Bread Machine
Update 2013/02/19 All things evolve, so did our bread recipe.
First, put a drop of olive oil in the hole of your paddle, and make sure it slides easily off the post.
| Water* | 3/4 cup | Run the water until it gets hot to touch. |
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| Granulated Sugar or Honey | 1 tablespoon | Put a drop of olive oil on your tablespoon measure.
Smear it front and back. Scoop out a relativly level tablespoon of honey. |
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| Dry yeast | 2 teaspoons | Dry yeast is MUCH cheaper than the bread yeast. |
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Proof the Yeast
Dry yeast must be proofed.
To proof the yeast, whisk the yeast, honey and water together.
Wait 12.5 minutes (more or less).
Get back to adding ingredients:
| Egg | 1 | I almost never remember to let this warm to room temperature. It still works. |
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| Unsalted Butter | 1 and 1/2 tablespoons | Essentially, a cube of butter. |
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| Salt | 3/4 teaspoon |
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| Bread Flour | A pile | Measuring the flour is irrelevant, we adjust to make our dough right. Dump in a pile, maybe 2 cups worth, more or less. |
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| Buttermilk Powder | 2 tablespoons |
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| Vital Wheat Gluten | 1 teaspoon |
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Select the 1 lb loaf size, and get it started.
When the machine stops the short pulses, and gets to spinning, look in and add flour (or warm water) until the dough is right.
This might take practice until you know what you are looking for.
The surface might be slightly sticky, or even a little dry to the touch.
You might add as much as another cup of flour at this stage.
Mixins
Nearly anything can go into your bread. You will probably have to adjust your flour (or rarely, add warm water) to adjust for the moisture of your mixin.
Our current favorite is shredded sweet potato.
If your mixin is not mixing in, try sprinking some flour over it.
You will have to readjust your dough at this point, many mixins add a lot of moisture.
Add flour or warm water as needed.
Last tip: When you pull the paddle out, work the dough to move the outside part in. You might say in bread making, we hide our sins on the inside.
Water* or any liquid really. You can use yogurt, milk, sour cream, etc. If I am using one of these, especially it is a thicker liquid, I will move up to a cup of the fluid, and microwave it to temperature. About 27 seconds on my microwave.
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