then cover it with plastic wrap. Let it stand for 15 minutes. In the meantime, mix together the following ingredients for a topping:

Topping Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano flakes
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2-4 tablespoons good quality olive oil
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Gently place the round dough on a large greased baking sheet and press it into an oval 9×15-inches. Make 1/2-inch deep indentations in the dough with your fingers one to two inches apart.

Pour two to four tablespoons of olive oil over the dough, letting it run down into the indentations. Spoon the topping mixture evenly over the dough.

the bread for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. Remove the bread to a wire rack to cool for ten minutes before serving warm. Makes ten to twelve servings.

Notes: You can use this as a pizza crust or vary the toppings or spices to . Try onions, mushrooms, or spinach. If you don’t have olive oil, you can use melted butter or a good quality vegetable oil.

Copyright 2003-2007, The Prepared Pantry (http://www.prepraredpantry.com ). Published by permission

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Goji Juice Bread: A Goji Treat For The Whole Family

December 11th, 2011 admin

has quickly become one of the world’s most popular nutritional supplements. Derived from the goji berry, it is believed to be one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet. Throughout the world, families drink goji on a daily basis, partly because of the stellar of the , but mostly to gain the nutritional benefits. This has led to a mundane routine of consuming a few ounces of pure per day, instead of optimizing the goji experience.

A little bit of creative imagination can break this monotony. Why risk boredom by simply drinking the same amounts of plain goji juice day in and day out? By experimenting with goji juice recipes, you can enhance your daily goji consumption and be less likely to forget this important juice in your daily routine. A good way to add some spice to your goji experience is by breaking some goji juice ! Below is a recipe for doing just that.

Goji Juice Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

2.5 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Salt
0.25 Cups of Shortening
1 Egg
0.75 Cups of Milk
0.25 Cups of Goji Juice
3 Tablespoons of finely grated Orange Peel
1 Cup of Chopped Pecans

Instructions: Add all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt to a mixing bowl. Stir together until uniform. Next, use a blender or a fork to add the shortening into the mix.

In a separate bowl, beat an egg until uniform. Add milk, goji juice, and grated orange peel to the bowl with the egg, and stir. When done, add to the previous mixture, and stir. Sprinkle chopped pecans into the resulting mixture, and then pour the mixture into a non-stick bread pan, letting the mix settle into each corner uniformly.

at 350-degrees for 55 to 60 minutes until brown. When done, let the bread stand for 5 minutes before attempting to remove the pan. Cool on a metal rack, and when ready, slice the bread and enjoy!

A holiday , goji juice bread is the perfect way to spread the joys of goji juice to friends and relatives. It’s the perfect compliment to a cup of tea, and goji juice bread is both fun and delicious!

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Getting Your Bread To Rise For Light, Airy Loaves

December 7th, 2011 admin

Article Body:
shouldn’t be dense. You can make that are every bit as good as the bread from the local bakery. The secret is in using quality ingredients and your bread to properly. In this article, we’ll examine the factors that make your bread .

There are five important factors that make the difference between light, airy bread and a dense flop. None is difficult to manage—in fact, yeast is quite forgiving—but you’ll be a better bread baker if you understand these factors.

Yeast is a living organism. As with any other living organism, it needs an acceptable environment in which to grow and multiply. As the yeast grows, it produces carbon dioxide gas that lifts the dough and creates an airy structure.

There are five factors that affect how fast yeast will grow.

Factor 1: Temperature

Yeast is extremely sensitive to temperature. Ten degrees difference in the temperature of the dough profoundly affects the growth rate of yeast.

The temperature where yeast grows best is around 78 degrees. The temperature of the dough is the result of the temperature of the water that you use, the flour temperature, the temperature in your kitchen, and how long you mix the dough in your mixer. (The mixing of the dough creates friction which can raise the dough temperature.) Water that is 105 to 115 degrees mixed with cooler flour is intended to create a dough temperature close to 78 degrees. In a bread , we use cooler water because of the warm, closed environment of the bread .

If you want to be a great bread baker, use a thermometer. Carefully measure the water temperature. In all of our recipe and mix development work, we measure water temperature to one degree accuracy. You will also want to use your thermometer to check the temperature of the dough and the temperature of the baked loaf to assure that it is baked properly.

Factor 2: Time

The longer the yeast is allowed to work, the more gas is created. In the right environment, yeast doubles and doubles again.

Bread is ready for the oven when it has doubled in volume, become soft, and is full of gas–not when the timer goes off. In a cooler kitchen, that might take a while.

With a bread machine, the bread begins to when the timer goes off whether it has risen or not. Since we can’t manipulate time when using a bread machine, we control yeast growth with other factors so that has risen optimally when the bread begins to .

Factor 3: Quantity of Yeast

The quantity of yeast in the recipe makes a difference. Usually, a baker controls the rise with other factors and does not change the quantity of yeast. However, in a very cool environment you may want to increase the yeast slightly and in a very warm environment, reduce the yeast.

Factor 4: Quantity of Water

Dough must be soft and flexible in order to rise properly–a factor of how much water is in the dough. If the dough is stiff, it is difficult for the expanding gases to lift the dough and create volume. After your dough is kneaded, it should be soft and nearly sticky. As a general rule when mixing bread, error on the side of too much water.

A softer dough will rise much more quickly than a stiff dough and so in your bread machine, a stiff dough will not rise properly before the baking begins. One of the easiest adjustments that you can make to a bread machine recipe or mix that doesn’t perform quite right is adjust the water by a tablespoon.

Factor 5: Salt

Salt kills yeast and a too salty dough will impede yeast growth. One-half teaspoon of salt in a recipe makes quite a difference.

Always measure salt carefully. If you want to speed up the rise, reduce the salt by 1/2 teaspoon. Add a similar amount to slow the rise.

Why do we care how fast the bread rises? In a bread machine, it is critical. On the counter, within reasonable bounds, it probably doesn’t make a difference. In fact, the flavors trapped in bread dough improve with age. A long, slow age creates terrific bread. Still, you are a more competent baker if you understand what is going on inside that ball of dough.

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Banana Bread – Taste Thy Goodness Of Bananas.

December 7th, 2011 admin

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There’s sure is nothing that says home like the smell of fresh-baked . Except for, possibly, when the baker takes it up a notch and the in the oven is .

Though it is bread, this enjoyable is in many ways more like a cake. The leavening agent in banana bread is usually baking soda instead of yeast. What’s more unlike regular bread, banana bread is baked from batter and not dough. And evidently, it includes that’s normally mashed and put into the batter.

A huge favorite, this has been around for years! In fact it first came into popularity in the 1930’s, and ever since then a number of varieties have appeared in cookbooks. Banana bread is relatively to make, and hence popular among home bakers. In addition it can often be found in the display cases of bakeries and coffee shops.

It is not only tasty but also versatile. Usually a great on-the-go breakfast item, either at home or grabbed at the coffee where the busy professional stops for his or her daily dose of java. Also it can be packed in a lunchbox that makes it a great ending to the afternoon meal, but is just as likely to be a warm after-school snack waiting when children hop off the bus. What’s more it can also serve as a last-minute dessert option when guests turn up unexpectedly and you find yourself whipping up a quick meal. If whipped together before dinner and popped into the oven it makes a fantastic accompaniment to a relaxing cup of tea while watching evening television.

This homey treat is so versatile because it is sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. There is an adequate amount of a dessert-like texture and for it to serve as a sweet meal-ender. But its dessert like qualities are milder than overwhelming, and banana bread can be just as fulfilling accompanying a meal or as a standalone quick breakfast with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.

It is generally baked in loaf-shaped pans and can be cut into thin slices or larger wedges for serving. There are plenty of variations on banana bread out there. Of which, some banana bread recipes are passed down by a number of families from generation to generation, and each will declare theirs the best. Perhaps the most common varieties are banana nut breads, which are made from standard banana bread recipes but also include walnuts or pecans.

In fact there are many other types of fruit or even vegetable-based breads. Such as cranberry bread, cranberry banana bread, and zucchini bread are among a few examples. While these are also often-enjoyed treats, banana bread still seems to take the front in terms of popularity.

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How To Make Easy Sourdough Bread

December 6th, 2011 admin

Article Body:
simply uses wild yeast in place of commercial yeast to leaven the . It relies on the wild yeasts that are in the air all around us and cultures those yeasts in a warm, wet environment created with water, flour, and sometimes other components.

