[Bryan K]

I can attest to what JenJen said about Bob's bread, it is awesome. After only one loaf of it the store bought stuff is definitely inferior to what Bob makes, and he doesn't use a breadmaker, just plain Bob's hard work.

[nuclear_eggset]

[boot up]

[jenjen]

Ooh, the orange anise sounds amazing!

[sarbar]

My favorite bread machine loaf I make is a white flour recipe that has freeze dried shallots and dried minced celery added to it. The flavor/smell is beyond good! Last week I made it for Hoosierdaddy and Mtnwlkr for part of dinner the night before we left. They left crumbs I don't mind the paddle hole...because it allows me to sneak hot bread without anyone noticing I have pilfered part of the loaf. Ditto on olive oil. For the most part that is all I use in our house for cooking unless it is sweet stuff. Btw, basil infused canola oil is great in herb bread!

[boot up]

or basil-onion bread. Can be made with dried onions and dried basil. Dangerous to have it come out in the evening with that aroma drifting out. With olive oil of course....which indeed is THE oil to use for 99% of all cooking....except for made from scratch cinamon pancakes with real maple syrup, which requires a lighter oil... A sunday tradition for my wife and I. (I am the pancake maker too, of course) and quick homemade pizza, using the pizza dough setting, rolling it out on the pizza pan with plenty of olive oil, and healthy fresh, relatively low sodium toppings. Our favorite is Shrimp, feta, black olive pizza.....but maybe thats a whole other thread. I just pity people that don't have and use a bread machine.

[Andrew]

I would like to try making bread sometime. But for now, I visit the Great Harvest Bread Company. The flour (whole wheat) is ground on-site and they have a different menu of breads each day. The asiago pesto is particularly scrumptious

[sarbar]

[ActionBetty]

After being raised on home made bread and often having to make it daily.. I bought a bread machine per recommendation from my mother and grandmother.."honey chile, save your self some time". I stick to the basic white and wheat.. I might have to try some of these wild recipes

[boot up]

Great Harvest does indeed make great bread, and is my one exception when I don't mind "store bought" bread. They do have one or two blends that I have NOT been able to duplicate, much to my frustration, even though I seem to copy the ingredient label. Salt is mainly in the bread recipe to control the yeast. Its a balance of sugar and salt. Very little of either are actually NEEDED. Too little salt and the bread rises to fast or too much (and goes flat before baking), too MUCH salt and you tend to slow down the yeast or even kill it off a bit in the extreme. I forgot to mention one of my main staples...... Basic Whole wheat (I always add SOME white flour to my whole wheat) with chopped dried apricots, hulled sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and optional Cinnamon OR fennel. I prefer Vietnamese cinnamon. Penzeys spices has I think 4 different types of cinnamon, which is fun to figure out your preference. Cinnamon actually has a wide range of flavor.

[lookout bob]

Boot Up said:

[boot up]

I certainly would not argue against the fun of making bread by hand through the whole process. I was a sculptor for a period of my life, so that certainly appeals to me. But how often do you actually make bread that way? I make bread at least twice a week, sometimes 3 times, and have been doing so for about 30 years or so. (about 3900 loaves of bread!....I just figured out) I wish I had the leisure time to make bread by hand that often. Of course during the years I did make it by hand, I still wasn't able to wake up to the smell of fresh baked bread. I find that to be some compensation for the tactile experience.

[lookout bob]

Boot Up....I probably make bread on average about once a week....I've got it so down that it generally only takes me about 25 minutes to put the bread together.....then an hour rise while I do other chores, then form into loaves ( 5 minutes) and then go do other things during second rise.....I don't find the time commitment onerous.....and the satisfaction is worth it.....guess I'm just not that busy a person. I respect bread makers whether manual or mechanical....just stay away from that mass manufactured store bought crap....

[Hikes with dogs]

I'm late chiming in on this one...some of the ingredients listed are WOW...sounds delicious. I'm a bread machine junky because I never could get the manipulation thinkg right...(neading?) My hand made breads have never come out very well. But one bread machine batch...perfect the first time! YAY! I have not experimented much with it...my favorite recipe is "ZOOM" bread...right off the box of ZOOM cereal.

[sarbar]

The real reason I started using a bread machine after years of doing it by hand? Couple actually... 1) I lived in a really cold house. My bread would rise if it felt like it. Very frustrating! 2) I had a kid, and worked long hours. I could pop the stuff in and ignore it For me, having the bread rise properly is a big issue, and the machine does it perfectly. Many times I still bake my bread in a normal pan, but let the machine do the kneading and rising! My mom taught me how to make bread when I was very young, and I never forget how to do it! always been grateful for her teaching In college I was the only one who knew how to do it, and on my days off from work/college I would put out a couple loaves...which always seemed to disappear down the throats of moochy friends.