Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Making Me The Bread Winner

Remember when home bread makers became the rage in the 90s?  Everyone bought them for Christmas one year.  And millions of Americans were suddenly making bread at home.  It smelled so good. It was so easy.  And it tasted sooooooo good.

My parents bought one around that time and my father went to work making bread like it was his job.  And it was gooooooood.  But he had to stop making it because we would have all weighed 400 pounds.  Because we didn't eat it like sandwich bread.  We ate it like it was a snack.

And for decades, I thought that was what you did with the homemade bread from a bread machine.  It never occurred to me that you could actually make a sandwich out of the bread!  Seriously!  Did you know you can slice it thin enough for sandwich bread and use it like that???  Who knew?

My sister a-ster knew, that's who.  And it occurred me that if I made bread myself, it might be cheaper, it would certainly taste better and it wouldn't hang around in the refrigerator for questionable amounts of time.

So, I went to my parents' and was shocked that no one had absconded with it in the night.  I found the manual online and went to work making bread. 

Just like it said. 


But I was filled with dread. 

Because the bread...

.....was like lead. 

I didn't know you had to really use bread flour for the best results.   So, I bought bread flour and the results were amazing.

And then I went to work Sunday making wheat bread.  I had also learned recently that the wheat flour I bought and was repeatedly disappointed in might be just too heavy and they make a lighter wheat flour.  So I used that with the bread flour and ta-da!


Sandwiches for everyone!  K-ster said he really liked this one.  And unlike my last white bread adventure (even with the bread flour) it didn't fall apart as he was eating it.

Perhaps my favorite feature is the pizza dough.  I can come home from school, throw in the ingredients that my sister shared for amazing crust, set it on pizza dough cycle and go ride.  When I get back, the dough is ready, totally amazing, and we have the best pizza every time!  Once, I made too much and we had Thanksgiving calzones.  I've never been so happy with a pizza dough.  And I can pronounce all of the ingredients!!

This machine we have is a Kenmore but I want to replace it.  I love the size of the small loaf.  I love the dough feature.  I have plans for making dough and then taking it out for rolls.

But the pan is getting sketchy on the inside and the last time I used it, it smelled a little electrical.

So, I need you to recommend a brand you have and love so I can ask for a new one!

2 comments:

  1. Ha! We had one. We got it as a gift. And after dragging it from apartment to apartment, we finally got rid of it. I regret many of the donation decisions I made back when I was young and completely clueless. No recommendations from me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We never got one. But I always wanted one!

    ReplyDelete

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