How to Use Your Bread Machine

A bread machine is a wonderful thing! I have two of them, and use them constantly, sometimes two at a time!
When there is a death and you need to bring food, or you are required to bring food to a function, they are great.

Originally, these gadgets were quite expensive, but they have come down considerably. The good thing is that many people didn't use theirs for whatever reason, and they are quite common in thrift stores for just a few dollars. One of mine was a gift; one was one dollar at a thrift store. You really should get one! You will never be without one again. (Your family won't let you.)

This bread recipe is for the 1 1/2 lb. loaf of bread. Both of my bread machines have two sizes. If yours doesn't, you will probably get just as good results using the standard size loaf setting and light color.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• flour: self-rising 3 1/2 cups. (My friend uses Bread flour, but I just use self-rising.)
• milk: around 1 1/4 cup or a coffee mug full
• sugar: 1 1/2 Tablespoons
• salt: 1 1/4 teaspoons
• margarine: 3 Tablespoons
• yeast, little package of Rapid Rise.

1. If your unit came with a recipe booklet, you might want to try those. But, I never had real success with mine until I started using my friend Joyce's recipe. I have tweaked it a tad over the years, and now I can do it in my sleep and know that I can count on a good, basic loaf of bread every time.
   The order of these is important: FOLLOW THE EXACT ORDER.

2. Place around one tablespoon of oil in the bread machine pan. Swirl it around to coat the sides.

3. Microwave a coffee mug full of milk. Sometimes I even use low fat milk if that is all there is in the fridge. Place in the Bread Machine pan. This is really important to remember liquids are first when you use your bread machine.

4. Next Place flour in the bread machine pan.

5. Add sugar and salt to the flour.

6. In each corner of the pan, place around 3/4 tablespoons of margarine.

7. Make a little hole in the top of your flour mound, and dump the contents of yeast packet in there. this is another important thing to remember when you use your bread machine, but I don't really know why!

8. Place in Bread machine. Set on 1 1/2 lbs, light setting, Basic Bread Setting.

Tips & Warnings

• I remove the pan when the unit beeps it is through and set it a few minutes on a hot pad. After it cools a little, I insert a long spatula around the edges to loosen it from the pan, then dump it out on a plate.
• It slices better after cooling.
• You can purchase a gadget that helps you cut slices evenly, but we just use a long, serrated bread knife.
• After it is cold, it is like fresh bread again if you microwave it around 20 seconds with a little butter.
• Warm bread is addictive.

[JuliaJ]

on 7/23/2009 Love your articles! Thanks so much! 5 stars!