Bread Maker Recipe – Oatmeal Pecan Loaf

Needing to use up some of that oatmeal I have in my food storage, and having some pecans left over from one of my daughter's candy experiments, I realized I'd found the perfect storm for another bread maker recipe.

This is a modification of a recipe I found in a General Mills bread machine recipe book. It has a light nutty wheat flavor, with just a touch of “wildness” from the oats. It also has a soft texture and chew. The pecans add a nice texture change delightful “surprise” to each bite. I really like it for turkey, and other mildly flavored lunch-meat sandwiches. It also makes excellent toast.

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten
1/4 teaspoon dough conditioner
1/2 cup of “old-fashioned” oats (not quick oats)
1/2 cup of pecans, chopped
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant dry yeast

Directions
First, toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they start to become dark brown, about 7 minutes. Do not let them burn!

Place the ingredients in the bread maker loaf pan in the order listed here, or the order recommended by your bread maker's manufacturer. Add the oats and pecans with the flour, not later.

Use the Basic/White cycle and select a light or medium crust, whatever your preference is.

When the bread is done, remove it from the pan. Place on a wire rack, covered with a light kitchen towel, until fully cooled.

This recipe makes a 1 1/2 pound loaf.

Bread Maker Recipe – Whole Wheat Bread

After some experimentation, and a return to the basics of just how flour and yeast work together, I've finally met one of my major food goals when it comes to bread making. I've come up with a satisfying 100% whole wheat recipe for the bread maker. It has a light crust and texture, and a gentle chew. The harsh tones normally found in whole wheat bread are greatly reduced.

I'm very excited about this. Now I can enjoy whole wheat bread – real whole wheat, not that stuff they call wheat bread in the grocery store – as daily bread.

We don't have to put up with mixing white flour with whole wheat flour for good results in the bread maker, anymore. We can increase our fiber intake and replace many of the simple carbs in our bread with more complex ones, and we don't have to give up fluffy texture or flavor.

Ingredients
1 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon dough conditioner
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Directions
Put the ingredients in the bread maker loaf pan in the order listed, or the order recommend by the manufacturer.* Use the whole wheat cycle, light crust.

When the cycle is complete, remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack, covered by a kitchen towel, before slicing.

If you want a softer crust, try this secret trick. Once the bread has reached room temperature, place the loaf in a plastic bag and let it sit for an additional 30 minutes. This will ensure the remaining steam softens the crust.

Enjoy!

*In this recipe I actually violated the manufacturers suggestions. Sort of. In baking, sugar can be though of as a liquid, so I put the oil, salt and sugar in with the water, and then put the flour in, over the top. My feeling was that this would more evenly distribute the sugar and oil throughout the dough, before the yeast hit it and started working. I wasn't wrong. This simple step actually mad the difference between a passable loaf, and a tasty one.

Bread Maker Recipe - Tuscan Bread

Tuscan bread, or Pane Toscana, is made without salt. There are some interesting historical reasons, stemming from taxes and trade politics, much like the the American colonist's response to the Stamp tax and other taxes levied by the British government in America's pre-revolutionary days.

During the Middle Ages, Tuscany's neighboring provinces controlled the Italian salt trade and, in their greed, levied heavy salt taxes all around. Rather that give in to such bullying by their rivals, the Tuscans created breads that required no salt at all. And now you can make it in your bread maker.

Tuscan bread has a more yeasty flavor than most bread maker recipes. It can quickly become stale so it's best to eat it as soon as it's made. Interestingly enough, many Tuscan cooks developed other dishes that use stale bread as one of the ingredients.

Necessity really is the mother of invention, even with bread recipes.

Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3 cups white flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon dough conditioner
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Directions
Place the ingredients in the bread loaf pan in the order recommended by your manufacturer. Use the French loaf cycle and the dark crust setting.

Enjoy this bread with your favorite Italian dishes. If it goes stale before you can eat it all, make croutons or use it as a thickener in soup.

Photo by Dimitar Tzankov

Bread Maker Recipe – Italian Bread

Italian bread is a challenge when using a bread machine. It has no sugar. That's really odd for bread machine recipes. How is the yeast supposed to do it's thing fast enough without it? Well, let me tell you. It "does it's thing" just fine. This recipe reminds me of the old saying, “Cooking is art, baking is science, bread is magic.”

This white flour loaf rises incredibly well, even without the sugar, and creates a wonderfully soft crumb, with a slightly crunchy, chewy crust (the darker the crust setting the more crunchy/chewy). The first time I made it, my wife told me, “Well, it really is white bread. You know, soft like store bought white bread. I don't think you'll like it.” She was wrong. Yes, the crumb was very soft, but this has so much more flavor than the commercial crap at the grocery store. It's not only great for dipping in olive oil, it's great for sandwiches.

Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3 cups white flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon dough conditioner
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

Directions
Place the ingredients in the loaf pan in the order recommend by your bread maker. The main point is to isolate the liquid ingredients from the yeast. Use the French loaf cycle. Set the crust color to whatever you prefer. I like medium for this bread.

Photo by Oscar Martinez

Bread Maker Recipe - Cracked Wheat (Bulgur) Bread

Buglur wheat is made mostly from various wheat strains (mostly durum wheat) that has been crushed, parboiled, dried, and partially de-branned. Cracked wheat is similar to Bulgur, but has not been parboiled. Both are whole grains and highly nutritious.

Adding either to a bread maker recipe is going to increase the nutritional value of the bread, but also add a wonderful texture and slight nuttiness. I think it's a great choice for people who use bread makers (like me) who want to increase the amount of whole grain fiber in their diets. Making wonderful 100% whole grain wheat bread in most bread makers is a real challenge at times, that is if you want it to be something more than a dense, gummy brick at the end of the baking cycle. Adding cracked wheat or bulgur to the bread increases the whole grain fiber without sacrificing a soft chew.

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup cracked wheat or bulgur wheat
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon dough conditioner
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Directions
Add the ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed, or the order your bread maker recommends. I don't think the order matters too much, as long as you put as much distance as you can between the yeast and the water.

Set the bread maker for the “wheat” cycle and set the crust to whatever setting you enjoy most (I prefer light or medium for most things. If you're using cracked wheat, set the delay timer for at least 30 minutes so the cracked wheat can soak and soften, or you'll end up with cracked teeth, not just cracked wheat. Bulgur has already been parboiled so you shouldn't need to set a delay for *most bread makers.
*Many bread makers have a built in delay to warm the water for the wheat cycle. If your bread maker doesn't have a built in delay for the wheat cycle, you may want to set the delay timer , just to make sure, when using Bulgur wheat. Experiment with your bread maker and let me know how it goes.

Photo by Rob Owen-Wahl