Bread Machine Egg Bread Recipe

One of my favorite kitchen appliances is my Zojirushi bread machine. It's got a horizontal pan that will bake up to a 2lb loaf. I have the BB-CEC20 and I absolutely adore it. They also make a model that has special setting specifically for gluten-free recipes! These are ridiculously expensive but if you bide your time and consistently check Amazon's Warehouse Deals, you can get one for less than $120.

I wanted to make some bread today and I have never tried egg bread before but with all of the eggs I have, 2 to 4 dozen regularly, I decided to go ahead and make it. Not too long ago I bought BHG's Best Bread Machine Recipes from Amazon and I would suggest buying it to anyone with a bread maker. All of their recipes have a 1 1/2lb version as well as a 2lb version.

This bread could possibly be my most favorite recipe so far from a bread maker! It smells terrific, is fairly light, really soft, and is fabulous sliced and buttered with supper.

The 2lb Recipe

3/4 C Milk
1/3 C Water
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp oil, margarine, or butter
4 C Flour, I used unbleached all-purpose
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast

I'd recommend using your bread maker's instructions as far as setting, etc.

The steps I used according to Zojirushi:

Add the first 4 ingredients to the pan, then add the flour. Place the sugar in one corner, the salt in the opposite corner. Make a dimple in the middle of the flour without breaking through to the liquid below. Put the yeast in this dimple.

I used the 'light' crust control setting and the 'basic bread' setting.

Do you have a favorite bread machine recipe?

Barton's Cheesy Buttery Garlic Bread

...you're wishing you could scratch and sniff your computer monitor right now...


Using the Garlic Bread And French Bread Dough Recipe, you've gotten to this point.

You have chosen this option well, Grasshoppa!

What I've chosen to do is to braid my bread so that it becomes pull-apart serving.

You'll need:

     Butter

     Garlic paraphernalia

     Cheese some sort of white, I use mozzarella because I can't find white cheddar locally
  Dough from the  Garlic Bread And French Bread Dough Recipe

To make 2 baguettes: Section the dough into 2 pieces. Roll each out into a long noodle almost the length of the cookie sheet. Wrap the ends underneath and make sure any seams are on the bottom (touching the pan). Lay them both on the cookie sheet a few inches apart. Cover with the oiled cling wrap.

To braid: Section the dough into 3 separate pieces. I've found it easiest to loosely roll the dough and then pinch and twist to separate.

Roll (literally roll the dough, not "use a rolling pin to roll it flat". you're making a strand, here.) each section out to the length you'd like your bread to be. It WILL stretch out a bit more during it's second rising so don't worry.

Fun Fact: Rolling the dough lines up the grains, so to speak. When you pull garlic bread apart you'll notice that the bread all sort of goes one way. Think "string cheese".

It's much easier to have one person hold the ends together while you braid the rest (exactly like hair only less pulling and whining) but if you don't have someone around, just start braiding one side and then go to the other side and braid it out. Make sure to pinch the ends together and tuck them underneath. Try not to pull on the strands too much, it will break them. Cover loosely with the oiled cling wrap.

NOW: Preheat your oven to 350* and let the dough rise for about 20 minutes or so. As the loaf is rising you can very gently lift the ends one side at a time and tug it longer. I do this about 3 or 4 times.

Bake it for about 20 minutes.

I'm sure you've remembered to take the cling wrap off first.

While the bread is baking, make a mixture of butter and your favorite garlic seasonings. I take a stick of unsalted butter, put it into a cup and shake my California Blend Garlic Salt into it, add a bit of minced garlic and microwave it until it's melted. Taste and add garlic as necessary.

Pull the loaf of the oven and brush it with the garlic butter mixture.

Bake for another 5 minutes. It should be lightly browned.

Slice your cheese into 1" squares (one square for every "bump" or inch if baguette)

Take the loaf out and let it cool for 15 minutes. Keep the oven on.

After the bread has cooled, cut slits 2/3 into each bump and down the center in a zigzag (if you've chosen to make 2 baguettes instead of 1 loaf, you would cut a slit about every inch) taking care not to cut down to the bottom.

Use a brush to fill the slits with the garlic butter mixture. Press 1 cheese square into every bump (or inch, if baguette).

DRENCH the loaf with the rest of the garlic butter mixture and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.

SERVE IMMEDIATELY

Garlic Bread and French Bread Dough Recipe

OOoooOOOooOOoo SOOKIE SOOKIE

That's right, it's the bread you've been waiting for!! This recipe is EXTREMELY versatile and I'm going to show you TWO different ways to use this recipe today along with a few Super Tips that you'll be able to use for the rest. of your. culinary. LIFE.

