Mom Knows Best: Bread Machine

The aroma of bread baking in the oven is so good!

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One of my favorite things to do on a cold winter day is baking bread. Bread baking in a warm oven on a cold day is so wonderful. The aroma of the bread baking fills the house with a wonderful scent and the oven helps warm the house up. Baking bread is my therapy for a dreary winter day. The benefits of making bread go beyond the reward of a slice of homemade bread.

I eat store-bought bread as it just does not taste that good to me. Don't get me wrong as I still buy bread for my family for school lunches. While my kids love slices of homemade bread with butter, they prefer the wimpy store-bought bread for their peanut butter sandwiches. My family also uses tortillas for sandwiches. When you live in New Mexico, tortillas are used more often than sandwich bread. So when I make homemade bread, it usually is enjoyed as is or just with butter, vegan butter for this dairy-free girl!

I have plenty of bread recipes that I enjoy baking. Sometimes I just baking a plain loaf of honey wheat bread and other times, I make a crusty artisan loaf of bread. My favorite loaf of bread is one that has plenty of grains and seeds in it. Then there is my favorite no-knead bread that is loaded with cheese and jalapenos. So when I bake bread, I like to go all out and make unique flavors. My weakness is fresh-baked bread and I enjoy every bite of those carbs. I could never give up carbs as I love bread. Keep reading to discover some amazing bread recipes and bread baking tips.

To knead or not to knead?

Most bread yeast bread recipes require you to knead the bread dough. My list does include a no-knead bread that you need to try. This is a process that I quite enjoy. Sticking my hands into bread dough and adding flour while getting an arm workout in is so much fun. On days that I am pressed for time, I will use my bread machine to do the job of kneading the dough. My bread machine comes in handy when I make my homemade pizza dough. Another benefit of a bread machine is allowing it to do the bread rising. Some people also use their bread machine to bake the bread but not me as I like to bake my bread in the oven. That way I can control the shape of the bread.

Ways to proof bread dough

There are many ways to proof your bread dough. If your oven has a bread proofing setting, then this is the best way to help your bread dough rise. My new oven has a bread proofing setting so I love that my bread dough can rise at the perfect temperature of 80°F – 90°F. Other ways to help your homemade bread dough to rise or proof can be as simple as covering the bowl of bread dough with a towel and setting it by a warm sunny window. You could even use a bread proofing basket. With my old oven, I would place the bread dough inside and turn on the oven for a couple of minutes to warm it up and then I would turn off the oven temperature. This would make the oven a warm spot for bread dough rising. I have also heard of people placing their bowl of bread dough on a warm radiator. If you do a lot of bread baking then you might want to look into a bread proofing box.

Bread pans are a must

Bread pans are a must for baking bread and I like these Aluminized Steel Loaf Pans as they are the perfect size for a one-pound loaf of bread. These are commercial grade bread pans that do a great job of baking the bread. If you are making artisan bread then I recommend a pizza stone, which is also great for making pizza. A pizza stone will give your artisan bread the crispy crust and it does not limit the shape of your bread. If you want to get really fancy with bread baking and make a loaf of artisan bread with a chewy crust, then I would buy a Cast Iron Covered Dutch Oven. This pan will give amazing results to your bread baking and it is also great for other things like braising and casseroles.

The basic bread baking ingredients

The main ingredients for making a loaf of bread are flour and yeast. Some people like to use unbleached bread flour while others, like me, prefer all-purpose flour. Just don't make the mistake of using pastry flour like I did once, when I was out of all-purpose flour, as it leaves your bread very dense. When making wheat bread, I like to use a combination of whole-grain wheat flour and all-purpose flour. I like to buy my yeast in bulk as it is a better deal when compared to those individual packages of yeast. I store my yeast in the fridge so it lasts a long time. You can even store your bulk yeast in the freezer. Just make sure to bring the amount of yeast that you need for the bread recipe to room temperature for best baking results. Other ingredients that are needed for bread baking are salt and some type of sweeteners like sugar or honey. The sugar is the food for the yeast that helps the bread rise.

Bread baking requires warm water

Warm water is needed in bread baking as it wakes up the yeast. If the water is too hot, then it may kill the yeast. The perfect temperature of the warm water is between 105 and 110 F. Some bread bakers can feel the water and know it is the right temperature for yeast and bread proofing. Water at just above the 100-degree mark will stop feeling cool to the touch and will feel comfortably warm - not at all hot. That is so not me and I like to use a kitchen thermometer so I know that the water is at the right temperature. You don't need a fancy bread thermometer as one that you use for cooking meat is just fine.

My favorite bread recipes

The below list is just some of my favorite bread-making recipes. These are the recipes that I have made several times and have made for my friends. The best recipe for beginners would be my honey whole wheat bread. This whole wheat bread is also perfect for sandwiches. All of these bread recipes can be made dairy-free if you have allergies like me. Just use plant-based milk and vegan butter. For the recipes that call for protein powder, I recommend using plain unflavored protein powder. My preferred unflavored protein powder is made by Nuzest. I like this vegan protein powder as it is plant-based and gluten-free. To get the recipes for the bread just click on the links or photos.

Make sure to save these bread recipes to Pinterest!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread