Application Guide

whimsically formed dinner rolls or round country-style loaves and then bake them in a
conventional oven. You can almost hear the old French baker sighing, “c’est un scan-
dale!” at the mere thought of automating his revered techniques.
A loaf of bread made in the machine is, just like handmade bread, su-
perior in nutrition, texture, and taste to its commercially produced, store-bought
cousin. Homemade bread is free of additives, colorants, preservatives, and chemical
fixatives. Whenever you have such control over what you put in your bread, you are al-
most guaranteed quality. While hand-wrought loaves boast an appealing visual charm,
each loaf baked in the machine is the same shape as its baking pan. Even so, I find that
the loaves fresh from the machine have their own special beauty, eliciting oohs and
ahhs from the most stalwart bakers. The aroma and sight of homemade bread are pow-
erfully good—just try to resist tearing off the end of one of these still-warm loaves.
These sensory experiences are part of baking’s pleasure.
In baking, breads are traditionally defined by the kind of flour used,
whether they have yeast or not, their shape, and their added flavorings, all of which
give each bread its intrinsic character. Within this book, the recipes vary in each of
these regards, with something designed for every type of baker—an impressive variety
of breads, from the simple and familiar to the innovative and challenging. There are
breads for the health fanatic, breads for those with a sweet tooth, and even breads for
those who cannot eat gluten. There are breads loaded with familiar and not-so-familiar
ingredients, inventive flat breads, and even artisan breads using the old techniques,
adapted here for the bread machine. You will recognize the better-known breads, such
as egg breads, yeasted white and whole grain breads, pumpernickel and other ryes, and
French bread. The rich and evocative sweet holiday breads, breakfast breads, flatbreads
and focaccia, and some of the quick breads may be new areas for you to discover.
There is a section on baking with commercial bread mixes and one devoted to pizza, a
distinct favorite of home bread machine bakers. You will learn to make them all if you
choose. This collection is composed largely of recipes that are made from start to fin-
ish in the machine. They are based on classic formulas that never go out of style be-
cause they are the prescribed universal laws of baking. Each simple ingredient reveals
under tones of flavor created by the time-honored, ageless principles of harmony and
balance in baking. Good, fresh ingredients need little to unlock their natural flavors.
When you have made just a few loaves in the bread machine, you
will already have acquired the confidence that you are a good baker, and you will hap-
pily find that your loaves are suitable for accompanying meals, making sandwiches or
toast, or using in other recipes. Whether you bake for daily consumption or for the fes-
tive holiday, baking with the bread machine is an opportunity to showcase your well-
cultivated or newly awakened talents as a baker. If you like ultimate flavor merged
with ultimate convenience in homemade bread, this appliance is for you. Baking bread
in a bread machine is an easy, satisfying task, and more fun than you can imagine. In
the chapter that follows, Orientation, I guide you into the machine’s workings and fea-
tures and through the pantry so you can set your reservations aside and start right now
to enjoy baking in your bread machine as much as I do. I wish I could incorporate into
these pages the sensuous aromas of these breads as they are going through their cycles
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