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Ridefree

Page history last edited by The Overseer 4 years, 2 months ago

 


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Bread Machine Bread Recipe

 

Shortcut URL: http://tinyurl.com/FamousBread or http://tinyurl.com/BreadMachineBread

 

 

Overview:

 

  • This bread recipe is based on RideFree's Famous 11-cent Bread Recipe (you'll have to adjust for inflation since 2005, haha).
  • If you want to get really geeky about it, be sure to factor in the last power usage calculation in 2008 - baking a loaf cost 5 cents in electricity.

 

 

  

  

 

Here is the recipe I use: (I use a 2-pound Breadman machine)

 

  • 3 tablespoons packed Dark Brown Sugar (light brown sugar, honey, or agave nectar works too)
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 12 ounces warm Filtered Water (microwaved for 90 seconds)
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
  • 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 3 cups White Flour (all-purpose flour)
  • 1 & 3/4 teaspoons Yeast

 

Cooking procedure: (cook time will depend on your machine; I always do mine overnight)

 

  1. Dump all of the ingredients in the bread machine
  2. Set the color to "Light"
  3. Hit the "Start" button (mixes & bakes automatically!)

 

Some tips:

 

  • Plan on baking a few trial loaves before getting it right for your specific machine (and palette).
  • It uses the normal white-bread bake cycle; on my Breadman machine, I use the "Light" cycle; you should experiment with yours to get the best results.
  • Depending on your machine, you may need to use a rubber spatula to push the sides down for the first few minutes of mixing; sometimes the powdery mix gets stuck to the sides while mixing & creates clumps that need to be scraped into the mixer.
  • Leaving it in the machine for several hours after baking gives it a softer crust; I prefer to start the cycle before bed so that I wake up to warm, soft bread in the morning (bonus: makes the house smell amazing!)

 

Recipe variations:

 

  • Using agave nectar (recipe here) makes the loaf rise less (which is a Good Thing because the slices then fit in standard toasters because it's 2 to 3" shorter) & be more moist.
  • There is a (somewhat more complicated) whole wheat recipe available here
  • As a side note, there is a most excellent no-knead bread recipe from the New York Times that you can prep the day before.  Very simple, very delicious, no bread machine required.

 

Make-ahead procedure:

 

I do 2 things for doing prep work:

 

  1. Make plastic bags of pre-mix
  2. Setup an "easy prep station" for a 2-minute setup procedure before bed

 

For the pre-mix bags, I put the following in a gallon zipper-seal bag (not the press-to-seal kind, the pull-zipper ones are WAY easier in terms of not poofing out the flour everywhere):

 

  • 3 tablespoons packed Dark Brown Sugar
  • 2 teaspooons Kosher Salt
  • 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
  • 3 cups White Flour

 

I make a week's worth of bags at a time (which is 4 bags for us, as we tend to go through a loaf about every 2 days).  Just dump all of the dry ingredients in & mix it around by hand (the brown sugar tends to clump & needs to be broken up).  I then store the following on a shelf for my quick-access "prep station":

 

  • Bread machine
  • Large bottle of Olive Oil (with small pour spout)
  • Pre-measured cup with measuring spoons
  • Pre-mix bags
  • Yeast (kept in the fridge)

 

I bought a dedicated set of plastic measuring spoons, as well as a large plastic cup, for setting up my prep station: a tablespoon for the olive oil, and the a 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, and 1/4 teaspoon for the yeast (1 & 3/4 teaspoons total, so just one scoop per teaspoon for fast measuring).  For the plastic cup, measure in 12 ounces of water & mark the line with a black Sharpie marker...that way you simply have to fill up the water & then throw it in the microwave to warm up, no measuring required.  My nightly process goes like this:

 

  1. Fill the cup up to the line with filtered water and microwave for 90 seconds (go brush your teeth while it's nuking, haha)
  2. Measure in the Olive Oil (2 tablespoons), then use the water from the cup to rinse the spoon off into the machine (to make sure you get it all...and of course, pour in the whole cup of water)
  3. Dump the pre-mix bag in (you can re-use the bag again for more mixes later)
  4. Measure in the yeast using the three teaspoons (if you don't have your yeast in a jar, get a mason jar with a plastic screw-on lid & keep the 3 teaspoons inside of it, in the fridge)
  5. Set the color to Light & click the start button 

 

Takes all of 2 minutes to do.  Water, oil, bag, yeast.  Since everything is at-hand, it makes the process very simple & becomes routine.  This method has worked really well for me for actually making it on a regular basis because it's so easy this way...I don't have to go looking for measuring cups or measuring spoons or any of the ingredients.  If your bread machine does clump during the first few minutes of mixing, keep a dedicated rubber spatula in the machine's bowl for when you use it every night.  A few bucks up front for some extra plastic spoons, cup, and spatula really makes life easier...fresh, healthier-than-storebought, preservative-free bread anytime you want!  Also, if you do make a "prep station" like this, just throw all of the accessories in a small plastic container to make it easy to move everything to your countertop for working (olive oil, tablespoon, marked cup, make-ahead bags, and optional spatula).

 

 

Additional notes:

 

  • You can use regular water, but I recommend filtered water because the tap water makes the bread too hard (at least in my area).
  • Cheap flour works the best for this recipe, which is what makes it great.  It doesn't come out so good with hybrids like white wheat.
  • 4 tablespoons of Dark Brown Sugar is too much; the bottom of my loaf was wet and the loaf itself was kind of tough and spongy. 3 tablespoons (packed) gives the best flavor so far.  Note that you can also make brown sugar very easily using granulated sugar & molasses.  I have tried honey, but agave nectar (mentioned above) works better, and also makes a shorter loaf, which fits in regular toasters better.
  • Regarding knives & cutters:
    • The best bread knife I've ever used is a wavy bread knife ($20)
    • I also recommend a condiment spreading knife ($5)
    • You can also get a deli slicer for $40 for more even slices (works best with day-old bread or slightly-frozen bread for stiffness, and can also be used to slice meats & veggies)
  • I use a 2-pound Breadman TR875 appliance.  Don't buy a bread machine new - they are on Craigslist ALL THE TIME for like $20 because people never use them, like exercise machines - or visit a local Goodwill or similar store, or ask your friends on Facebook because chances are, someone has one in their closet they want to get rid of.  Sometimes people will pick up bread machines in mint condition at yard sales for like five bucks.
  • If you're in the market for a new toaster, don't get a toaster, get a Panasonic NB-G110P toaster oven.  When you set it one shade darker than default on the "Toast" setting, it gives you awesome edge-to-edge browning.  Photo by Amazon reviewer Joe Ekaitis:

 


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