Monday, February 29, 2016

Why I Ditched my Bread Machine

Homemade Artisan Bread - without a Machine!
I used to love my bread machine. It could make a beautiful loaf of homemade bread start-to-finish in under an hour! And it only required the measuring of a few ingredients, plugging in, and pushing a button! What's not to like?

Well, one day, my bread didn't turn out. I tried again, and it failed again. I didn't know why. Perhaps my yeast was expired? Maybe the thermostat wasn't working right? Maybe I had used the wrong temperature of water? I wasn't sure what had gone wrong. I put the machine on the shelf in our storage area, planning to troubleshoot on a day when I had more time.

Well, while I was procrastinating, I went to the library, and saw Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day sitting on a display shelf in the "New Release" area (yes, this was a few years ago). I checked it out. I read it - cover to cover! I started baking, and I turned out beautiful loaves with lovely shapes, a wonderful crust texture, and a perfect taste. What was truly amazing was that I could mix the ingredients for FOUR loaves in the time it took me to measure one loaf into my bread machine. No kneading, and no work! And shaping and baking them was not only a breeze, it was FUN! And, I could keep the dough in the fridge to use whenever I wanted to! And I could make ANY shape - including pizza! : )

I thought of my bread machine, languishing in our storage room. I thought of its oddly shaped cubical loaves with the little blade -hole in the middle. The Wonder-Bread-Worthy crusts. The HUGE amount of kitchen-counter real estate required to store it.

I thought, "Why on earth would I troubleshoot my bread machine? I wouldn't EVER want to use it again! This bread is SO MUCH better - and easier, too!"

So, I gave my machine away.

Now, I bake 4 loaves of bread at a time, in about the same hands-on time it used to take me to make one loaf of bread in the bread machine. Never once have I wished to go back to my machine.

So - if you love bread - really good bread- check out  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

And, check out my bread posts that are inspired by their wonderful method:

From Homemade Yeast Bread (their recipe)
       Vegan Holiday Appetizers
       Whole Wheat Naan
       Pizza
       Turnovers, Calzones, or Empanadas
       Spinach & Mushroom Calzones

From Stuffedveggies Vegan No Knead Brioche Dough (my own recipe, inspired by theirs)
       Challah, Easy, No Knead, Vegan
       Crescent Rolls, Easy, No Knead, Vegan  
       Dinner Rolls, Vegan, Soft & Fluffy, No Knead, Refrigerator 
       Vasilopita, Easy, No Knead, Vegan 


This Post Was Featured On

Nancy On The Home Front



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13 comments:

  1. I'm with you on the bread machine drawbacks, I sold mine years ago. My handsome RancherMan loves bread so I make it often, and I've made the 5-minute bread before as well. You've given me encouragement to whip him up a batch of that delicious bread, thanks for sharing the tip! (stopping by from the What'd You Do This Weekend Link Party)

    ~Taylor-Made Homestead~
    Texas

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by - I'm honored! I love your blog & read it regularly : )

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  2. I was considering buying a bread machine but after reading this, I think I'll check out the book you recommended instead! Thanks!

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    1. Thanks so much for visiting & commenting! Delighted that you found my post helpful! : )

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  3. I'll definitely be checking out that book! I love my bread machine but love the crunchy crust of a good fresh baked bread.

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    1. Hope you enjoy it! There's really nothing that beats a good, fresh crust, is there? : )

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  4. Since I moved to college and didn't have the luxury of a bread machine I've been making it without. Though the recipe I use requires quite a bit of kneading (I reckon it counts as a free workout).

    www.savingscotts.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks so much for visiting! I guess a workout is a good thing, huh? : )

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  5. Nothing beats homemade bread, this sounds wonderful, I will have to give it a try! Thanks for sharing at What'd You Do This Weekend?!

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  6. I'm with you! I got rid of my bread machine years ago! Than you for sharing your post on Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop, as one of the co-hosts I will be featuring your post on Thursday! Stop by again! - Nancy - Nancy On The Home Front

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    1. Thank you so much! I'm honored! I'll forward to seeing which co-host features my post! : )

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  7. Thanks for sharing this book with us at the Friday Funday blog hop! #FFBH I absolutely love baking breads too and I'm a bit of a newbie at it, so I'm always looking for new tips, tricks and recipes.

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  8. I've often thought that it would be nice to have a bread machine, but I've never wanted to spend the money on one. I've made my own bread by hand plenty of times, but it's never been that great. Perhaps I'll see if I can find a copy of this book.

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