Hahaha lazy gardens...didn't even notice the typo!!

If you have any leftovers, feel free to send them my way! That looks delicious!

A little embarrassed to admit the drooling going on on this end....

Yuuuumm. Bread....!

Lovely bread. You're on your way.

You have far surpassed my skills! Isn't the zoji a great machine it really does allow you to do as much or as little as you want to do.

This makes me want to unpack my Zo (in storage since our remodel)

That's a beautiful looking loaf!

Mmmmmmmmmmm

Ya know, I think that beats my loaf of no-knead and loaf of man bread this last week. Looks super yummy!

dcward89:

If you look in the fine print here at Houzz, a term and condition of posting bread and other food porn is sending me a sample for testing. Just wanted you to know; don't want you to get into any trouble or anything.

Beautiful!

Yum! None of my stuff ever comes out that pretty.

@funky - man bread?

Looks so delish!

OMG -- time to research this miracle machine.

That looks divine. Can you post the recipe you followed? It will be great with our vegetable soup! And I have a zo too.

The recipe:

1 1/2 cups cold water

4 1/4 cups bread flour

2 Tbs sugar

2 Tbs olive oil

2 tsp yeast, regular kind, not quick rise

1 1/2 tsp salt

Put all ingredients in bread machine in the order required for your machine. Set machine for regular dough cycle.

When dough is finished remove to a n oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Punch down dough and remove to a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a rectangle approx size of half sheet pan. Roll up tightly from the long end and place on buttered sheet pan. Cover and let ruse until doubled, approx 1 1/2 hours.

When ready to bake, coat with egg wash and sesame seeds. Bake at 375 for 20 - 25 minutes.

@fishcow, Man Bread is so easy a man can make it, lol. Sexist, I know, but it was developed and named by a man so blame him for the name. :) And just over 90 minutes from start to finish to make.

Man Bread Recipe

I've done variations with success. I don't use bread flour. I use any kind of flour I want although, so far, I've always used unbleached white flour for half of the flour and then whatever I'm in the mood for. For the variable half of flour, I've used whole wheat, ground up oatmeal and corn flour. Might try rice flour next for something different. To make any flour into bread flour, add 1 T. Vital Wheat Gluten for every 2-3 cups of flour.

I also have used agave syrup instead of honey. And butter instead of coconut oil. So far, it's been a very forgiving recipe to tweak how you want.

I have also made rolls with it, just shorten the baking time. IIRC, it took about 12 minutes.

I used to make variations of No Knead all the time but the long rise time, about 18 hours, meant I had to plan ahead. I'm making Man Bread most of the time now because you can practically make it at the last minute.

Okay.. have to say the only reason I do not have a bread making machine is I like the look of naturally made bread. My 'fear' was that bread would look "boxy" when it is made in a machine.

So, this is really cool! I may have to look at a nice bread machine when the new house is done!

Russ

Russ...I use the machine only to make and knead the dough then I take it out of the machine, let it rise, shape it however I want it, let it rise again and then bake it in my regular oven. I had an old bread machine years ago but it was no where near the quality of the Zojirushi...I have made white and whole wheat bread, breadsticks, French and Italian bread...I have an awesome looking cinnamon roll recipe in the wings for next weekend!!!

If you let the machine do all of it... does it come out like a regular loaf?

All the bread machines I ever saw had this .. "basket? Box? that sat inside and I was sorta "food should look less boxy"... heh

Just curious.. no experience with bread machines.

R

BTW, the typo in the title cracks me up. It actually works because we "break bread", right?

ETA: Russ, I got rid of my bread machine for the reason you stated. I wasn't impressed but this was back in the 90's so I'm sure they're better now and this brand is probably the best of 'em. I find using my KA dough hook and, if needed, the bread-proof setting in my oven, works just as easy without having to store a bulky appliance. I think this is very much a YMMV thing.

Russ, the Zo actually makes a rectangular loaf like sandwich bread from the grocery store, not the 90's bread machine squares. Here's a pic of the first loaf I made in it...well, half the loaf as we had already inhaled the other half!!

Well kudos to you for taking it a step further;)

I need/want to make some breadsticks myself ;)

And baquettes so I can say "Marie! The Baquettes!"

lol

I'm drooling over here! It looks great! The salad too.