When creating a sourdough , we always felt like we were on an expedition trying to trap invisible yeastie beasties with our flour and water concoctions. Because we couldn’t see the beasties, we were never sure what we had captured. While usually successful, we never felt like we were in control. Maybe that is the way sourdough bread should feel, a symbiosis with nature.

But there is an easier way: use commercial yeast in the starter. I know, that’s heresy to the sourdough bread zealot but we only care about the bread. Using commercial yeast is easier, it’s the alcohol from the long cool fermentation that creates the sourdough-like flavor, and the wild yeasts will eventually take over the starter anyway. Because it’s , it’s no big deal if you abandon your starter after a few weeks; you can readily start another when you’re back in the mood or have the time.

Using this recipe for sourdough bread, a small amount of yeast is used in the starter. As the starter is used and refreshed with new feedings of flour and water, wild yeasts are introduced and cultivated.

Here is the recipe:

For the starter:

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 cup high gluten unbleached flour.

Mix the starter in a glass or steel bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set it aside at room temperature until it is doubled and bubbly, maybe 4 to 6 hours.

For the sponge:

A sponge is a pre-ferment, a wet mixture of flour and yeast that acts as an incubation chamber to grow yeast at the desired rate. It is added to the dough.
1 cup of the starter
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups flour

Mix the one cup starter with the flour and water, cover, and set aside to ferment until it has tripled in volume. At room temperature, it will take four to eight hours. You can put it in a cool place–about fifty degrees–and let it perk all night. (In the winter, your garage may be just right.) You can also put it in the refrigerator overnight. At temperatures of forty degrees, the yeast will be inactive but the friendly bacteria will still be working and enhance the sour flavor of the bread. If you retard the growth with lower temperatures (“retard” is the correct term for slowing the growth of the yeast), simply bring the sponge to room temperature and let it expand to three times its original volume before proceeding.

For the dough:

All of the sponge
11/2 cups flour (more or less)
2 teaspoons salt

Mix the salt with the flour. Knead the combination into the sponge by hand until you have a smooth, elastic, slightly sticky dough, adding more flour as needed. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and let it again until doubled, about an hour.

Bakers note: Notice that the salt is not added until the last stage. Salt in the sponge would inhibit yeast growth.

Form the :

Though you can make this bread in pans, it works best as a large freestanding round or oval loaf or two smaller loaves. Place a clean cotton cloth in a bowl or basket in which to hold the loaf. Lightly dust the interior of the bowl with flour. Place each formed loaf upside down in a bowl on top of the dusted flour. Cover the loaves with plastic and let them rise again until doubled. This rising will probably take less than an hour.

Bakers note: You want a dusting of flour on the cloth to be transferred to the bread, not a heavy caking. Softly sifting flour from a strainer is the easiest way to achieve an even coating.

If you to the bread in pans, omit this step. Instead, let the dough rise in a greased bowl covered with plastic until doubled. Form the loaves for pans, place the loaves in greased pans, and let rise until well-expanded and puffy. at 350 degrees until done, about 30 minutes.

To bake crusty bread:

To form the thick, chewy crust that is typical of artisan breads, follow these instructions: Place a large, shallow, metal pan in the oven on the lowest shelf. You will pour hot water in this pan to create steam in the oven. (High heat is hard on pans so don’t use one of your better pans and don’t use a glass or ceramic pan which might shatter.) An old sheet pan is ideal. Fill a spray bottle with water. You will use this to spray water into the oven to create even more steam.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the oven is hot and the bread is fully risen and is soft and puffy–being very careful not to burn yourself with the rising steam and with a mitted hand—turn your head away and pour two or three cups of very hot water in the pan in the oven. Quickly close the oven door to capture the steam. With spray bottle in hand, open the door and quickly spray the oven walls to create more steam and close the door. The oven is now ready for the loaves.

Work quickly to get the bread in the oven before the steam subsides. Gently invert the loaf or loaves onto a slightly greased non-insulated baking sheet on which a little cornmeal has been dusted. With your sharpest knife, quickly make two or three slashes 1/4-inch deep across the top of each loaf. This will vent the steam in the bread and allow the bread to expand properly. Immediately, put the bread in the steamy oven. After a few moments, open the door and spray the walls again to recharge the steam. Do this twice more during the first fifteen minutes of baking. This steamy environment will create the chewy crust prized in artisan breads.

Let the bread bake at 425 degrees for fifteen minutes in the hot steamy oven and then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and bake for a total of 35 to 40 minutes. Check on the bread ten minutes before the baking should be complete. If the top is browning too quickly, tent the loaf with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking to keep it from burning. The bread is done when the crust turns a dark golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 210 degrees. It is important that the bread is well-baked to drive moisture from the loaf. If the bread is under baked, the excess moisture will migrate to the crust and you will no longer have the dry chewy crust of a great artisan loaf.

This sourdough bread is to die for. The prolonged rising gives the yeast plenty of time to convert the starch to sugars and the friendly bacteria a chance to impart their nut-like flavors.

Storing your crusty bread:

Unused crusty bread should be stored in a paper bag at room temperature. If the bread is stored in a plastic bag, the crust will become soft.

Copyright 2003-2007, The Prepared Pantry (http://www.prepraredpantry.com ). Published by permission

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Ciabatta Italian Bread

December 2nd, 2011 admin

Article Body:
This rustic is unique. The dough is so wet that you don’t even shape the loaf—just scrape it onto the baking pan into any interesting shape. The resulting loaf is flat and irregular; in Italian means “old slipper”. The extra moisture in the dough creates an open, unusual crumb. The bread is baked in a steamy environment, which creates a wonderful chewy crust. We hope you enjoy this authentic Italian bread.

Note: Each step in the mixing of this bread is simple and straightforward but to develop the texture, the dough must three times. Please allow up to three hours for rising.

Ingredients
For the sponge:
2 2/3 cups warm water (about 105 degrees)
1 7-gram yeast packet
2/3 cup olive oil
4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon dough conditioner
2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon flour (for dusting)
cornmeal to dust the pan

Directions
1. Place about 1/3 cup of the warm water in the mixing bowl of your stand type mixer, add the yeast, and stir to dissolve. Add the remaining warm water, the oil (at room temperature), the four cups of bread flour, and the dough conditioner. Using your stand-type mixer and dough hook, mix for five minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

2. Remove the dough hook, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until doubled—about one hour. (Since this dough is very sticky, grease the plastic wrap if it will come in contact with the dough.)

3. Using your dough hook, stir down the risen dough and add the remaining two cups of bread flour and salt. Continue mixing for about four minutes or until the dough again becomes smooth. The dough will still be more moist and stickier than the dough for most breads. Remove the dough hook, cover, and let stand until doubled—about 45 minutes.

4. Lightly grease a sheet pan and sprinkle it generously with cornmeal.

5. Using a sharp knife, divide the dough in the bowl into halves and gently scrape each half onto the floured pan to form two rough-hewn . To protect its structure and texture, do not shape or handle the dough. Using the remaining tablespoon of flour and a sifter or strainer, evenly dust the tops of the .

6. Lightly cover the bread with plastic and set it aside to rise again. When the loaf is nearly doubled in size, when it is still firm enough to hold its shape, and when cracks appear in the dusted flour the bread is ready for baking. The last rising should take about 45 minutes, depending on temperature and altitude.

7. To create crusty loaves, you will need steam in the oven. Place a large flat metal pan on the bottom rack of the oven to be used to hold water and with which to create steam and condition the crust. (Since high heat may distort the pan, the pan should not be expensive—an old baking sheet is .) Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

8. Immediately before placing the bread in the oven, mist the sides of the oven with water using a spray mister and then pour two cups of hot water into the steam pan. Be very careful—steam can burn badly. To avoid rising steam, pour the water in without holding your hand directly over the pan. Wear an oven mitt and turn your face away from the escaping steam both when you pour the water into the hot pan and later when you open the oven.

9. Immediately place the loaves in the hot oven and quickly close the door to retain the steam. Turn the temperature down to 425 degrees and for fifteen minutes opening the oven after five minutes to mist the walls again. After the bread has baked for fifteen minutes, reduce the heat to 375 degrees. Continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the bread tests done. The interior of the bread should reach 200 degrees. The bread must be hotter than most breads to drive the moisture from the loaf. A moist bread will not hold a crust well. (Since different ovens hold their heat differently, you may need to adjust your baking time.) Cool completely on racks before slicing.

