27 May 2011

6 Things You Can Make With a Bread Maker

Owning a bread machine can be a lifesaver when you work, have a family and home to care for and want wholesome, fresh bread. Just toss in the ingredients, set the timer and forget about it until you hear the ding.  I love my breadmakers, yes we have two. One makes a regular sandwich loaf, the other makes the odd shaped loaf of the early bread machines. They both have timers and get used every week, we like our sandwiches and toast in this house.

Wayne found our first breadmaker at a garage sale, brand new in the box, for just $25. The old couple who sold it to him had never used it and couldn't wait to get rid of it. And we've been making bread ever since. Often I'll set it on a Saturday night before I go to bed and wake up Sunday morning to freshly baked bread for breakfast. It certainly makes sitting up in bed extra special when you can enjoy fresh bread and homemade jam for breakfast.


Making our bread doesn't save us a fortune, especially when I could buy 600g loaves from the supermarket for $1.09, but it does let me make the bread that we like, control the amount of salt and additives that go into it (in our house absolutely none) and make it fresh when we need it.

But our breadmaker makes so much more than a loaf of bread. Some of the things it does are:

Bread 

This is kind of a no-brainer, after all, it is a bread machine. The standard bread machine today has a number of settings for various types of breads, from sourdough and fruit loaves to your standard white bread and rye. Higher-end bread makers have special settings that you can even customize for breads not listed in the manual. Since bread is what bread machines were originally designed to do, it is the set it and forget it setting is the easiest. Just follow the instructions in your manual.

Pizza Dough 

When making bread, the bread machine takes all of the ingredients, combines them and mixes and kneads them to the perfect consistency. So why not allow your machine to do all of your work for your pizza dough? Bread makers usually have a setting for this and the dough will be mixed and kneaded until it is perfect every time.

Specialty Breads 

Pannetone, and other specialty breads can be made with a bread machine. Bread makers are so durable these days that even the toughest of breads to mix can be easily man-handled by these machines. Pick out your favorite recipe and give it a go.

Jams 

Believe it or not, you can even make jam with your bread maker. With the heating and mixing that bread makers do, it is a perfect environment for making jams, jellies, preserves, conserves and marmalades. Just prep your favorite fruit, toss it all in with the needed ingredients and by the time you get home, your fruit will be properly cooked into jam.

Pasta Dough 

Making perfect pasta dough can be tough by hand because you don’t want to over work the dough. With a press of a button, your bread maker can crank out the perfect pasta dough, ready to roll out, cut and cook.

Bagels and rolls 

Pretty much any type of bread roll can be made in your machine, including bagels. The machine offers the combining, mixing, rising and baking of the perfect bagel. All you have to do is create the round shapes you want and voila, you have the perfect bagel.

After bread, the setting I use most is the dough setting. I use it for pizzas and breads, to make dough for scrolls (sweet and savoury) and to make the dough for the bread rolls we like for Sunday lunches.

There are tons of other things your bread maker can do. Just be sure to read the manual on how to set up the operation for each. If you have any questions about whether or not your specific machine can achieve any of the tasks, call or Google the manufacturer and read up on what your model can do.

17 comments:

  1. Hi Cath, I would be interested in know which Breadmaker makes "normal" sandwich sized loaves. I have a Breville, & since it only makes an odd shaped loaf, I just use the dough feature then transfer to a bread tin,put a lid on it & achieve a sandwich style loaf. This only takes about 5 mins. I do this every day

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  2. My Breville makes an odd shaped loaf too, but the Aldi breadmaker makes a regular block loaf, which is why we bought it. I've had it about 3 years now, but they are regularly on sale at Aldi. There are other more expensive breadmakers that make a more normal shaped loaf.

    I love the set and forget feature of the breadmakers.

    What type of bread do you make Denise? I usually do one white loaf and one multi-grain a day, which is why we have the two machines, and over the weekend I'll do fruit loaves.

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  3. I have a question regarding the scrolls using breadmaker dough.
    I make bread no problems and we love it, but when I make the scrolls I must be too harsh on the dough when I stretch it out because I always hope my scrolls are a lot softer and fluffier than they really are.
    So, my question is, after my dough is ready in the breadmaker, what next? Do I stretch it by hand, do I push/pull it into shape before I put the toppings and roll, or should I use a rolling pin?
    Also, how long after making the scrolls do I need to let the scrolls sit before baking them in the oven?
    Mel

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  4. Mel are you rolling the dough too thin? I roll it to a rectangle about the size of my breadboard, then put the filling on and roll it up.

    I also let it rise again, about 20 minutes, as if I was making rolls, then bake.

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  5. Woohoo, a couple of more attempts and tonight's are the best yet...Cinnamon scrolls for a treat, and cheese/ham and cheese/vegemite scrolls for the girls lunch!
    Seems the real problem was not letting them rise/rest enough after making scrolls and also having oven a fraction too hot!!!
    Mel

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  6. Congratulations, homemade scrolls are so much nicer than bakery scrolls.

    What did you put in your cinnamon scrolls? I love a mixture of cinnamon, brown sugar and finely chopped walnuts, then iced with coffee icing after they're cooked and cooled.

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  7. You might want to think about the nonstick liners on your bread machines. At the heat they operate there is little doubt they permeate your food. While teflon is being phased out and there are substitutes i'd prefer to not have any of it in my body.

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  8. I am in love with my Breadmaker I picked up at The Op Shop for $20.00 unused!

    Cherry Plums have not had a chance - all picked over & thrown into breadmaker - 1 hr later - VOILA - Tastiest JAM!

    Great Chrissy gifts too!

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  9. Jam made in a bread maker...who'd have thunk it? All right you clever people, what else have you made in a bread maker?

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  10. Yoghurt! Easy if you don't have a thermos-style yoghurt maker.

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  11. How do you use the breadmaker for yoghurt?

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  12. I've had bread maker's for years (my current one is 10 years old) My only problem is cutting the bread straight. I love sour dough bread & it's definitely cheaper to make than buy from the shop.

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  13. One of my favourite things to do in my breadmaker ($10 from a garage sale) is make porridge in the morning for my kids!! I put the water and the oats in the bread tin the night before, set it on the jam setting, then hit the time delay setting, so that by the time we wake up, the jam cycle has operated for about 30 mins (after some trial and error, I discovered that's how long it needed to heat up and cook into a nice, creamy porridge. I turn it off when I get up, serve with cinnamon, walnuts, honey and milk/cream and my kids devour it! The added bonus is that having been soaked overnight, the oats are easier to digest and more nutritious due to deactivating the phytic acid (a natural preservative that all seeds/grains/beans have to prevent them rotting before optimum growing conditions.)
    Hope someone enjoys this tip :)
    Anita.

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  14. I make dog treats. Can I use my bread machine to make the dough for me for the dog treats? It gets very tiring on my hands when I have to mix the dough by hand.

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    Replies
    1. You'd just need to use the 'knead' or 'dough' setting but I don't see why not. You can only try and if it's successful you'll save yourself some kneading.

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  15. What a fabulous post; thank you Cath!

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  16. Amazing tips. Thank you I'm just getting into bread making.

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