Twenty-five years ago, my husband Joe decided he
wanted a Breadman bread machine! He
intended to make bread … and he did! We
had every kind you can imagine. He even
made ‘stuffing bread’ … bread with all the flavors you need in Thanksgiving
turkey dressing … and we used it for that!
That bread became a tradition. It
was also wonderful sliced for turkey sandwiches.
About two weeks after Joe died, I got ready to use his
bread machine and it pooped out. I had
trouble parting with it, and I kept it sitting on the shelf for a year! I bought another Breadman and was happy to
get the kind that made one big loaf or two small loaves!
I got in the mood for homemade bread, and this weekend
has been the right time. When I bake
bread, I always think of memories with Joe!
I had to do lots of extra yard work this weekend … and that keeps me
from cooking and preparing for the upcoming week. So … I decided to keep the Breadman going,
while I worked outside! At least I’d
accomplish something in the house!
Nothing smells better than bread baking, so it is fun to bake
frequently, but there is nothing wrong with have slices in the freezer to pop
in the toaster or Nuwave!
I really enjoy having a loaf of plain white bread that
I can use for morning toast and brown bag lunch sandwiches. I also enjoy baking dessert breads that can
double as a sweet breakfast … and savory breads that simply make every meal
taste better. I’m Diabetic and can’t have
lots of bread, so it is important to me that every single bite is a good one. The best way to get that is to bake my own!
White
Bread
My white bread recipe is the easiest ever! Load your bread machine with the following
ingredients and bake on the white bread setting. Simple.
1 cup of warm water
3 Tablespoons of white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons of salt
3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
3 cups of flour
2 ¼ teaspoons of active dry yeast
There are a few things you can do to this recipe to
change the flavor of the bread! Use
smoked flavored salt instead of iodized salt.
Add dry herbs to the ingredients … a teaspoon of basil or oregano … or a
¼ up of parmesan cheese (dried from the shaker
can). Experiment and make this recipe your own!
Savory
Yeast Bread
Simply use the recipe shown above, but you can add so
many things to it. I added dried
parmesan cheese, smoked paprika and onion powder to this recipe! It is especially delicious with stews … or
anything that has nice broth or gravy with it!
Soak it up with this delicious bread!
Chocolate
Banana Macadamia Nut Bread
Add
the following ingredients, in this order, to your bread machine. Bake on the Quick Bread setting but check it
about ten minutes before the baking cycle ends.
It might be done and you don’t want the crust to burn.
2 ripe bananas, broken apart with your hands!
2 eggs
2/3 cup of white sugar
1/3 cup of macadamia nut oil
2 Tablespoons milk
Mix these dry ingredients together, then pour over the
wet ingredients in the pan:
2 cups flour
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Now add:
½ cup chopped macadamia nuts
½ cups chocolate chips
(the chips will melt and flavor all the batter)
I mix the following two quick breads in a bowl, then
pour it into the Breadman to bake. I set
the machine on the bake setting for 45 minutes.
It is important to check it at about 40 minutes to make sure you don’t
let it get too brown.
Cherry
Blueberry Quick Bread
Mix
2 eggs, 3/4 cup of white sugar and 3 Tablespoons of canola oil. Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract, 2 cups of
flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of baking soda. Continue to mix until if forms a nice
batter. Gently stir in 1 cup of fresh or
frozen (thawed) combined blueberries and tart cherries.
Pour
the batter into the bread machine and bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
Simple
Banana Bread with a Touch of Peanut Butter!
Blend 2 bananas, 2 eggs, ¾ cup white sugar, 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter and 3 Tablespoons of canola oil. Add 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
Pour the batter into the bread machine and bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
This bread is one of my favorites for breakfast … with a little peanut butter spread on it!