Copyright 2003-2007, The Prepared Pantry (http://www.prepraredpantry.com ). Published by permission

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How To Bake Multi-grain Bread

November 30th, 2011 admin

Article Body:
A quick perusal of your baker’s shelves will tell you how popular multi-grain is. But it’s not hard to —you can make your own. You can use any recipe and add the cracked grain mixture though traditionally, a wheat recipe is used. The following instructions and recipe will tell you how.

With most cereal mixes, 1/3 cup to 6 tablespoons of cereal per loaf is about the right ratio. If you want soft cereal bits in your bread, soak the cereal for an hour in hot water before starting the bread. It’s not necessary but a nice touch. If you are baking bread in your bread on a three hour cycle, the long cycle will tend to soften the grains without pre-soaking.

Because both the bran in the whole wheat and flour and the sharp edges of cereal tend to cut the gluten strands as they develop, a couple tablespoons of added gluten is a good idea. Always use a quality, high-protein content bread flour. Your bread will never be better than the flour that you use.

Hi-Country Seven Grain Bread Recipe

This recipe uses a seven grain cereal mix. You can certainly use other cracked grain mixes or cracked wheat. Because different grain mixes and different grain sizes absorb water differently, be prepared to adjust the water to flour ratio in the recipe. (With our flours and cereal, in our kitchen, this is exactly the right water to flour ratio.)

Ingredients

3/4 cup seven grain cereal or other cereal or cracked wheat
1 1/2 cups hot water
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups good quality bread flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons wheat gluten
1 teaspoon dough conditioner
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup baker’s high heat dry milk
1 7 gram packet of instant yeast
1 cup warm water at 105 to 110 degrees

Directions

1. Mix the cereal with the 1 1/2 cups hot water. Set aside for two hours to absorb the water and soften.

2. Melt the butter in the microwave and set it aside to cool. With shortening or butter, grease a large bowl for the dough and
2 large loaf pans (9 x 5-inch). If you are going to make hearth , grease a baking sheet and sprinkle it with cornmeal.

3. Measure the flours into a large bowl by whisking the flour so that it’s not packed and then spooning it into the measuring cup followed by leveling the top with a straightedge. Add the gluten and conditioner and stir to combine. Stir in the sugar, salt, and dry milk.

4. Put about 1/3 of the flour mixture in the bowl of your stand type mixer equipped with a dough hook. Add the yeast. Add the 1 cup water at the indicated temperature. With the dough hook, run the machine for thirty seconds to mix the water with the flour to create a slurry. Add cereal and water mixture and the rest of the flour mixture. (The cereal and water mixture should be 105 to 110 degrees. If it has cooled beyond that, reheat it in the microwave.) Add the melted butter.

5. Mix at medium speed for about four minutes or until the gluten has formed and the dough is elastic. The dough should be soft but not too sticky. To reach the right consistency, you may need to dribble a little extra water (maybe one tablespoon) or flour as the dough is kneading. Place the dough in the prepared bowl and cover it to keep the dough from drying while it rises. Let it until it doubles.

6. Gently deflate the dough and form two loaves either as free-standing loaves on a baking sheet or sandwich loaves for your bread pans. Cover the loaves and let them rise again until the dough is soft and puffy, about doubled in size.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the bread for about 35 minutes. The time will vary depending on your loaves, the pans, and your oven. The bread should make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. The internal temperature of the loaves should be 190 degrees.

Remove the loaves form the pans and let them cool on a wire rack. Cool completely, or nearly so, before slicing.

Copyright 2003-2007, The Prepared Pantry (http://www.prepraredpantry.com ). Published by permission

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Tips For Making Homemade Bread

November 21st, 2011 admin

Article Body:
There is nothing like . Whether , pumpkin, white or wheat, the smell of a fresh, hot loaf can’t be beat.

There are many reasons why you would want to make your own bread. If you have good pumpkin bread recipes or banana bread recipes, you can make a nice dessert or have a quick snack for the kids on hand at all times.
Baking your own white or wheat bread can help you save money on your grocery bill. Eating whole wheat bread will keep you healthier and may even help you lose weight.

