How to Make European Style Breads From Your Bread Machine

European bakers shape their loaves, but a bread machine can make bread with similar taste.

European bread has a distinctive taste and texture created by the combination of flour, extra time for the yeast to work and shaping the dough. While a bread machine cannot shape loaves or create a European crust, you can adjust the flour and sponge to create a bread machine loaf with a European taste and texture.

Things You'll Need

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast or one packet standard yeast
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Create a sponge by mixing the yeast and water with 1½ cups of the flour in the bottom of your bread machine. Use a wooden or plastic spoon to stir everything around. If you like to proof your yeast, you can wait a few minutes to see if it bubbles, but active dry yeast kept in the freezer does not normally need to be proofed. In addition, with this technique the sponge will be working for a long enough time that even weak yeast will have a chance to recover.

2. Decide if you want to watch the sponge or trust everything to the bread machine. Trusting the bread machine will involve setting the delay timer. If you will watch the sponge, place the bucket into the bread machine, close the cover, and wait between eight and 24 hours before the next step.

3. Use the side of your measuring cup to sprinkle the rest of the flour over the top of the sponge ingredients. You are trying to create a thin layer of dry flour over the sponge to act as a buffer or barrier.

4. Sprinkle the salt on top of the flour layer. You do not want the salt to contact the wet sponge, so when in doubt put the salt over the thickest part of the flour layer.

5. Set the bread machine to bake a 2-pound loaf using the "French" setting if one is available. (Halve the recipe to make a 1 pound loaf.)

6. Set the delay on the bread machine for at least eight hours if you want the bread machine to make the sponge for you. If you watched the sponge rise yourself, then do not use any delay.

7. Start the bread machine and return when the bread is done.

Tips & Warnings

• The longer the sponge works, the stronger the flavor of the bread will be.

• You can replace about a third of the flour with either whole wheat or bread flour, and you should experiment to find a loaf that you like.

• Bread made with just flour, water, yeast and salt will stale quickly.

• Add ¼ tsp. ascorbic acid to the sponge to make the yeast more active.