Bread Machine White Bread

It’s no secret that 2020 brought out the homemaker in a lot of us. I mean, what else was there to do. 🙃 During that time, I taught myself how to make bread from scratch. It was so fun and rewarding, but boy, it takes awhile and it sure is messy. Shortly after my bread making adventures, my MIL pranced down our driveway holding a bread machine. She had found one in her pantry from years before and thought I’d like to give it a try.

Why I started making my own bread again

I tucked that machine away in my own pantry until just a few weeks ago. I’ve started making homemade bread again, but for new reasons this time. If you’ve been watching my adventures on Instagram, you’ll already know all about the Yuka App I’ve downloaded. It scans your food and tells you all about the yuck thats going into them {warning: if you download this, get ready to feel sick at what is allowed into our food}. For the most part, our family does really well about eating clean foods, except for when it comes to bread and cereal. My kids are so set on certain breads and cereals and, wouldn’t you know, they are loaded with those hazardous additives. So, out of the pantry came that bread machine!

This bread machine makes bread much faster and easier!

Most days, I don’t have the time to dedicate to making loaves of bread from scratch, but I still wanted to to make bread that I knew didn’t have any of those harmful ingredients. I decided to give the bread machine a try and was so impressed. The loaves looked and tasted identical to the loaves I was making by hand prior to having this machine! When I tell you all you have to do is drop the ingredients in and walk away, THAT IS IT. You’ll come back roughly 2.5-3 hours later to a perfectly cooked loaf of homemade bread. Your house will smell amazing and you won’t be poisoning yourself and your family. 😵‍💫

I’ve been using a recipe that came with my bread machine, but there are a lot of options on Pinterest. It may take some trial and error to get it just the way you like it, but it’s so worth it. I also add a smidge more sugar in the bread trying to bring my kids over to the clean side. They are like little crackheads you have to wean off of the drugs the government has allowed into our foods. {That’s one of those funny/not funny ones 🙃 … but I digress.} Below is the recipe I’ve been using for one and a half pound white bread loaf. My machine has an option for one and a half to two pounds, I’ve always just made the smaller one.

Ingredients

• 1 cup + 2Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp Butter softened
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Dry milk powder
• 1-1/2 tsp Salt
• 3 cups Bread flour
• 2-1/2 tsp Bread machine yeast

Place ingredients into the bread pan in the following order: water, butter, sugar, milk powder, salt and flour {following the order is very important.} Using one finger, make a small indentation on one side of the flour. Add yeast to the indentation, making sure it does not come into contact with the liquid ingredients. If your machine has a color option for the crust, I always choose light, but that’s up to your preference. Also, make sure to specify your pounds, if there is an option for that.

Press start and come back later for the easiest homemade bread EVA!

To slice, I use this electric bread knife for perfectly cut sandwich pieces and I store my bread in this airtight container.

Check out my recipes page for more ideas!

XOXO,

Brittany