It's easy to make nice looking bread using a breadmaker. You don't have to spend much time doing it and it tastes and smells delicious!
A batch of homemade bread … yummy!
Invest in a Breadmaker
There's nothing nicer than homemade bread. When I was small I remember coming home from school on wet Mondays to a warm kitchen filled the smell of baking bread. My mother would have spent all afternoon kneading and shaping the bread but nowadays there's no need to do this. There's a huge range of breadmakers on the market or you could buy a food mixer with a dough hook attachment. The advantage of the breadmaker is that it not only mixes the dough thoroughly but it also allows it to go through its first rise. If you like you can bake your bread in the machine but the end result isn't very pleasing on the eye and there'll be a hole in the bottom of the loaf from the paddle. I prefer to take out the dough and shape it to my own liking. This way I can make bread rolls, plaits, pizza and cottage loaves as well tin bread. Shop around for your breadmaker, as prices vary. They're all very much alike except that some are bigger than the standard.
Other Equipment you Will Need
- Kitchen scales
- Measuring jug
- Measuring spoons
- Loaf tins and/or baking sheet
Basic White Bread Recipe
- 15 oz (425gms) strong bread flour
- 6 fl oz (175mls) tepid water
- 6 tablespoons of milk
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey (or sugar)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 21/2 teaspoons of active dried yeast
You'll get better results if you use good strong bread flour. It's not worth skimping on this ingredient.
Honey makes for a nicer flavour, but sugar does the job just as well.
You can now buy yeast especially for breadmakers which you simply add dry to the flour. However, I find I get better results using the sort that needs reactivating in warm water and that's the one I'm referring to in this recipe.
I use olive oil or grape seed oil which gives a lighter loaf. You can use the same amount of butter if you prefer.
Method
- The first thing to do is to reactivate the yeast. Measure the water in the measuring jug. Make it just a bit hotter than tepid. Then add the milk which will bring the temperature down to what you need. Add the honey to this and mix well, then add the yeast. Put this to one side for 10 minutes or until the mixture is frothy on top.
- Weigh the flour and add the salt
- Put all the ingredients into your breadmaker. Don't forget the oil! Check your bread maker's instructions. Some require you to add the dry ingredients first; others ask you to put the liquid ingredients first. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
- Set your breadmaker to a dough only programme. Usually this takes around 30 minutes, so make yourself a cuppa !
- When the dough cycle has finished turn out the dough onto a floured surface. Force the air out and either shape it into rolls or whatever you're making or place it in a loaf tin.
- Put the bread somewhere warm to prove for 30-40 minutes until it's doubled in size. Cover it with a clean dish towel.
- Preheat your oven to 230 degrees Centigrade. Bake the bread for around 30 minutes. Bread rolls will take about 15 minutes. You can tell the bread is baked if it sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom of the loaf.
Variations on a theme.
Once you've perfected the process, you can make a variety of different breads. Try these favourites:
- Cheese and black pepper rolls: simply add 2 teaspoons of black pepper and 3 ozs of grated cheddar cheese to the dry ingredients. Leave out 2 tablespoons of milk and only use 1 tablespoon of oil to compensate for the fat in the cheese. These are delicious with homemade soup.
- Breakfast fruit loaf: This is a firm favourite with my grandson who like it toasted at breakfast. Substitute 4 ozs of white flour with wholemeal flour; add 3 ozs of mixed dried fruit and some chopped walnuts.
