Perfection?? That's an understatement! It's gorgeous Clare.

Simply beautiful!

Nancy

Wish I could dial into smell-a-vision. That looks scrumptious. I'm heading your way with a stick of butter and a jar of jam!

seagrass

Thanks everyone! What is it about homemade bread? I wanted to sit down with some butter and eat the whole thing myself.
Clare

Well, YUM! I agree with Clare . . . my self control simply leaves when bread comes out of the oven. Perfection indeed!

Arlene

That's gorgeous Clare!!! I had to show my husband because he was wondering what the heck I was oohing and aahing over. :) He just laughed and agreed that it's beautiful.

That's one beautiful loaf. I'd take that over sweets any day!

Sue

Gorgeous is an understatement. Is there anything better than fresh baked bread?

Ann

That is gorgeous...
I've been baking bread alot lately...It's so wonderful the smell in the house....today I had a turkey sandwich made from Oatmeal Maple Bread, schmeared with some cranberry butter I made too.....delish!

I usually make WW bread so this was a nice change. It has a very good taste for an all white bread, a tany buttermilk flavor that you get using buttermilk powder. If anyone is interested I will post the recipe. It was great with dinner and DS can't wait to have his PB&J on it tomorrow. I think I will try it as toast in the morning with homemade marmalade. We might still have a couple of slices left to have with dinner tomorrow night or maybe not. I cut 3 pieces and DH ate two, DS and I split one. I guess I will have to make another loaf.
Thanks again for the compliments.
Clare

Yes, Clare, please do post the recipe. It is indeed gorgeous! And here I am sitting here smelling my turkey stock cooking. I'd sure love to have a slice of that bread to go with a nice 'testing' cup of the stock. Would be an excellent post midnight snack. Smiles.

That looks so good. I wish I had a slice or two to toast for breakfast.

That looks like the perfect loaf of bread. Beautiful.

/tricia

I'd love the recipe too. It's looks wonderful and I swear I can smell it !

I like the idea of using the bread machine to knead the dough. My arthritis is making it hard to do the kneading but I never liked the taste of bread machine bread. Maybe I get the old thing out of the basement, dust it off and give this a try, Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful: traveling and cooking with grandpa

Chaplainkent, The best thing about using a bread machine to knead the dough is that it will knead more than just the two or three cups of flour that most bread machine recipes call for.

Years ago, I use to use a bread machine to knead the dough for Italian bread. It was a very wet dough that took a long knead time for it to come together enough that it could be finished kneading by hand.

I use to knead up to 6 cups of flour in mine, and I would just reset the kneading function 2 or 3 times. What you do have to be careful with though, is whether your particular machine model has a preheat setting after it kneads. Mine didn't so I could just continue to reset it to knead. But a friend of mine had a different brand, and hers did heat automatically so she wasn't able to use her machine to knead dough multiple times.

I gave my Bread Maker away when I bought the Electrolux Mixer.

Ann

I drool over the Kitchen Aide and Electro lux mixers which will do dough. I still use the wedding present Sunbeam we got when people thought the wife was the cook in the family. However, I do have a dusty bread maker in the basement someone gave me as a present when they were popular so I am definitely going to give it a try. By the way why did those contraptions make such awful bread?

Here is a link that might be useful: traveling and cooking with grandpa

chaplainkent - I can only do one batch in mine which is 3 cups of flour at most. I reset it and do the kneading twice. I have to unplug it to reset it. Works great to do all the mixing and kneading then I bake in oven. I have a a 20 YO Welbilt that makes a 1 lb loaf.
Clare

Here is the recipe for 1 1/2 loaf.

Buttermilk Bread
2 1/2 Teaspoons Dry Yeast
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoon Sugar (or 3 Tabs. Honey or Maple Syrup)
4 Tablespoons Powdered Buttermilk
1 Tablespoon Sweet (unsalted) Butter
1 Cup Warm Water

Follow the directions in your bread machine's instruction manual.

I stop it after the first kneading step and reset to knead again. Sometimes at that point I have to add 2 Tabs or more flour to get the right feel if it is too sticky. Then I take it out and put it in the greased (with butter) pan I will bake it in. Then I let it rise for 30-40 minutes or until it passes the poke test.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.

Looks like a super loaf of bread to me! I love, love, love bread!

Thanks so much for the recipe for that gorgeous bread, Clare. Once you see that picture, you just have to make it. Today a young relative from Boston brought his vegetarian girlfriend over for lunch. I made soup and two loaves of Irish Soda Bread. She couldn't believe I was making bread. I was not using the bread machine, but it has a spot all of its own in the kitchen and she started telling me how much she wanted one. I'm going to email the young relative when they get back home and clue him in.

bcskye - You're welcome. I hope you enjoy it. It makes really good toast. I try to eat healthy with whole grains but every once in awhile you crave the foods from your childhood. You should tell your relative to check garage sales, flea markets or thrift stores for almost new machines. People bought them and used them a couple of times then the novelty wore off so they get rid of them. It is a good way to get one cheaply.

Thanks everyone else too!
Clare

Clare, that is absolutely perfect, I think, it's nicely shaped and golden brown, it makes me want to just cut off that end "heel" and let the butter melt. Yum. And yes, I know I'm not "supposed" to cut hot bread. I just don't care, so I do it anyway, LOL.

Chaplainkent, I use my bread machine for kneading the dough and always bake in the oven, I don't like the steamed kind of crust I get when baking in the bread machine. My carpal tunnel loves the dough cycle on my bread machine, though, and so I bake all my own bread, I never buy it.

I also bake cinnamon rolls and hamburger buns and various pastries, all mixed and kneaded in the machine and then baked in the oven. it's a perfect mix of both worlds.

Annie