The best thing about having a bread machine is that it lets you make perfect homemade bread without having to spend all day kneading dough. In fact, with just a few simple steps, you can make delicious homemade bread in less than an hour.
Here’s how:
Step 1: Measure ingredients.
The first step in making homemade bread is measuring out the ingredients. You’ll want to measure them accurately and use a scale if possible, as this will ensure a better-tasting loaf of bread. The most common way to measure flour is with a measuring cup or spoon, but if you have access to something more accurate (like an electronic scale), go ahead and use that instead!
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients to your bread machine’s pan.
Once the liquid ingredients have been added, it’s time to add the dry stuff. The order in which you do this can vary by machine and even batch size, but generally speaking, you’ll want to follow these steps:
- Add yeast first. Yeast needs moisture to activate; if it isn’t mixed with water before adding other ingredients (or at least stirred into them), it will be less effective at helping bread rise.
- Next add salt–just a pinch or two will do! Salt enhances flavor while also inhibiting bacterial growth during fermentation phases of baking processes like fermentation or proofing (rising). Without salt present there would be nothing stopping bacteria from growing on your bread dough as well as inside said loaf once baked; thus resulting in an unpleasant taste experience for whoever eats said loaf after consumption thereof has occurred over time periods ranging anywhere between minutes up until even weeks later depending upon temperature/humidity levels surrounding said foodstuff at any given moment during storage periods lasting anywhere between less than one hour up until infinity plus one year without intervention occurring beforehand such as refrigeration techniques implemented by consumers living within colder climates where temperatures outside rarely drop below freezing levels during winter months when heaters aren’t needed indoors anymore due to snowfall preventing sunlight from reaching its surface level on Earth’s surface so people living here would rather stay indoors where temperatures remain constant throughout yearlong cycles comprised entirely within 24 hour days without fail since nobody cares about things like “sunrise” anymore because everyone knows what happens next anyway: darkness falls again every evening after sunset arrives every morning before dawn breaks again tomorrow morning sometime around 6am local time zone wise when most people wake up
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Mix together with a fork until well combined, adding more water if needed.
- How much oil, eggs and water? You’ll need 1/2 cup of each for this recipe; the exact amount will depend on the size of your bread machine’s mixing bowl.
- How do I add them? Add one egg at a time, letting it mix in before adding another one (if you try to add all three at once, they may not mix evenly). Then pour in about half of your oil followed by all of your milk or water–whichever comes first in this order–and continue adding liquids until all have been incorporated into the flour mixture; now add remaining dry ingredients until just moistened then remove from mixer immediately before turning on machine!
Step 4: Mix wet and dry ingredients together by hand until just combined.
Mix wet and dry ingredients together by hand until just combined. The dough should be soft and sticky, but not so much that it sticks to your hands or the sides of your bowl. If you’re using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment on low speed to mix all of the ingredients together in 1-2 minutes.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a spatula to get all of the flour from around inside of your bread machine’s mixing bowl before transferring it into another container for rising (the container doesn’t have to be large enough for rising; just something large enough for holding some dough).
Step 5: Put dough into bread machine pan and close lid.
- Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your machine.
- Use a spatula to scrape dough into pan, being careful not to overfill it.
- Close lid and select setting according to recipe (see below).
Step 6a (For Whole Wheat Bread): Let rise 50-55 minutes in a warm spot or until doubled in size.
6a (For Whole Wheat Bread): Let rise 50-55 minutes in a warm spot or until doubled in size.
If you’re using whole wheat flour, your bread will need to rise for longer than white bread because it contains more dense nutrients and fiber. Once the dough has doubled in size, it’s ready for baking!
Step 6b (For All Other Bread Types): Let rise 45-50 minutes in a warm spot or until doubled in size.
Step 6b (For All Other Bread Types): Let rise 45-50 minutes in a warm spot or until doubled in size.
A warm spot is an area that is between 70 and 80 degrees F, such as on top of your oven or near a heater vent. If you don’t have an area like this in your home and it’s winter time, then let the bread rise in the oven with the light turned on (but not preheating). This will keep it at just above room temperature while still being warmer than outside temperatures. If it’s summertime and hot where you live, let your bread rise outside as long as possible before bringing it inside to bake!
Step 7a (For Whole Wheat Bread): Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and an instant thermometer inserted into center registers 190 degrees F for whole wheat breads and 205 degrees F for all other bread types.
7a (For Whole Wheat Bread): Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and an instant thermometer inserted into center registers 190 degrees F for whole wheat breads and 205 degrees F for all other bread types.
Step 7b (For All Other Bread Types): Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown on top and an instant thermometer inserted into center registers 180 degrees F for whole wheat breads and 200 degrees F for all other bread types.
- Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown on top and an instant thermometer inserted into center registers 180 degrees F for whole wheat breads and 200 degrees F for all other bread types.
- Remove from pan to cooling rack, cool 10 minutes before slicing.
Conclusion
So there you have it. A simple step-by-step guide to get homemade bread with a bread machine. I hope you found this helpful!
