Robert Browning rejoices in Breadmachine Month!

Robert Browning said it best: “If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” Given Mr. B’s affection for this heavenly food, I do believe he would rejoice with me in celebrating January, otherwise known as Breadmachine Month!

Here’s how I envision us revelling…. While Liz is off at a Hot Yoga for Poets in Hoopskirts class, Mr B visits me in my kitchen for tea and toast. It’s a blustery, cold winter day in Ottawa. Over steaming mugs of tea we gossip about Dicken’s latest “friend” and muse about one day writing a food and romance blog. Gorging on fat slices of my Oatmeal Molasses Bread (fresh from my breadmaker)—toasted to perfection and slathered in thick buckwheat honey—he proclaims, “Ey my dear, the invention of the breadmaker completely surpasses the creation of sliced bread!” Indeed, he is right. This little gem of baking efficiency warms the ingredients to the perfect temperature before mixing the ingredients to form a soft dough, then allows the dough to rise with grace, and in a grand finale… bakes the shaped loaf to heavenly perfection—all in one unit. All you, the human baker need do is measure the ingredients into the breadpan, insert the breadpan into the machine and press start. About four hours later when the bread is baked, the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread will waft in the air of your humble abode. At which time you will don your oven mitts, pull the bread from the breadmaker and turn out a hot, fragrant loaf of bread. Do allow it cool for one hour before slicing. As Mr. Browning would undoubtedly agree: “If thou makest bread in the fashion of old, thou wilt have toiled from sunrise to sunset, dirtied many pots and bowls for the yield of but a few wretched loaves.”

During the eighties, I loved making bread from scratch. Truth be told, however, it was a full day affair; time consuming and very messy indeed. When I became a Mother and began working full time I did not have the time to spare for my first love. Tissues please…sniff, sniff. In 1994, when I first laid eyes on my very own breadmaker, the heavens and the stars aligned. I was dizzy with elation as I thumbed through the bread machine manual and recipe book and dreamed of the endless possibilities; whole-wheat loaves, cinnamon raisin buns, soft dinner rolls, French baguettes, Christmas fruit breads…. She was a Westbend model; compact, clunky, noisy, and a wee bit on the heavy side, yet full of promise and runway potential. By fluke, I discovered a characteristic undisclosed in the manual: the Dough menu option could be used in conjunction with the Timer delay function. That’s when Westie began working overtime and her popularity as a standard appliance in my house rose to Number One. She mixed the ingredients overnight as I slept and I arose in the morning to fresh dough ready to be shaped and baked before I left for work. During the day she mixed up pizza dough, ready to be rolled out upon my arrival home from work. Sadly, I pushed Westie beyond the borders of breadmachine endurance and burnt out the motor in about two years. We parted ways on a wet, cold November garbage day. Westie shed no tears but I did. After this, just the sight of a Fleischman’s yeast package would be enough to bring a tear to my eye, rekindling memories of Westie and my breadmachine possession obsession. As Christmas drew closer, I asked myself how I could possibly live through the festive season without making buns, loaves, and sweet breads in my breadmaker? At this point I realized the only solution was to have multiple breadmakers—at least two —one would never be enough!

Over the last 15 years I have had as many as five breadmakers at once with each one boasting a unique option to prolong my need to keep it, i.e. a 3lb loaf option, a jam option, pasta making abilities, super-fast rapid loaf, a “bake for one hour more” feature, etc. Recently, I downsized to two breadmachines. My favourite feature is still the Dough-Timer delay option which I use to mix the ingredients while I sleep. I awake to a lump of dough ready to be shaped and baked first thing in the morning. Just like breadbaking used to be; a daily affair, done first thing in the morning.

I do believe Mr. Browning would appreciate this feature too. Perchance he referred to it when he whispered, “There, that is our secret: go to sleep! You will wake, and remember, and understand.”

Be not afraid….go forth and celebrate Breadmachine Month. Breadmakers are simple and easy to use. The loaves you create will be nutritious and delicious. Dare I say, Mr. Browning and I guarantee you will never want to eat a morsel of store bought bread again!

Note: For any of the 2 lb bread recipes I give below you can shape the dough into buns, using the Dough cycle option and following the bun-making instructions in the Oatmeal Molasses Bread/Bun recipe.

To get you started, here are a few tips and recipes (below).

Tips when using your breadmaker:

· Please DO NOT substitute or omit liquid, milk powder, salt, syrup, sugar, butter, flour or yeast. Breadmaking is an exact science. All of these ingredients need each other to produce a perfect loaf.

· Measure ingredients carefully and accurately.

· Be sure to scoop flour into the measuring cup and level off the top with the flat edge of a knife—do not shake down or pack the flour!

Breadbaking 101: Art meets chemistry.