Thanks funky, I may try making "man bread" tonight. I'm not always great with the advance planning required for no knead bread. I have honey and coconut oil but don't think I have quite enough bread flour left. Would half AP and half bread flour work without the wheat gluten? I could also throw oatmeal in the blender and use some of that too.

I have never purchased bread flour for my breads. And the first time I made Man Bread, I had never heard of Vital Wheat Gluten so I didn't have any of that (which, basically, makes any kind of flour into bread four). So I just made it with regular all-purpose flour the first time. And I used butter as I was almost out of coconut oil. And it turned out yummy. It was a bit lighter in texture than when it is made with bread flour (or the addition of the VWG). Almost more like a dense cake than a bread, but it tasted fabulous. You might not be able to make a sandwich out of it but it will taste great smeared with butter and jam. Enjoy! And let me know how it turns out.

ETA: Oh, you do have some bread flour so it might be dense enough for sandwiches after all.

It's on the second rise, and I just turned on the oven to preheat. I don't have a pizza stone so I'm using a cast iron skillet. I did go half and half on the flour, so hopefully that works out.

I don't have a pizza stone either. I cooked mine in the same pot I use for No Knead bread which is a roaster of unknown material. Seriously, I have no idea. It was my grandmother's and she died in '56 so it's old. It looks like aluminum or stainless steel but it's super heavy as if it was cast iron. Maybe it's another metal over cast iron? I dunno. I just know it's great for roasts, soups/stews/chowders AND bread.

Oh, I hope it turns out and that you like it. It's super-easy and quick, isn't it?

It's really good - the texture isn't as "artisan" as no knead bread but you can't argue with 90 minutes ;) It could use a little more salt because I forgot to adjust the quantity since I was using sea salt instead of granulated.

The only problem was that my mixer wasn't too happy about being put on kneading duty. I thought it would be okay since it wasn't a huge volume of dough but the motor housing got very hot. It's a Hobart era KA45 that was my grandmother's that only has a 250 watt motor. It also probably needs the grease around the gears replaced. I think I need to avoid using the dough hook at least until I work up the nerve to take it apart and repack the grease. I wonder how long would take to knead by hand.

Okay.. so.. curious. Which is better.. the Zojirushi Supreme or Virtuoso?

Russ

Bread is my 'thing' (well, that and smoking/grilling). My go-to loaf is a 4-1/2 lb. French Country bread that ferments for three days, making it slightly sourdough. First pic is dough rising in the bowl; second one is Thanksgiving 2013 before we had power, so I baked it on the gas grill!

Russ...I have the Virtuoso because it was the only one available when I went shopping for it. I THINK, not certain, but I think maybe the Virtuoso has more settings than the Supreme.

fishcow, it looks great. Hope it tasted great, too. I agree with you about the texture. That's why I still make No Knead bread but, in a time pinch, this is a great substitute, isn't it?

Sorry it overloaded your mixer. If you go back to the link and read the comments, I remember there was some discussion about hand-kneading and how long to do that but I didn't pay much attention to it because I will never do that as long as my KA can do it for me. I think it's very cool you have a family heirloom Hobart.

Mushcreek, you must share the recipe for that amazing loaf of bread!!!!!! Please, pretty please.

I've been making that bread for so long, I don't even look up the recipe!

French Country Loaf

Ingredients:

Starter: (Day 1)

1 cup warm water (110-115 F.)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 Tbl. powdered milk

1 pkg. dry yeast

Combine in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. It should bubble up. Let work over night.

Sponge: (Day 2)

All of the starter

3 cups bread flour

2 cups water

Stir together and cover with plastic wrap over night.

Dough: (Day 3)

Sponge

1 TBL. salt

3 cups or so bread flour

Add 1 Tbl. salt, stir in, and start adding 3 more cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time. There's no precise measurement, as flour varies with humidity. I've heard you can weigh it instead, but I've never tried it. I just keep adding flour until it is an elastic dough that doesn't slump. I hand knead for 10 minutes, which is a real workout! This is a BIG ball of dough. I get it close with a dough hook in our KA, then finish by hand.

Cover with a damp tea towel in a warm spot, and let rise for 1-1/2 hours.

Punch down, and knead a few minutes. Shape the loaf however you want, and place on a baking sheet that has been greased and sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Accurate oven temperature is important for bread making, so it pays to check it once in a while. I preheat the oven for 20 minutes.

