Gone are the days where making bread is only reserved for the pros, especially when it comes to baking bread from scratch. It’s doable but it can be tough and frustrating! But luckily, there’s a little invention called a bread maker (or bread machine) that makes your bread-baking process a little easier. All you need is the right ingredients, add them to the machine, select your preferred setting and press start. Your bread maker would do all the likes of mixing, kneading and rising. You can even use the bread maker to make a dough before completing the baking process in the oven. So, long story short, here are the 6 Easy Bread Recipes You Can Make At Home.
1) White Bread
Let’s start with the basics: white bread, which, according to Adamant Kitchen, only requires 7 simple ingredients. This includes flour, yeast, water, milk, butter as well as salt and sugar.
First, add all the ingredients into the bread maker in the following order:
- 1 cup of lukewarm water
- 1/3 cup of lukewarm milk
- 3 tablespoons of melted butter
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons of yeast
- 3 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
Set the bread maker to a standard 0.9kg (900g) loaf size/setting and press start. Once done, remember to let the bread cool completely before cutting.
2) Whole Wheat Bread
Prefer eating whole wheat bread instead? Well, here are the few simple ingredients you need:
- 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons of water
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar
- 4 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour
- 3 tablespoons of non-fat dry milk
- 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
Add every ingredient into the bread maker according to the order of the list above. According to The Spruce Eats, before adding the yeast as the final ingredient, use your finger to form a small well. Doing so would ensure the right timing of the yeast reaction. Select the Whole Wheat setting if available or simply follow your respective bread maker’s directions. Press start and let the bread maker do all the hard work.
3) Dinner Rolls
Dinner rolls are versatile. You can have them as a side dish of your home-cooked Western meal or a simple breakfast. Making them is easy too and all you need are:
- 1 cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 egg (lightly beaten)
- 3 1/4 cups of bread flour
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 3 teaspoons of active dry yeast
Following the order above, add all the ingredients into the bread maker and select the Dough/Manual cycle. Once complete, remove the dough from pan. Using lightly floured hands, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then, divide the dough into 15 pieces and shape each of them into a ball.
Grease the cookie or baking sheet before placing the divided dough pieces 2 inches apart. Brush the dough with melted butter before covering the sheet with plastic wrap. Allow them to rise in a warm place about 30-40 minutes, or at least until they become double in size.
Remove the plastic wrap and preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the dough for 12-15 minutes or until they turn golden brown. You can either serve warm or allow them to cool on a wire rack.
4) Banana Bread
Banana and bread are like a match made in heaven. And the good news is, you can easily make your own banana bread using a bread maker. Here’s the list of ingredients you need to gather first:
- 2 room-temperature large eggs
- 1/3 cup of room-temperature unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of room-temperature milk
- 2 mashed medium-ripe bananas
- 1 1/3 cups of bread flour
- 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of lightly toasted, chopped nuts (it can be anything from almonds to walnuts)
First, you need to add the eggs, butter, milk and mashed bananas into the bread pan. Set it aside and grab a mixing bowl to combine the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix well before adding them into the bread pan. Place the pan into the bread maker and select the Quick/Rapid cycle. Once the baking is done, remove the pan and let it sit for around 10 minutes. Finally, remove the banana bread from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.
5) Ciabatta Bread
Be it toasted or grilled, you can’t go wrong with ciabatta bread for a savoury sandwich. To make them in the bread maker, you need these few ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 3 1/4 cups of bread flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons of dried rosemary
Add every ingredient into the bread maker based on the order above. Select the Dough cycle and press start. Once the baking is complete, place the dough on a generously floured surface. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. Then, divide the dough into 2 pieces and form each of them into a bread loaf-like shape. Place the dough on a non-stick baking sheet before dusting them lightly with some flour on top.
Next, preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake the ciabatta bread for 25-30 minutes or at least until it becomes lightly brown.
Tip: To ensure your homemade ciabatta bread is nice and crispy, simply give the loaf a good spritz with water before the baking process.
6) Burger Buns
Forget about the store-bought buns since you can easily make them at home. With a bread maker, that is. First, the ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cups of water
- 2 tablespoons of non-fat milk powder
- 4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of shortening
- 2 1/2- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
- Cornmeal
- 1 egg white (remember to whisk it with one tablespoon of water)
First, add the water and non-fat milk powder into the bread maker. Then, add the flour followed by the rest of the ingredients. Select the Dough cycle. Once done, turn the dough on a floured surface and punch it down. Start kneading the dough four or five times. If necessary, you can add more flour as you knead to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands or the surface. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rest for around 30 minutes.
Next, sprinkle the cornmeal on a lightly greased baking sheet or you can line the sheet with parchment paper. Shape the dough into a circle and cut them evenly into 8 wedges. Form each of the wedges into a ball before flattening them into a smooth, evenly-shaped circle. Place the dough pieces on the sheet around 2 inches apart and allow them to rest for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and brush the buns with some lightly-coated egg wash. You can also sprinkle some optional sesame seeds on top. Bake them for around 18 minutes or at least until they turn brown. Remove the sheet and allow the buns to cool before serving.
