Simple French Bread for the Bread Machine

Crusty on the outside with a soft and tender airy crumb on the inside. Hot from the bread machine this bread is hard to beat! 

With everyone at home baking has boomed.  The grocery stores are low on stock for everything you need to bake with.  I got lucky and found some flour, yeast, baking powder, chocolate chips (gotta have them!) and a few odds and ends to bake, and I was a happy camper.

Several weeks ago I posted a recipe for Basic White Bread Machine Bread and it was a major hit, so I thought I'd bring you another version of bread using a bread machine.   Let's make french bread!  So while your typical French bread comes in a baguette this one is in loaf form since it is made in a bread machine.  You can certainly use the dough only setting and then form the dough into a baguette if you prefer but I'm going to take the easy route and make it in my bread machine.  It really is a dump and go method which I just love.

So what is the outcome?  Crusty on the outside with a soft and tender airy crumb on the inside. Hot from the bread machine this bread is hard to beat!  This recipe make a 1 lb. loaf and is best eaten within a few days.  It's great for making toast, sandwiches, garlic bread, slathered with butter along side soup, and makes a mean french toast.

Any way you choose to eat it, you'll love this bread!

Enjoy!

Simple French Bread for the Bread Machine

1 - 1 lb. loaf

2/3 cup warm water
1 tsp margarine or butter softened
2 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp quick acting yeast or regular yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan in order listed.  Close lid and set your bread type.  Mine has a French setting.  Otherwise use the White setting.  Choose crust color, and then hit the start button.

Remove bread pan when completed.  After about 5 minutes, gently shake the pan to dislodge the loaf, and turn it out onto a rack to cool.

Store, well-wrapped, on the counter for 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months

Basic White Bread Machine Bread

Light and fluffy homemade bread straight from your bread machine.  Hot from the oven and slathered with butter will have you swooning for more!

Yum

I hope this post finds you and your family safe and healthy.

It's day 18 of our Safer at Home quarantine in Los Angeles.  I have to tell you the first couple of days anxiety was running high for me and I was either a step away from crying or snapping someone's head off.  The fear of what this could turn in to was eating away at me. Here's what helped me: 

• A Mantra: "I'm safe, I'm healthy..."
• Deep breathing/or Meditation
• Create a daily schedule or routine
• Daily Exercise
• Get Fresh Air
• Limit the news broadcasting
• Do something enjoyable or adopt a hobby
• Go to bed at a decent hour and getting rest.

Just to mention one of the items above.  Incorporating exercise in to my daily routine has been a lifesaver. Just 30 minutes a day is uplifting. Not only does it fill your body with endorphins (mood enhancer!) and energy, it's also a stress reliever. My favorite exercise routines comes from Body Groove.  Misty Tripoli takes dance down to a basic level and creates exercise routines that allows you to dance doing basic steps "your way".  So however you do it is perfect. There is no right or wrong way to move...just move and dance and have fun!  I just love her routines.  You can find them in the link provided as she has them on DVD, on Demand, and you can even find some of them on YouTube.  You should definitely check them out.

So the grocery stores are still bare and everyone is hoarding the bread (along with the toilet paper!) So what to do?  Well I say we dust off that old Bread Machine Maker and make some homemade fresh bread.  So out to the garage I went to find my trusty machine and went to work.  

Making bread in a bread machine is really, really easy.  This bread recipe is outstanding. The best, EASY yeast bread for a bread machine. Beginners will love how simple it is and everyone will appreciate a warm loaf of homemade bread.  This is a wonderful project to do with your kids as well.

What do you need to make bread?

• milk
• flour
• water
• butter
• sugar
• yeast

This particular recipe comes from King Arthur Flour and uses their unbleached all-purpose flour (which I just love and always use anyway) instead of bread flour. Their flour has a high protein level (11.7%), and the quality of that protein, allows you to use it in recipes calling for either bread flour or all-purpose flour. This recipe makes a reliably high-rising loaf, with soft, springy texture and nicely balanced flavor.


5 minutes of hands-on time and you will be set! In about 3 1/2 hours you will have a wonderful homemade loaf of bread that will be perfect fresh and hot, slathered with butter. Make sandwiches, toast it, soak up that gravy or pan sauce, dunk it in soups and stews. Make bruschetta, garlic bread, or even grilled cheese. Yum!

Enjoy!

