Celebrate Breadmachine Baking Month with these tried and true recipes!

January is Breadmachine Baking month and I am in a cloud of doughy, floury delight! Hopefully, you were the lucky recipient of a breadmaker this Christmas but if not—fear not—I am certain you could still snatch one up from the sale rack at favourite home appliance store. And while you’re shopping, zip over to your favourite bookstore and pick up the very best breadmachine cookbook on earth: Canada’s Best Bread Machine Baking Recipes by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt (ISBN 0-7788-0003-2). You will grow to love your new little machine as it will bring you great joy and deliver many adoring remarks from family and friends for your beautiful, aromatic bundles of bread and buns. But, to thine own self be true and be sure to use the time/delay function frequently! Simply assemble the ingredients in the breadmachine the night before, select the program type, set the timer, press start, sleep and rise in the morning to a freshly baked loaf of bread. Best of all, it won’t keep you up at night doing its thing. And contrary to popular opinion, you will not gain weight by owning a breadmaker.

Yes, you read that correctly. You see, many people think that they will get fat that if they own a breadmaker because they will be eating bread all the time. I think the opposite is true. In my opinion, you will become choosier about all the food—not just bread—that goes into “your body, your temple.” Once you’ve jumped on the “healthy lifestyle” treadmill, you will also be more likely to take up regular daily exercise! In fact, you can easily fit in a 5 or 10K walk or run while your breadmachine is at home preparing the dough for a delicious Multigrain Bread. Upon arriving home from your exercise expedition, simply shape the dough into two loaves, let them rise for 35 min—while you shower—then bake the loaves for 25 minutes. Voila! Fresh bread….the perfect vehicle for your favourite sandwich filling! My favourite thing is to use my homemade bread for pre-packed sandwiches for car, train or plane trips. And since the airlines won’t allow gel freeze packs anymore, try this: Slice and freeze your bread, then can use the frozen slices for your portable, chilled sandwiches. The frozen slices act as “freeze packs” for mayonnaise, cheese or fish sandwich fillings. By the time lunch rolls around, your bread will have thawed and your fellow travel mates will be salivating with envy! True story: I once gave away the second half of my salmon sandwich on my dill-cottage cheese bread to a very well-dressed but hungry man in a cowboy hat en route to Calgary via a WestJet flight.

Here are a few of my tried and true favourite recipes. Most of these breads can be made in the breadmaker or be shaped into loaves or buns and baked in the oven. You’ll need two small loaf pans for loaves and a large parchment-lined pizza pan for buns. If you're shaping and baking the dough yourself, just remember to select the Dough option on the breadmaker when you begin. See the end of this post for instructions on shaping loaves and buns. (Tip: Keep the unworked and shaped dough covered with a tea towel or greased plastic wrap while you work otherwise the dough will loose its elasticity and develop a dry thick skin.)

Best of luck and feel free to send comments or questions. Also, these recipes--using all the same ingredients--can be made by hand. Just remember, accurate measuring and ingredient temperature are everything! Ingredients must be at room temperature (i.e. melted butter must cool off) and liquids must be tepid or lukewarm. If anything is too hot it will kill the yeast and if it is too cold, they will inhibit rising. Don't mess with the salt or sugar quantities. These are key to the rising process! Mix the ingredients together well. Knead dough. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rise until doubled in bulk in a warm, draft free place. Punch down the dough then shape it into loaves or buns, place in lightly greased pans, then cover and let rise again for 30 min, then bake at 350F.

Five Seed Rye Bread (2 lb loaf)

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup skim milk powder

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tbsp packed brown sugar

2 tbsp shortening

3 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup rye flour

¼ cup EACH flax seeds, poppy seeds and sesame seeds

1 tsp EACH caraway seeds and fennel seeds

1 ½ tsp bread machine yeast

Measure ingredients into the breadpan in the order given. Set pan into the breadmaker. Select the Basic Cycle* For an attractive topping sprinkle a mixture of the seeds overtop the loaf during the last 10 minutes of baking.