Let's get our stuff together!

     1 C Milk warm

     1 tbsp Honey

     2 1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast or 1 packet

     3 C Bread Flour  no bread flour? no worry! use regular flour if you need to, it'll be fine

     1 tsp Salt

   

To warm the milk you'll want to use a microwave safe container, microwave and stir in 20 second increments. You don't want to burn the milk or break it down any more than absolutely necessary. If you don't have a thermometer (I don't) you'll know its warm enough when it's not as warm as you'd like to drink your coffee or espresso. You know the temp I'm talking about. The one where you take a sip and make the face because it's all in-between and weird so you head over to the microwave because you were REALLY looking forward to having an amazing sip and it was just TOO gross. THAT temperature. I suppose people call it lukewarm, whatever...

While you're microwaving your milk, put your tightly sealed honey container in your kitchen sink on it's side and run hot water over it. I've found that this is the best way to get my honey moving (other than crying or yelling) and you're doing two things at the same time, you ANIMAL you!

If you're REALLY talented <bowing> you'll also be measuring out the yeast into your mixing bowl.

Just a "real quick" here, use a knife with a flat edge on the back

to flatten out your measurements. Scoop and Scrape, people! 

Scoop and Scrape! 

Except flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup 

and THEN scrape! This will ensure consistent amounts.

So you've got your yeast in the mixing bowl, pour in your NOT-HOT milk and then measure in your tablespoon of honey. Your yeast will be warm and snug and have plenty of food so just let it relax for 5 minutes while you prepare your cookie sheet.

     

Pour a dash of olive oil on your cookie sheet, spread a sheet of cling wrap over it and rub it in well so that the cling wrap has a fine film on it. Peel the cling wrap back to one side and go back to your yeast/honey/milk mixture.

Add in 1 C of the flour, stir once or twice.

StoryTime Break: one day I only had 1 1/2 C of my bread flour left so I used that along with 1 1/2 C of my all-purpose unbleached white flour. It turned out JUST FINE. The bread flour has more gluten in it which makes it stretchier and chewier but no one (including me) noticed a difference. The End

Add the teaspoon of salt, stir once or twice.

-option at this point: add a dash of garlic powder (NOT garlic salt or minced garlic) to the mix-

Add 1 C of the flour, stir once or twice. 

Add the last C of the flour and stir (or use the "fold" option on your mixer. I love my Cuisinart) until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl.

By Hand: knead for 8 to 10 minutes until dough is no longer sticky and stretches well.

By Stand Mixer: mix on LOW (2) using the dough hook for 8 to 10 minutes until dough is no longer sticky and stretches well.

Wrap the dough into a ball with any seams being on the bottom. Pinch seams together.

Roll the ball on the oiled cookie sheet until the outside is covered in a layer of olive oil.

 Cover the ball of dough loosely with the cling wrap. Too tight will cause the ball to not expand as well.

Let the dough rise for about an hour until it is doubled in size.

Peel back the cling wrap and push the dough flat with your hands. I love this part!

Now you have a few choices as to what you can do with the dough! Click the links to find directions for the choices.

1. Make Barton's Cheesy Buttery Garlic Bread

OR

2. Make The Best French Bread

  

     of which I do not have a "Fully Cooked" photo of because my sweet loved ones at home consumed it before it could be taken.

Either one of the recipe's would go well with my Baked Spaghetti (pictured is The Best Garlic Bread)

No matter what you decide to make with it, for a loaf this size you'll want to bake at 350* for 25 minutes with the Barton's Cheesy Buttery Garlic Bread having a few more steps after that initial bake time.


As always, PLEASE leave any comments, questions or suggestions as I am motivated by the feedback I receive.

Can I Bob's Red Mill in a Crock Pot?

I bought a few packages of Bob's Red Mill products that said "gluten free" for my best friend for her birthday. She has fibromyalgia AND a few allergies, one of them being legumes. I didn't remember the legumes until after I bought them and 3 of them (all purpose baking flour, bread mix, biscuit mix) were made with garbanzo bean flour. ARGH! So I gave her the brownie mix and corn bread mix (laaaaamest present ever!). I thought about making the brownies and bringing them to her but that would make me feel like, "you may not want to eat a brownie right now but you have to because I made them and here they are, already made, so eat. Now." I know that's probably not how it would have gone down but I think if you make something, the person is pretty much obligated to try it right then and there and maybe she didn't feel like a brownie. I do not want to be a brownie pusher. "Hey man... Psssst... hey.. I'll sell you a dime-bag of brownies for a dollar, man!" You know, like that.