Basic White Bread Machine Bread

source:  King Arthur Flour



For small (1-pound) machine

2/3 cup (152g) lukewarm water
1/4 cup (57g) lukewarm milk
2 tablespoons (28g) butter
2 1/2 cups (298g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
5 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast or instant yeast

Instructions:

Put all of the ingredients into your machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.

Program the machine for basic white bread, and press Start.

When the loaf is done, remove the pan from the machine. After about 5 minutes, gently shake the pan to dislodge the loaf, and turn it out onto a rack to cool.

Store, well-wrapped, on the counter for 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Breakfast Baking with King Arthur Flour: Cranberry Sticky Buns

By the time you read this I'll be on my way to a much needed vacation.

I'm going to wine country! I'll be knee deep in luscious grapes and loving every minute of it.

Before I leave I had to bring you the last installment of my Sur La Table cooking class.

Sur La Table has partnered with King Arthur Flour to present a fun, hands-on class featuring Breakfast Baking.

King Arthur Flour is America’s oldest flour company, founded in Boston in 1790 bringing top-quality flours to bakers in the United States. Today they reside in Vermont and produce some of the best flours I've ever used. I use them for all my flour needs. Make sure to try them. The flour is so tender and produces some of the best products you will ever make.

Today I'm bringing you the last item that we made, Cranberry Sticky Buns. These are a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour so they have a more nutty flavor which is perfect for fall. With the cranberries and the nuts you can't beat the flavor. They are delicious and I hope you enjoy them.

Note: Don't be put off by the long directions. They mostly explain the dough process, which is really quite easy. Try them you'll love them!

My previous item from this Breakfast Baking with King Arthur Flour is here. (Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake) and here. (Sausage, Apple, and Cheddar Pocket Pies)

Cranberry Sticky Buns

The Dough
2 eggs
warm water (to make 2 cups)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon or packet active dry yeast
2 tablespoons butter, softened, or vegetable oil
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
2 cups King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Cranberry Filling
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 to 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar (depending on how tart or sweet you like your cranberries)
3 cups fresh cranberries or 1 cup dried cranberries (or more or less)
1/2 to 1 cup chopped or ground nuts (optional; leave out, or add even more)

Making the Dough: Break the eggs into a two-cup liquid measure and fill the balance with warm water. Pour this into a mixing bowl and beat until thoroughly blended.

Add and dissolve the sugar and yeast. Let this mixture work until it's bubbly and expanded, 5 to 10 minutes. Then beat in the butter or oil and the dry milk.

When all of this is thoroughly blended, add the whole wheat flour and salt. Stir in 3 cups of unbleached flour until the mixture holds together and pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Kneading & Rising: Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board. This dough will be sticky, so keep your hands well floured. Knead for 3 to 4 minutes, adding only enough flour to keep it from sticking to the board or you. Use a dough scraper to help if you need to.

Give the dough a rest while you clean and grease your bowl. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. (This will happen, even with a soft dough such as this.) Place it in the greased bowl, cover, put it somewhere cozy, and let it rise until you can poke your finger in it without it springing back, between 1 1/2 and 2 hours. 

Preparing the Filling: While the dough is rising, gather the ingredients for the filling.

If you're using fresh cranberries, cut them in half and simmer them in a saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of water and the greater amount of sugar for 8 to 10 minutes. Keep the heat low and give the mixture an occasional stir.

If you're using dried cranberries, put aside one quarter of the filling ingredients for later.

Shaping & Rising: Half of this dough will fill a 9-inch cake pan. The whole recipe needs a medium-sized roasting pan. If you brush your pans with a thin film of shortening (even before buttering them), it will help prevent sticking.

Punch the dough down and roll it into a large rectangle, about 12 x 24 inches (or, if you haven't the room, two smaller ones, 9 x 16 inches). The dough should be somewhere between 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick.

Spread the softened butter on the rectangle(s), leaving a half an inch around the outside edge unbuttered.

If you're using the fresh cranberries mixture, spread all of it on the surface of the dough leaving, again, a half an inch clear. Starting with the long edge, roll the dough up like a jelly roll. Pinch the outside edge tightly to the main body of the dough. Don't worry about how it looks.

Since this mixture is quite gloppy, lift the roll gently (or cut it in half if you're using two pans) and place it in the pan(s) you intend to bake them in. Cut the roll into 3/4- to 1-inch slices. Arrange them so they have room to expand. Some of the filling will ooze out but don't worry. This becomes the glaze on top after you turn them out of the pan. Cover the buns and let them rise for 45 minutes to an hour.

If you're using dried cranberries, sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter, then the cranberries, and finally the nuts (if you're so moved).

Butter and sugar your pan with the ingredients you had set aside. (You can even throw some cranberries and nuts in as well.)

Starting with the long edge, roll the dough up like a jelly roll. Pinch the outside edge to the main body of the dough. Cut the roll into 3/4- to 1-inch slices. Place the slices in the prepared pans with a bit of space between them so they have room to expand. Cover the buns and let them rise for 45 minutes to an hour.

Baking: Place the pan in a cold oven and set the temperature to 400°F for 15 minutes. During this 15 minutes, the buns will finish rising and assume their final, wonderful, expanded shape.

After this 15-minute period, turn the temperature down to 350°F for a further 20 to 30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes. If there's the slightest aroma of browning sugar, turn the temperature down to 325°F for the final 10 minutes.

Turning Out: While these buns are still hot, loosen the sides a bit with a knife. Then find a plate or platter that will accommodate them.

Invert the platter over the baking pan, flip them both over and allow the baking pan to stay in place for a few minutes to allow everything to come out. (Anything left in the bottom of the pan is fair game for the cook and the helpers.) 

source:  King Arthur Flour.com

Strawberry Hot Cross Buns

In your Easter Bonnet...

With all the frills upon it...

You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade....

Just love that song, don't you?

One of my favorite Holidays is coming. Easter time is here!
I love bunnies, I love spring, I love chocolate bunnies...!
Everything about Easter reminds me of my childhood. Waiting patiently for the Easter egg hunt. Hunting eggs over and over all day long. Getting a new Easter dress, with shiny shoes. Coloring eggs, and oh the feast! My mom would make a roasted turkey with all the fixing for a wonderful spring meal!

Last year MGG and I celebrated Easter at the LA Arboretum. A beautiful garden full of native CA flowers and trees, and plants, also the home of the famous house from Fantasy Island, and the highlight is the live peacock's that are walking around.

This year we decided to stay home, enjoy the nice spring weather, and to cook our Easter feast! What will you do this Easter?

I'm planning my menu now. You can check out some of my ideas on Pinterest under "Easter". I just LOVE Pinterest...although I dare say it's addicting. (New goal - Cook items collected on Pinterest! One per month!) I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, that it can get away from you. 


 Isn't he just fabulous?!!!









So to get you in the mood for Easter, or just spring in general I've made a wonderful dish for you today.

Strawberry Hot Cross Buns!  Typically served on Good Friday.  These wonderful buns are nicely sweet and studded with strawberries.  A nice twist on the original recipe.  

 A lot of people will bake a pastry strip into the buns for the cross, but I prefer to just pipe a cross on  the buns with a sweet sugar glaze made from mixing confectioners sugar (powdered or icing sugar) with a  little milk. (See what a mess I made with my thumb on the icing above?  oh well, they're rustic!)  These are a yeast bread, so make sure to have the time needed to make these.  You won't be disappointed!

Kitchen Tip:  These are perfect to make in your Bread Machine!  Just make sure to use the dough only setting.

Strawberry Hot Cross Buns

Make 12 buns


1 cup milk                                       
1 package active dry yeast           
1/2 t sugar                       
3 1/2 c flour       
1/4 c light brown sugar                     
1 t cinnamon                                
1/2 t salt                                         
5 T unsalted butter, melted         
1 large egg, lightly beaten                          
2/3 c dried strawberries                                     
 

Glaze:                                                   
                                                
1/2 c confectioners sugar
1 T milk              



In a small saucepan heat the milk until lukewarm over low heat. Add the yeast and 1/2 t sugar, stirring to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes until foamy.

In a mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and beat until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the melted butter and egg and beat until incorporated. Fold in the dried fruit and knead the dough until it is silky smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning the dough once, so the top is lightly greased. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until it has almost doubled in size, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

After the dough has doubled, gently punch it down and divide in into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball and place on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment. Leave space between the buns as they will need to rise again. Make an egg was with a beaten egg and milk, brush the tops of the buns with the wash. Lightly spray a piece of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray and place over the buns. Place in a warm spot and allow to rise about 60 minutes more.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the top of the buns again with the egg wash. Place in the over and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool Before glazing.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioners sugar and milk in a small bowl. Once the buns have completely cooled pipe or drizzle the glaze across the buns horizontally and vertically to form a cross. Allow to set before serving.