Almost Homemade – White Bread

This is a really simple example of almost homemade bread from a bread machine.  As it happens, we have a two-pound loaf size bread machine.  However, most of the bread machine mixes available at my local grocer are 1 ½ pound sizes.  So, we stretch them to take full advantage of our bread machine.

Please note, to keep this example simple, we have not done all the substitutions, which we would normally consider doing (e.g. oil).  However, this loaf of bread was very nice and worth sharing.

To stretch the packaged bread mix ingredients, at the time of loading bread machine, add:

• Add 1 cup general purpose flour or 1 cup and two tablespoons of cake flour. We like to use cake flour because it seems to make the bread softer to us.
• Add ½ teaspoon yeast
• Add ¼ cup (2oz) water (if not adding egg).
• Add 1 Large egg (replace water above). Adding is a strictly optional, white bread does not require it.  We add it to increase the protein (large egg, 7 Grams or Jumbo egg, 7.9 Grams).   Truthfully, here, we just go with a jumbo egg and find it does not alter the result or cooking time

Load Your Bread Machine

• Generally, this is done adding the liquids first, followed by the dry ingredients, and yeast last. Following this order keeps the yeast separate from the liquid ingredients until the kneading cycle begins. However, you may check your owner’s manual and use the order recommended specifically for your machine.

Bread Machine Cook Cycle

• Set your bread machine for a for the appropriate loaf size, crust darkness, white bread setting, and start the baking process. The basic or white bread cycle, typically, takes 3 to 4 hours and intended for use with many simple bread recipes.