I am going to suggest a new love for you: your bread machine. You have one parked in a closet somewhere or covered with dust at the back of your counter, right? Well, if not, they're available for pretty reasonable prices these days (around $50), or there are always lots of people getting rid of them because they really didn't use them.
I'm really not sure why. I decided about eight years ago that I wanted one, but I was pretty poor at the time. Me and my Oster met at a yard sale, and $14 later we went home. It must have been kismet, because the same yard sale day I found a bread slicer and three bread machine cookbooks at different sales. Eight years later, it's pretty beat up - the pan leaks and the lid has cracked off - but it still cranks out dough for me. I'm in the market for a new one. I might have this one bronzed.
I just want to say, there is NOTHING like the smell, the taste, the texture, of fresh baked bread. There's something about it that is the essence of homey. It rounds out a meal so amazingly, especially a hearty soup, but I make bread with something like 3 meals a week. I've fattened Russ up considerably on this regimen, so this year I'm looking at making more whole grain bread and less recipes that are stuffed with eggs and butter (but they're sooooo goood....)
My favorite bread machine recipes are the ones that make dough I can cook in my oven, although I imagine from an energy-saving standpoint I'm probably better off letting the machine finish it - and if you do it that way it's about as easy as any convenience food. I have about 20 machine recipes I absolutely love, and I figured I'd share a few now and then. This one is so well loved that the book it's in falls open to the page, which is kind of crusty itself.
I'm really not sure why. I decided about eight years ago that I wanted one, but I was pretty poor at the time. Me and my Oster met at a yard sale, and $14 later we went home. It must have been kismet, because the same yard sale day I found a bread slicer and three bread machine cookbooks at different sales. Eight years later, it's pretty beat up - the pan leaks and the lid has cracked off - but it still cranks out dough for me. I'm in the market for a new one. I might have this one bronzed.
I just want to say, there is NOTHING like the smell, the taste, the texture, of fresh baked bread. There's something about it that is the essence of homey. It rounds out a meal so amazingly, especially a hearty soup, but I make bread with something like 3 meals a week. I've fattened Russ up considerably on this regimen, so this year I'm looking at making more whole grain bread and less recipes that are stuffed with eggs and butter (but they're sooooo goood....)
My favorite bread machine recipes are the ones that make dough I can cook in my oven, although I imagine from an energy-saving standpoint I'm probably better off letting the machine finish it - and if you do it that way it's about as easy as any convenience food. I have about 20 machine recipes I absolutely love, and I figured I'd share a few now and then. This one is so well loved that the book it's in falls open to the page, which is kind of crusty itself.
Pepper Cheese Bread
1 cup water
2 Tb olive oil
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp cracked black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp bread machine yeast
1/2 cup shredded provolone (any cheese works, I've tried lots of different ones)
1/4 cup grade Parmesan cheese
1 slightly beaten egg white
1 Tb. water
Makes a 1 1/2 lb. loaf. Add first 7 ingredients according to manufacturer directions (usually, add all the wet ingredients, then flour, then dry ingredients, with the yeast on top to make sure it doesn't touch the wet stuff). Select the dough cycle on your machine. When it finishes, remove dough, punch down, let rest 10 minutes. Roll dough into a 12 x 10 inch rectangle and sprinkle with the cheeses. Roll into a spiral, moisten edge and pinch to seal. Taper ends. Place on greased sheet seam down, let rise 30 to 45 minutes. With a very sharp knife make 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across the top of the loaf. In a small bowl combine the egg and water, brush over loaf. I like to sprinkle with a little more cheese, or sesame seed, after that. Bake 375 for 15 minutes, brush with egg again, and bake another 20 minutes, until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Cool, slice, devour. If you can wait for it to cool.
2 Tb olive oil
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp cracked black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp bread machine yeast
1/2 cup shredded provolone (any cheese works, I've tried lots of different ones)
1/4 cup grade Parmesan cheese
1 slightly beaten egg white
1 Tb. water
Makes a 1 1/2 lb. loaf. Add first 7 ingredients according to manufacturer directions (usually, add all the wet ingredients, then flour, then dry ingredients, with the yeast on top to make sure it doesn't touch the wet stuff). Select the dough cycle on your machine. When it finishes, remove dough, punch down, let rest 10 minutes. Roll dough into a 12 x 10 inch rectangle and sprinkle with the cheeses. Roll into a spiral, moisten edge and pinch to seal. Taper ends. Place on greased sheet seam down, let rise 30 to 45 minutes. With a very sharp knife make 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across the top of the loaf. In a small bowl combine the egg and water, brush over loaf. I like to sprinkle with a little more cheese, or sesame seed, after that. Bake 375 for 15 minutes, brush with egg again, and bake another 20 minutes, until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Cool, slice, devour. If you can wait for it to cool.
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