I hadn't crocked anything in a few days and was feeling the itch when I got home last night (I can quit any time, I tell ya!) And here were these three little bags of Bob's Red Mill just a-staring at me with their soulful little cellophanes practically BEGGING me to make one. I chose the bread and figured, well, I'm not going to lose anything if it doesn't work out.

Did you read my Honey Wheat Bread post? If you did or when you do, you'll know that I realize I need a stand mixer. Baaaaad. I wasn't going to make another dough until I got one because a hand mixer just isn't good for dough. I KNOW this. I was aware of this going into the Bob's Red Mill Bread Mix.

*sigh*

And I did it anyway.

I rinsed my crock under hot water because I don't want a cold crock near anything that's going to have yeast in it. I then greased it very well and remembering how hard it was to get the Honey Wheat Bread out, this time after I greased (with Crisco as always) I floured it. I threw a handful of all purpose flour in it, rolled it around and coated the inside. Then I opened my kitchen window and dumped it out (the flour, not the crock, although I have lost quite a few things through the window this way and my loving husband usually retrieves it for me. Anything to keep the good food coming his way!) into my garden. I love having my garden right outside the kitchen and I love the cycle of food into compost into garden into food! Our animals know that special spot and between the dogs, cats, rabbits and chickens, whatever we dump gets used and the rest spread into the garden. Do you have random lumps, hills, or mountains of soil, compost, animal bedding or rabbit poo? Get yourself some chickens! They do a wonderful job of spreading piles out completely flat! Chickens is where its at!

I took the little packet of yeast out of the mix, microwaved my bowl for 10 seconds to warm it up, poured in the milk, added yeast and covered it with a paper towel. I let that sit to foam for 5 minutes and went to put together the rest of the ingredients.

Not everything goes smoothly, I don't know everything, sometimes I can be a bit ditzy... I read, "1 whole egg plus enough egg whites to make 3/4 of a cup." Okaaaaaay... did that mean I put the whole egg in the measuring cup AND THEN add egg whites into the cup until it hit the 3/4 mark? Or did I add 1 whole egg to the bowl and then fill a measuring cup to the 3/4 mark with egg whites? I still don't know the answer to that.

My chickens have had a cold (one of them was sneezing & wheezing) and are currently on antibiotics so I'm running a bit low on eggs at the moment and I decided to see how far the whites of my remaining eggs would get me before I decided where to put the whole egg. I started separating eggs into the measuring cup (yolk out the window) and it barely registered so I panicked and the last 4 eggs I had went in whole and I ended up dumping 3/4 C total of eggs into the mix, not 1 whole egg plus 3/4. I added the mix and the  apple cider vinegar it called for and got out my trusty hand mixer. There was dried Honey Wheat Bread dough stuck up inside and I knocked as much loose as I could. I girded my loins and prepared to flick the switch, not knowing if it would work (quite a lot of dough had gotten in there) or if it would smoke or maybe shoot flames... and I turned it on (picture me holding it an arms length away).

Quite disappointing that nothing spectacular happened other than  the whir of the beaters rotating. I dipped it into the dough oh-so-gingerly, spatula in my left hand to beat back any encroaching dough, and started mixing. A little less than a minute of the 3 required minutes in, my mixer started bogging down. I started furiously scraping it away from the mixer itself (it kept rising on the beaters) and it got away from me and into the housing. Again. And all over a good portion of my kitchen because I freaked and pulled it out of the bowl.

Sh*#%$!!

I mixed it as well as I could with the spatula and plopped it into the crock pot. It had a lot of peaks and wasn't settling down and (let me repeat) I know nothing about dough so I figured OH WELL. Its going to do what it'll do. I set the warmer on high, timer for 3 hours.

It rose so much that I had to put a heavy pan on top of the crock's lid to keep it down! It looked like brains, though, and not a smooth fluffy bread. It looked sort of like a giant dumpling.

I let it cook for about 2 1/2 hours, took the crock out of the warmer and let that sit for another 1/2 hour. Thanks to my genius idea of flouring the crock, it came out easily and onto a plate. I let it cool for another 10 minutes and carefully sliced it with a bread knife (it is important to use a bread knife on bread -it won't smash it) and buttered a slice. It was... okay. I think it will make okay toast but I haven't tried it yet. I know it would have turned out better had I been able to mix it properly but instead I ended up with a hideous chud of a loaf of bread.

Can I Bob's Red Mill in a crock pot?

I'm going to say... no. Not really. Not yet.

