Remember the Bread Machine?

Oh yeah, you may not hear a lot about it anymore, but there are still a lot of people still using their bread machine or bread maker. When these fantastic machines came out, they were a big hit, because the machine does most, or all, of the work for you. You no longer have to have a floured board and rolling pin to make bread products from scratch. The only thing is that I have not seen grocery shelves full of bread machine mixes like there used to be. Every now and then, I see a couple of boxes. They kind of went by the wayside, which made everyone think it was a fad when in fact, people have learned how to mix their own bread mixes for their machine, and, yes, they still sell them! But, you may have to go to the specialty stores to find them.

I never would have bought one of these for myself. I'm too busy raising my kids! My sister got me one for Christmas, and I fell in love with it!

Not Just a White Bread World Anymore

There are recipes for breads other than just white bread, and you can still mix your dough in them, and have it ready to go to bake in your oven when you can't bake the whole thing in you machine, you know, like sweet rolls and such.

A lot of bread makers come with an instruction and recipe book to get you started. So, you can mix up your dough for dinner rolls! So neat, and saves time!

I found this excellent video on YouTube to get started. It's easy to get started with this simple recipe that never fails. This is extremely helpful whether you've just bought a bread maker, or still have yours and haven't used it in a while.

The Bread Knife

When you choose a knife to cut your bread that's made in this way, try to choose one that has a serrated edge. You can find them just about anywhere. They are long and usually fit your hand pretty well. Take your time when cutting your bread machine bread. It's made in a different way, and also a different shape and texture depending on what kind you've made.

The Convenience

There is still nothing wrong with making breads the conventional way, but in the right setting, say, if you're having a dinner party, and you don't have time to spend the day making homemade bread, then a bread machine is convenient, and does it all in one container and baker, however, it does take the usual amount of time for the dough to rise and then bake by itself. It is amazing that you don't have to do anything but fill it, set it and go, and it does it all at least for yeast bread. Read your instructions always depending on what kind you're making.

Reading a Recipe

I know the majority of us have been to school, and most of us can read. But, do you remember in school we always had it pounded into our brains to follow instructions? Well, this is why! Don't be a hero. This is why there are instructions. A recipe is not just an outline you can go by, if you want to. If that was the case there wouldn't be any use for one. It is a blueprint of a dish. So if there is a recipe, the cooking or baking instructions are the most important part of the whole thing.

So, when the recipe says to add things in a certain order, it's because they are added to be able to chemically react with each other properly to be able to react with the baking heat also. Try to follow the recipe to the letter. You won't be sorry. Take your time; it isn't fast food!

Dinner Party Table

Now, when you bring your bread to the table it would be a good idea, if you're using real butter, for you to use unsalted butter for your guests to put on their bread, because you already had to have salt in your dough. It's just healthier all the way around to have the least amount of salt. We have enough salt in everything anyway. So, I doubt if anyone is going to be hurt by not getting their salt content for the day.

Rolls and Such

Below I have found a delightful video on how to make cinnamon roll dough in your bread machine! This is fantastic especially since it frees up your oven for other things. It's a great time to be alive in this age of convenience, so enjoy!

This video is great from beginning to end. It puts a whole new light on bread makers, if you are a skeptic like me. You'll see how easy it can be to make just about any roll dough ahead of time!

Don't forget the frosting! :-)