Place a pan in the bottom of the oven while heating up. Once its all hot, carefully pour 1 cup of water into the hot pan (be careful!) and close the oven door. Let it steam 5 minutes before putting the bread in. The steam makes a heartier crust, and can be skipped. While the oven is steaming, make several large cuts in the top of the loaf to allow steam to escape. Place the loaf in the oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until it is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Bread should be allowed to cool before slicing, if you can wait that long! This bread goes great with a large holiday meal (it will be as big as your turkey!) and makes great toast the next day.

Practice now to get it perfect by the holidays. Your family will be happy to be guinea pigs, I'm sure! Let me know if you have any questions.

While we're on the subject, does anyone have a good pita recipe? Particularly one that freezes well?

Oh, that sounds fantastic, Mushcreek. If I had any powdered milk in the house, I'd start it right now. I wonder if powdered coffee creamer would work instead?

I've made it without the powdered milk with good results. I wouldn't use coffee creamer; it's probably not a dairy product.

Sure does make a person button poppin' proud. There's something so satisfying and pride inducing about making bread. You really made it!

Well, you've inspired me! I made two loaves of french bread the other day. It tasted pretty good if I do say so; however, it's way too much for me and the boys, so I'll have to see if I can halve the recipe. I also made two loaves of banana cake yesterday. Those will go with me to work for a going away party, but not before we had some! :)

Mush creek - I started my French Country loaf last night. Looking forward to baking this weekend!

Refrigerate French Country dough during long rises or leave out?

Mush Creek - if you have sourdough starter already (I can get some from a neighbor) how much would you use?

Funky- It turn out that the Man Bread (typing that makes me smirk every time) keeps surprisingly well. There was a small piece left last night (stored in a ziplock bag) and I ate it with butter and jam and it was pretty much the same as the day after it was baked. No-knead bread usually gets pretty stale if it lasts 5 days. I guess the little bit of coconut oil makes a difference.

Leave the dough out- covered. I've never worked with sour dough, but it's on my 'to-do' list!

I'm amazed you've ever had any left after 5 days, fishcow! No home-made loaf of anything has ever made it past day 3 around here. :) Going grocery shopping tomorrow and will buy some powdered milk for mushcreek's bread. Sounds so yummy.

Thanks mushcreek! I ended up refrigerating this for the second night. This was a real hit with DD and DH. Pefect for French Toast Sunday morning!

Very big loaf but it could have risen more I think - it seemed to deflate a fair amount when I slashed it, and I couldn't find a razor blade, so used a boxcutter. Still, we were well fed by it over the weekend.

After day 3 rise - probably should have had it rising in a bowl vs. on a plate.

Very nice crust:

My third piece this morning (oh well, needed a photograph):

All that's left!

Looks yummy! I went to three different stores yesterday with powdered milk on my list. Two didn't even carry it. And the other only had a HUGE box that would probably take me the rest of my life to use up. Will go to the co-op later today and hope they carry it in the bulk or smaller package. I really want to make this.

Um.. it is not bread.. because I flat out do not have any of my baking stuff.. but, I got to cook a "little" this weekend. I found some ny strips on sale and pan seared them and broiled them..

I cannot wait to get my kitchen and Culinarian! :(

funkycamper...I have never found it in a small size...but it does last almost forever so...I store it in a Rubbermaid container and what I have now was bought probably 3 years ago...still seems fine.

My bread making this weekend was a big treat...copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls with cinnamon butter...OMG...so good...again did the dough in the bread machine and then raised, shaped and raised again out of the machine...this damn machine is gonna make me gain 10 lbs!!

I realize this thread hasn't had comments in quite some time, but I am curious about The Texas Roadhouse rolls. My bread machine (Zojirushi) goes through 2 rises on the dough setting. Does this mean that I can skip the second rise after cutting them and just cut and pop right into oven after the dough cycle is complete? Also, to dcedward89, if you don't mind, which recipe did you use? I have looked at so many of them - some call for honey and some don't. Yours look good in the pic. Wondering how close they came to the real thing since a lot of the recipes will say that the texture is off in some way - either too light and fluffy or more heavy than Roadhouse originals. I appreciate any advice from anyone. Thanks!!