MaxPF
AGNTSA
- Messages
- 1,394
- Location
- The dark side of the globe
I like bread, and I like being lazy and using the bread machine. Bread recipes usually need to be tailored for the machine, since rise times and bake times/temps are fixed.
Here's a basic recipe I have gotten dialed in. it's good eatin' bread, but it can also be used for sandwiches. You can also run it on a dough cycle and make rolls. It's simple but delicious, and has become my go-to bread:
3-1/2 cups King Arthur (or other quality, unbleached) Bread flour or All Purpose flour
1 cup milk (whole milk is preferred)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter (margarine is an OK substitute)
1-1/2 - 3 tablespoons sugar (see below on this one)
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (not instant yeast, although it would probably work fine).
They type of sugar and desired sweetness level will determine how much sugar you use. Even maxed out it won't be as sweet as, say, Kings Hawaiian bread, but it will be noticeable. I prefer to use turbanado (aka raw) sugar, as I prefer the complex flavor over regular white sugar. You can also use brown sugar, honey, or even molasses. For coarse sugar like turbanado, use 2-3 tablespoons (I use 2 to 2-1/2). For finer sugars like white or brown, use 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 tablespoons. Liquid sugars like honey, molasses, or syrups will need 2-4 tablespoons, depending on how sugary you like your bread. You can even mix types, such as 1/2 molasses and 1/2 white sugar. Whatever floats your boat. You will simply need to bake loaves with differing amounts to determine what you prefer.
Anyway, I start by proofing the yeast, even though it isn't strictly necessary. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar of your choice in room temp (75-90 degree range) water. Then, pour it in the bread machine tub, add the yeast, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the mix.
In a measuring cup, nuke the butter for 20-30 seconds to melt it. Then add the cup of milk, sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve the sugar as much as possible. After the yeast has successfully proofed, add the milk-butter-sugar-salt mixture and the flour to the machine, and start the standard white bread cycle. Once mixed, the dough should be sticky, but not slimy or dry. If it's too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water and knead. If too slimy, add 1 tablespoon flour and knead. With the amounts listed, it should come out fine, but measuring flour by volume is imprecise since it can vary in bulk quite a bit depending on how it's handled, so occasionally you have to make minor adjustments
After 3 hours or so, you should have a loaf of very tasty bread. Per loaf cost is half or less what the boxed bread mix costs, and IMO is much better.
A word of caution: don't try to make a sweet bread from this recipe by adding too much sugar. Sugar draws moisture from the yeast, so too much will actually dry the yeast out, reducing it's activity and causing the loaf to rise poorly. Other modifications need to be made to make a truly sweet bread.
Anyway, if you have a bread machine and just use boxed mixes, give this one a try. I guarantee it won't disappoint
Here's a basic recipe I have gotten dialed in. it's good eatin' bread, but it can also be used for sandwiches. You can also run it on a dough cycle and make rolls. It's simple but delicious, and has become my go-to bread:
3-1/2 cups King Arthur (or other quality, unbleached) Bread flour or All Purpose flour
1 cup milk (whole milk is preferred)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter (margarine is an OK substitute)
1-1/2 - 3 tablespoons sugar (see below on this one)
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (not instant yeast, although it would probably work fine).
They type of sugar and desired sweetness level will determine how much sugar you use. Even maxed out it won't be as sweet as, say, Kings Hawaiian bread, but it will be noticeable. I prefer to use turbanado (aka raw) sugar, as I prefer the complex flavor over regular white sugar. You can also use brown sugar, honey, or even molasses. For coarse sugar like turbanado, use 2-3 tablespoons (I use 2 to 2-1/2). For finer sugars like white or brown, use 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 tablespoons. Liquid sugars like honey, molasses, or syrups will need 2-4 tablespoons, depending on how sugary you like your bread. You can even mix types, such as 1/2 molasses and 1/2 white sugar. Whatever floats your boat. You will simply need to bake loaves with differing amounts to determine what you prefer.
Anyway, I start by proofing the yeast, even though it isn't strictly necessary. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar of your choice in room temp (75-90 degree range) water. Then, pour it in the bread machine tub, add the yeast, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the mix.
In a measuring cup, nuke the butter for 20-30 seconds to melt it. Then add the cup of milk, sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve the sugar as much as possible. After the yeast has successfully proofed, add the milk-butter-sugar-salt mixture and the flour to the machine, and start the standard white bread cycle. Once mixed, the dough should be sticky, but not slimy or dry. If it's too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water and knead. If too slimy, add 1 tablespoon flour and knead. With the amounts listed, it should come out fine, but measuring flour by volume is imprecise since it can vary in bulk quite a bit depending on how it's handled, so occasionally you have to make minor adjustments
After 3 hours or so, you should have a loaf of very tasty bread. Per loaf cost is half or less what the boxed bread mix costs, and IMO is much better.
A word of caution: don't try to make a sweet bread from this recipe by adding too much sugar. Sugar draws moisture from the yeast, so too much will actually dry the yeast out, reducing it's activity and causing the loaf to rise poorly. Other modifications need to be made to make a truly sweet bread.
Anyway, if you have a bread machine and just use boxed mixes, give this one a try. I guarantee it won't disappoint
Last edited:
