Steps to Making Bread in a Bread Machine

Make fresh bread in a convenient machine.

If you own a bread machine, make your own freshly baked bread to save money and trips to the grocery store. When you make homemade bread, you can customize the flavor according to your family's preferences. You can also control what ingredients go into the bread, which will result in a healthier product. In a few minutes, you can be on your way to creating nutritious, preservative-free baked goods to accompany any meal or to eat as wholesome snacks.

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• Seasonings and flavorings to taste

Instructions

1. Pour 2 cups of bread flour, which is made from hard wheat is contains more gluten than all-purpose white flour, into the bread machine's pan. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 tsp. of salt, 1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup of cornmeal and 2 1/4 tsp. of active dry yeast to the pan; follow the bread machine manufacturer's recommendations when determining the order in which to add the ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients first and the dry ingredients second if you're unsure of what order to follow.

2. Add any seasonings or flavorings, such as cinnamon, honey, dried rosemary or thyme, to taste.

3. Lower the machine's kneading blade into the bread pan. Choose the machine's basic bread setting. Select a crust setting, such as light, medium or dark, if your machine features that option.

4. Select a baking time according the bread machine manufacturer's recommendations; a basic bread cycle typically takes three hours to mix and bake the dough.

References

• All Recipes: Four-Grain Bread
• Hillbilly Housewife: Bread Machine Basics