While you don’t need to be Picasso or know the entire periodic table, good bread is all about good chemistry between the ingredients, and you and your creativity. Liquid, flour yeast, sugar and salt, may sound like boring party guests but in the bread scenario but each play a vital role in getting a rise out of the dough. Never omit or adjust any one of them or your loaves will be flops. Here’s what the ingredients do:

Flour contains gluten, a protein that “entangles the air”, elasticizes the dough and helps the dough rise. Canadian all-purpose flour contains enough gluten to produce excellent loaves. Only wheat and rye flours contain gluten.

Liquids can be water or milk. Water gives a crisper crust while milk produces a more tender-textured loaf.

Yeast makes the dough rise. Use breadmachine yeast when making bread or dough in your breadmaker.

Salt controls the yeast’s activity, prevents the loaf from over-rising and collapsing and boosts the bread’s flavour. Without it, bread is deadpan dull to the palette!

Sugar feeds the yeast and gives a delicate brown crust.

Shortening can be butter, margarine, oil or lard. Butter gives bread a soft texture and a tender crumb.

Eggs add to the lightness of the bread and tend to slow down the action of the yeast.

Maple Nut Bread

Makes one 2 pound loaf

1 ¼ cups water

2 tsp maple flavouring

¼ cup buttermilk powder or skim milk powder

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp brown sugar – packed

2 tbsp butter or margarine

3 ½ cups all-purpose Canadian flour, Robin Hood, Five Roses or bread machine flour

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (or a mixture if you like!)

1 ½ tsp bread machine yeast

Place the ingredients into the breadpan in the order given and place the pan into the breadmaker. Choose the BASIC cycle, 2 lb loaf size and the crust setting you prefer. Press Start. When the bread is done and beep sounds, remove the loaf from the breadmaker, shake the loaf out of the breadpan and allow it to cool on a wire rack for about 45 to 60 minutes before slicing.

Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg and Raisin Bread

NOTE: In this recipe you will be using the Sweet Cycle and adding the raisins after the breadmachine begins mixing. Be sure to listen for the Add Ingredients beeping sound about 10-15 minutes into the mixing cycle, then lift the lid of the breadmaker and pour the raisins into the mixture.

Makes one 2 lb loaf

1 1/3 cups water

1 egg

¼ cup buttermilk powder or skim milk powder

1 ¼ tsp salt

¼ cup brown sugar – packed

2 tbsp butter, margarine or shortening

3 ¾ cups all-purpose Canadian flour, Robin Hood, Five Roses or bread machine flour

2 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp cloves

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 ½ tsp breadmachine yeast

1 cup Thomson raisins

Set raisins aside and place the rest of the ingredients into the breadpan in the order given and place the pan into the breadmaker. Choose the Sweet cycle, 2 lb loaf size and the crust setting you prefer. Press Start. When the bread is done and beep sounds, remove the loaf from the breadmaker, shake the loaf out of the breadpan and allow it to cool on a wire rack for about 45 to 60 minutes before slicing.

English Muffin Loaf

Makes one 2 lb loaf

1 cup of milk at room temperature

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 ¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp white sugar

2 tbsp butter, margarine or shortening

3 cups all-purpose Canadian flour, Robin Hood, Five Roses or bread machine flour

1 ½ tsp bread machine yeast

Place the ingredients into the breadpan in the order listed and place the pan into the breadmaker. Choose the BASIC cycle, 2 lb loaf size and the crust setting you prefer. Press Start. When the bread is done and beep sounds, remove the loaf from the breadmaker, shake the loaf out of the breadpan and allow it to cool on a wire rack for about 45 to 60 minutes before slicing.

Cheese Dill Bread (Superb for Salmon Sandwiches!)

1 1/3 cups water

½ cup cottage cheese

1 ½ tsp salt

2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp butter, margarine or shortening

1 cup whole wheat flour, preferably Canadian made or Five Roses or Robin Hood or whole wheat flour for the bread machine (available at Bulk Bard and health food stores)

2 ¾ cups all purpose flour preferably Canadian made or Five Roses or Robin Hood or white flour for the bread machine

1 ½ tsp dried dill or 2 tbsp fresh dill, cut into little bits-with scissors

1 ¼ tsp bread machine yeast

Place the ingredients into the breadpan in the order listed and place the pan into the breadmaker. Choose the BASIC cycle, 2 lb loaf size and the crust setting you prefer. Press Start. When the bread is done and beep sounds, remove the loaf from the breadmaker, shake the loaf out of the breadpan and allow it to cool on a wire rack for about 45 to 60 minutes before slicing.