You may want to consider supplying your with homemade wheat bread all the time. The health benefits are many, especially if you are going to use fresh ground wheat. Eating a slice of bread made with fresh ground wheat is like taking a shot of vitamins.

What Is Wheat And Why Would You Want To Use It?

Wheat is the world’s most important grain crop and ranks first among the grains for its nutritional value. When used in its entirety, wheat is an excellent source of fiber and many critical B-vitamins.WheatB-vitamins. Wheat germ is one of the richest sources of vitamin E if used when freshly milled, before oxidation takes place.

The richest source of Vitamin E is found in the germ of the wheat kernel. Milled wheat loses its Vitamin E very quickly due to oxidization. This is the reason why the bread we buy really has nothing of value for us. It has been stripped of the vitamins provided in the wheat. Within about 72 hours of milling, 90% of over 30 nutrients are gone.

Families usually enjoy better health once they start baking bread with fresh ground wheat including significant improvements in sinus conditions, runny noses and colds. There have also been reports of reduced cholesterol counts, warts disappearing, acne clearing and a host of other wonderful benefits. Of course there are the obvious benefits of adding more fiber to your diet, but remember to drink a lot of water when you increase fiber.

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How To Choose The Perfect Bread Maker

November 20th, 2011 admin

makers are extremely popular. The average person can make delicious, quite easily with a . Even with the ease of a bread , you must still use caution when adding the ingredients, even if you use a mix. You can make a variety of shapes and sizes of loaf with a bread . Many people use a bread to simply mix the ingredients then the loaf in a traditional oven. Sizes range from one pound to two pounds or more, and you will most likely between a square or round loaf pan.

Some bread makers will have a preheat cycle to heat the ingredients before baking. If you want your bread to properly, choose a bread maker that does not heat before time to bake the bread. Bread makers will generally have separate settings for different types of bread. There may be settings for wheat or French bread, and you will be able to choose the doneness of the bread such as a , medium, or dark setting. There will also normally be a regular or rapid bake cycle. It is desirable to have a window in the top or side of the bread machine to allow you to see the progress of your bread while it is baking.

There are a variety of options from which to choose in bread makers, so you may first want to consider how much space you have to store your new machine. Bread makers come in a variety of sizes, so choose one that you can store easily. You should choose the capacity of the bread maker based upon how big your is and how much bread they eat. You can choose a bread maker with a delay timer which will allow you to place the mix in the bread maker before you leave home each day and the bread will be ready when you return. If you want your bread maker to prepare the dough but not cook it, you will need to find a bread maker with this feature. Choose a bread maker that will alert you when it is time to add additional ingredients such as fruit or nuts. You will also want a “keep warm” feature in case you are gone when the bread is finished. Look for crust control features and special setting for fruits, nuts, cheese, and vegetables.

Study the warranty very carefully to make sure you will be able to get service and replacement parts if necessary. Keep in mind that if your family consumes a small amount of bread now, once you purchase your new bread maker that consumption is likely to increase dramatically. Choose a slightly larger size that you anticipate needing. Remember that the keep warm feature is great, but if you leave the loaf in the bread maker for an extended period of time it may become soggy and flat. A bread maker is a wonderful addition to your home. Nothing compares to the smell of freshly baked bread from your very own kitchen.

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Amish Bread Starter

November 14th, 2011 admin

, creating a “Sour-dough” like bread. This makes a cinnamon bread, with optional raisins and nuts. From the “e-Cookbook” 65 Amish Recipes

2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. milk
2/3 c. flour
2/3 c. oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Combine ingredients in large airtight container with lid. Store at room temperature, do not refrigerate. Stir every day for 17 days. The recipe makes more than the 1 cup needed. But allows for evaporation.

Now the starter is ready. The following instructions are for either the starter you created above, or received from a loving friend.

For the next 10 days handle starter according to the following instructions.

Day 1, receive the starter
Day 2, 3 & 4 – stir
Day 5, Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.
Day 6 & 7, stir
Day 8 & 9, stir
Day 10, Add 1 cup flour, sugar and milk.
Divide into 3 containers of 1 cup each for friends.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, mix in the following ingredients: Using a fork, beat by hand until well blended.

Add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour. at 325 for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans.

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