UPDATE 12/05/11:    No! It was most definitely NOT good as toast. My husband really loved it with the Incredibly Edible Elk Stew (recipe to come at some point) and tried getting me to taste it that way. Luckily for him, he was able to duck my flying fork. *shudder*

Honey Wheat Bread

Next we have an excellent Honey Wheat Bread. I will keep this short and sweet, only telling you that I totally ruined my own because SOMEHOW the temp knob got turned to warm and it ended up almost burnt on the outside, too gooey in the middle, and perfect in between. I used a 100% organic fine-milled whole wheat flour that was grown, milled, and packaged by a farm in Montana. It sounds exotic that way. I'm really trying to distract you from asking the name because I CANNOT REMEMBER IT and I want to tell you the name of the brand because I like it very much. The flavor and texture of the "done right" part of the bread was extremely good and I do intend to make it again... right, this time!

     

  Honey Wheat Bread
     
     2/3 C powdered milk
     2 C warm water

  Dissolve the milk in the warm water, then add:

     1/4 C honey
    .25oz (packet) or 2 1/4  tsp active dry yeast

  Grease your crock! Now add:
   
     3/4 tsp salt
     2tbs vegetable oil
     1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
     1/2 C flour

  Mix on LOW for 2 minutes then add:

     1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
     1/2 C flour

At this point it was really getting thick, bogging down my hand mixer so I figured, "Hey, let's kick this speed up a notch!" Wrong choice. SO wrong. I now have dough all up in my mixer's grill and I can't get it out. On the positive side, it's a great excuse to buy a new mixer!! It will have to be another hand mixer because I can't quite afford a KitchenAid mixer. Someday we will be together, KitchenAid Mixer. On this day, I vow that I will wait for you!

*ahem*

Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours. Do not do what I did. Make sure you have it on HIGH and that it does not get bumped. Maybe make a little fortress around it using coffee cups and forks? Please post pictures of your attempts at fort making and as always, please post any comments, feedback, questions and ENJOY!

Bread in a Crock Pot. Seriously!

White Bread

I know, I know... it's not the best picture ever but it was scared to leave the house for a photo shoot. I snuck up on it and took this photo before I had the blog going. Next time I promise I'll hire some hunky model to hold it and I'll drape him in nothing but an apron. You want blonde or brunette? -You're welcome-

Before we get to the recipe (I'm going to make you wait for it. You have to read this boring part first. Yes, I'm aware that you can just scroll down but I'm counting on your kind nature and willpower to refrain.) I'm going to make sure you understand a few things first. Maybe you have no one to give you tips but me (I'm honored) or maybe you're a pro, but I'm going to share the little bit I learned thus far (it's not much but it's all I have and yes, I talk like this in real life. With parenthesis and everything. You should see my "air quote", it's quite something.) and I'm going to share it in a very slow, easy to understand manner. Some of you may be new crockers :)

Always grease your crock. CROCK, you dirty minded little bugger! I use unflavored Crisco and I buy the sticks in bulk. Grab a paper towel, wrap it around a few of your fingers, swipe it through the end of the Crisco bar until you have a nice chunk on there and swab the inside of your crock with it. Don't forget to go up around the top too and make sure you've got the L of the bottom meeting the sidewall very well. Using a paper towel will keep most of the grease off of your hand and what soaks through is a great hand moisturizer! Win-win!

The bowl you use to place the yeast in when you're activating it... make it a glass or ceramic one and microwave it for about 10 seconds before you put anything in it. Warmth is your friend when it comes to yeast!

I'm not sure if I have to say this or not, so I will. Never have the warmer ON before you have a crock full of stuff in it! There is never a need to pre-warm the warmer or pre-warm an empty crock. Crocks work best when 3/4 full anyway.

Still here? Wow, you made it pretty far! To the recipemobile!!

  White Bread

      .25oz(packet) or 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
      1 tsp sugar
      1/4 C warm water

      Combine those in a bowl. Allow yeast to foam, about 5 minutes (this is when I usually grease the crock). 

  Add:

      1 egg
      1/4 C vegetable oil
      1 C lukewarm water
      1 tsp salt
      1/4 C sugar
      2 C flour

   Beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes. With a wooden spoon, stir in:

      1 1/2 to 2 C flour

Place dough in greased 4 to 5 quart crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours. Remove stoneware from cooker & let stand 5 minutes before slicing. 


I really enjoyed this recipe. As it is, it created a wonderful bread great for buttering to accompany your dinner or toasted and spread with my homemade raspberry jam (made with raspberries from my very own garden. I will share that recipe next year when my raspberry bushes ripen again!) but since I can't give you MY jam, it will probably taste almost as good with yours!

Please make sure to post feedback, questions, or ideas of your own!