Mustard Rye Bread

1 1/3 cups water

1/3 cup Dijon mustard or peppercorn mustard

¼ cup buttermilk powder or skim milk powder

¾ tsp salt

2 tbsp brown sugar – packed

2 tbsp butter, margarine or canola oil

1 cup whole wheat flour, preferably Canadian made or Five Roses or Robin Hood or whole wheat flour for the bread machine (available at Bulk Bard and health food stores)

2 cups cups all purpose flour preferably Canadian made or Five Roses or Robin Hood or white flour for the bread machine

¾ cup Rye flour

1 tbsp dill seeds

1 ¾ tsp breadmachine yeast

Place the ingredients into the breadpan in the order listed and place the pan into the breadmaker. Choose the WholeWheat cycle, 2 lb loaf size and the crust setting you prefer. Press Start. When the bread is done and beep sounds, remove the loaf from the breadmaker, shake the loaf out of the breadpan and allow it to cool on a wire rack for about 45 to 60 minutes before slicing.

Oatmeal Molasses Bread or Buns

(For 2 lb bread machine loaf or 18 round buns)

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup skim milk or buttermilk powder

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ cup molasses

2 tbsp butter (room temperature)

2 cups whole wheat flour for the bread machine

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or white bread machine flour

¾ cup quick cooking oats

½ cup 7-grain or 12-grain cereal (Bulk Barn)

1 ½ tsp breadmachine yeast

Put the ingredients in the breadmachine pan in the exact order given above. Place the pan into the bread machine. Select the 2lb loaf size and select the Wholewheat cycle. Press start.

To make buns:

Select the Dough cycle on the breadmaker after inserting the pan. When the Dough cycle is complete and signal beeps, remove dough from the breadmaker.

Divide dough into 18 evenly sized dough pieces. Using your primary math skills: divide dough into three even size pieces, then divide each third into six pieces. Be sure to cover the dough to be worked with plastic wrap. It should be touching the dough to act like a skin.

To shape each bun, knead each piece lightly: Push dough away from you with your thumbs, then fold over on itself, then repeat. Then, holding the dough piece in your hand, gently pull the dough from the top of the ball and push this into the underside, as if you were shaping a mushroom. Then gently roll the round dough piece under the palm of your hand (on a cutting board) with your fingertips gently touching the cutting board surface, as though you were rolling the dough in a round cage or playing a shell game!

Place each round ball on a large pizza pan lined with parchment paper. Place balls about 1 inch apart. No worries if they are touching, they will just bake together. Also, remember to cover dough to be worked or baked with plastic wrap at all times. This prevents a skin from forming on the dough.

Preheat oven to 350F. Set oven rack to middle of the oven.

Set dough to rise:

Place pan of dough balls over a cookie rack, resting on top of a warm pan of water. Cover dough balls with plastic wrap (touching the dough) and a heavy tea towel. The objective is to create a warm, humid and draft-free environment. Let rise until just double in bulk (about 35 minutes).

When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap, brush with milk and sprinkle with a little oatmeal and lightly press into dough.

Bake in centre of oven for 25-30 minutes. These buns make a lovely tower of buns on a round, festive tray, wrapped in cellophane and tied up with a pretty bow. Brings a whole new meaning to Nice Buns!

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.

Toast to 101 years of great Canadian grains

Once upon a time in 1908, right here in Ottawa at the Experimental Farm, a humble, talented chemist and sideline flutist named Charles Saunders invented something spectacular—the Marquis Wheat—the best wheat in the world! Word spread around the world about his dynamo wheat and thousands of people immigrated to Canada’s prairies just to grow it. Wheat quickly became one of Canada’s leading exports and we Canadians were given the best tasting bread and pasta products on Earth! On this 101 year Anniversary of the Marquis Wheat, let’s toast Charles Saunders, Canada’s unsung hero of the world’s breadbasket and inventor of the world’s most, cold-weather hardy, gluten-packed, high-quality wheat. Gluten is a protein in wheat that gives bread volume and texture. Today, many of our grains are derived from the Marquis wheat and are used around the globe in “cream of the crop” flours, pasta and beers. Canada rules the roost in the wheat and grain growing industry and our production standards are the highest in the world. Nine of our provinces grow wheat, mostly for export. We grow many other grains too like rye, barley, and oats as well as various seed and cereal crops.

Grains give us essential vitamins and minerals, including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and folic acid, and iron. Whole grain and whole wheat products are also an important source of fibre in our diets and whole grain breads are a great way get your fill of “good” carbs.

So if Christmas made you the lucky owner of a breadmaker, I would highly recommend you borrow or buy this book to get you started: Canada’s Best Bread Machine Baking Recipes (ISBN 0-7788-0003-2). Purchase your ingredients at the Bulk Barn or Kardish where many varieties of grains and baking products are sold. Use all-purpose Robin Hood or Five Roses—no need to use Best for Bread flour—our Canadian flour contains enough gluten to make fine, voluminous loaves! Need help using your breadmaker? Email me at mmay911@rogers.cm and I would be happy to help. In the meantime, here are a few selected recipes from the book:

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.

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*

*If you choose, any of these breads can be shaped into loaves and baked in the oven. You’ll need two small loaf pans. Select the Dough option on the breadmaker when you begin and follow these instructions when the dough is ready to be shaped.

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 rack 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. 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.