The best beginner-friendly bread machine recipes are the ones with few ingredients and the machine’s basic or quick cycle: a white sandwich loaf, honey whole wheat, a simple French loaf, cinnamon raisin bread and pizza dough on the dough cycle. The five below all make a 1 1/2 pound loaf.
Add ingredients in the order your machine’s manual gives. Most machines take liquids first, then flour, with the yeast last and kept away from the liquid. Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and levelling it, which fixes most beginner loaves.
1. Basic White Sandwich Bread
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water (about 80°F)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or softened butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 teaspoons active dry or instant (bread machine) yeast
Cycle: basic or white, medium crust. It is the loaf to make first, because it teaches you how your machine behaves.
2. Honey Whole Wheat Bread
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour + 1 1/2 cups bread flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
Cycle: whole wheat. Half white bread flour keeps it from turning into a brick. Once you are comfortable, move toward an all-whole-wheat loaf.
3. Simple French Bread
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
Cycle: French. It has no fat, which gives a crisper crust, and it is best eaten the same day.
4. Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Make the basic white recipe, adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon with the flour and an extra tablespoon of sugar. Add 3/4 cup of raisins at the machine’s add-in beep, or about 5 minutes before the end of the last knead. Cycle: sweet or basic, light crust, because extra sugar browns faster.
5. Pizza Dough (Dough Cycle)
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 3/4 cups bread flour
- 2 teaspoons yeast
Run the dough cycle, then shape two 12-inch pizzas and bake them in your oven at 475°F for 12 to 15 minutes. The machine does only the kneading and rising.
Beginner Troubleshooting
- Loaf collapsed or sunken top: too much yeast or liquid. Cut the yeast by 1/4 teaspoon or the water by 1 tablespoon.
- Short, dense loaf: too much flour (it was scooped, not spooned), old yeast, or salt touching the yeast.
- Check the dough ball: 5 minutes into kneading it should be smooth and slightly tacky. Add water or flour 1 tablespoon at a time to fix it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use all-purpose flour? Yes, but loaves rise less. Bread flour is more forgiving in a machine.
- Can I use the delay timer? Only with recipes that have no milk, eggs or other perishables. All five of the loaves above qualify.
Related
- Unflavored Egg White Protein Powder Recipes for Healthy Meals
- Top Rated Egg White Recipes for Healthy, Delicious Meals
- Starbucks Egg White Bites Recipe: Healthy & Delicious at Home