Foccacio (using a 1.5 lb or 2lb or more breadmaker)

1 c water

3 tbsp Olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 c Flour

2 tsp Breadmaker yeast

2 or 3 Minced garlic cloves

1 1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary

1 1/2 tsp Coarse salt

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp grated Parmesan

Put first five ingredients in bread pan in order listed. Set for dough cycle. When dough is ready, preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a pizza pan or baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Remove dough from pan and let rest 5-10 min under a tea towel. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a round to about ½ “ thickness. Place dough on sheet. Sprinkle with garlic, rosemary, and coarse salt and then lightly press into dough. With your fingertips, poke shallow indentations all over the top of the round. Pour the remaining olive oil over the top, letting it pool in the indentations. Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Bake bread about 20-25 min or until lightly browned. (I put an oven liner or foil on the oven’s lower rack (under this pan) while this is baking to prevent to the olive oil from spilling over.

Pilgrim’s Multigrain Bread (2 lb loaf)

1 1/3 cups water

2 eggs

1 ½ tsp salt

3 tbsp packed brown sugar

2 tbsp vegetable oil or butter

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ cup buttermilk powder

1/3 cup quick-cooking oats

1/3 cup wheat or oat bran

3 tbsp wheat germ

1 ½ tsp breadmachine yeast

Measure ingredients into the breadpan in the order given. Set pan into the breadmaker. Select the Basic Cycle*

Maritime Brown Bread (2 lb loaf)

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup skim milk powder

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ cup packed brown sugar

2 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp shortening

2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

¼ cup wheat germ

1 ¼ tsp bread machine yeast

Measure ingredients into the breadpan in the order given. Set pan into the breadmaker. Select the Whole Wheat Cycle*

Green Peppercorn Mustard Rye (2 lb loaf)

1 1/3 cups water

1/3 green peppercorn mustard or Dijon mustard

¼ cup skim milk powder

¾ tsp salt

2 tbsp packed brown sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup rye flour

1 tbsp dill seeds

1 ¾ tsp bread machine yeast

Measure ingredients in to the breadpan in the order given. Set pan into the breadmaker. Select the Whole Wheat Cycle.

Cheddar McAuslan Ale Bread (2 lb loaf)

1 ½ cups McAuslan Griffon Red Ale

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tbsp white sugar

1 tsp McAuslan Griffon Mustard

3 ½ cups white all-purpose Canadian flour

½ cup buttermilk powder

¾ cup extra old Cheddar cheese, shredded

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 ½ tsp bread machine yeast

Measure ingredients into the breadpan in the order given. Choose the Sweet cycle. Alternatively, choose the Dough option, shape into loaves, let rise 30 min covered in the loaf pans. When risen, brush with milk and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp shredded cheese during the last 10-15 of baking. Let cool in pans 10 min. Then, remove from pans and let cool on rack for several hours before wrapping.

Cottage Cheese Dill Bread (2 lb loaf)

1 1/3 c water

½ cup low-fat cottage cheese

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp shortening

3 3/34 c flour

2 tbsp fresh snipped dill or 1 tbsp dried dill

1 ¼ tsp bread machine yeast

Place ingredients into breadpan in order given. Insert pan into breadmachine.

Set to Basic Cycle. This bread is excellent for salmon, tuna or egg sandwiches.

Shaping loaves:

Divide the dough into two pieces. Cover one piece with a tea towel while you roll out the other piece to an 8x10 rectangle. Roll up this rectangle—like a jelly roll and pinch the seam. With the side of the palm of your hand, press down on the edges of the roll at either end, tuck ends under and pinch to seal. Fit the roll (seam side down) into a greased or non-stick loaf pan. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in middle of oven. Let dough rise in pans, covered loosely with greased saran wrap and a tea towel in a warm, humid, draft-free place for about 30-35 min or until doubled in size. To bake, brush loaves with milk and sprinkle a few oats on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned. If a knock on the bottom of the pan sounds hollow, the bread is done! Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 10 min and no longer or they will become soggy. Remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack, uncovered for 1 hour. After this, cover with a tea towel and continue to cool before storing or slicing.

Shaping round buns:

Divide the dough into 18 equal pieces. Cover a large pizza pan with parchment paper. Keep dough to be worked and shaped balls covered while you work. Spray greased saran wrap works well for covering fresh dough. Round each piece into a smooth ball by cupping it under the palm of your hand and rolling it on a breadboard or countertop. Place on pan. Cover and let rise in a warm (not HOT), draft free humid place 25-35 min then bake at 350F for 25 min until lightly browned on top.