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Tired of bread machine bread recipes coming out dry and hard? This is a foolproof method for getting perfect bread every time!
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The Best Bread Machine Bread Recipe
My good friend, Abby, has always made THE best bread. A few years ago, I asked her what her secret is and she told me she always does her bread in a bread machine. I honestly didn’t believe her at first because bread machine bread just isn’t usually good. I had attempted making bread in a bread machine at least a dozen times and I could never make it taste right. She proved me wrong. Now making bread/dough in the bread machine is my VERY favorite way to make homemade bread. A special thanks to her for sharing this recipe with us (and allowing me to share it with you!)
Why Use a Bread Maker/Machine?
Bread machines are SO convenient. You just put everything right in, push go, and it does all the work for you! The mixing, the kneading, the rising, the baking…everything! Where the bread machine falls short is in the “baking” part. When it comes to baking bread, the bread machine is not your friend. So what is to be done? Shhh.. it’s a secret. Here’s what you do: Dump the dough in a bread pan, put it in a COLD oven (no preheating, YAY!), turn the oven on and bake. It’s THAT easy.
What Bread Maker is Best?
Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what kind of bread machine you have. We got the cheapest bread maker on Amazon that had decent reviews. I think it was under $100. Just make sure it has a “dough” option so it will stop once the dough is done.
Do I Need to use Bread Machine Flour/Yeast?
Nope! Just make sure you are using a quick-rise yeast for it to work best. In this recipe, we just use all-purpose flour, no need to spend extra getting special ingredients.
Ingredients
- Water – very hot
- Egg
- Butter – cold, not softened
- Sugar
- Salt
- Flour
- Quick-rise yeast
How to Bake After Mixing
- When your dough is finished, pour it straight into a greased bread pan. If you want to make it look pretty, you can turn it so a smooth side is facing up. Then just tuck down any unruly edges.
- Place the bread pan in the COLD oven. No preheating necessary!
- Set temperature to 350-degrees and set timer for 30 minutes. The bread will rise and bake in this time.
- Remove baked bread from the oven and remove quickly from pan. Place on a cooling rack and brush with butter. Cover with a towel or place in a plastic Ziplock bag to keep from drying out.
Bread Machine Rolls
The bread machine method of making homemade rolls couldn’t be easier (or more delicious). It is even easier than using frozen rolls because you don’t have to wait for them to thaw! Here’s how you do it:
- Remove dough from bread machine and place on a floured surface (knead in a little extra flour if it is too sticky to handle)
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Fold and pinch into balls and place in a greased 9×13 glass baking dish.
- Place in COLD oven and set to 350-degrees. Set timer for 25 minutes.
- Remove rolls from oven and brush with butter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bread machines usually call for ‘bread flour’. The main difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour is the gluten content (bread flour has more gluten). All-purpose flour is absolutely fine to use! Your loaf of bread may not rise as spectacularly as it would with the bread flour, but there really isn’t much of a difference.
Absolutely! And not only is it cheaper, but you know exactly what is going into it! No mystery ingredients in your sandwich bread.
Broken down, the savings look like this: The average cost of a loaf of basic white bread is around $4 (more or less), making it yourself costs about $2.
(It also tastes better!)
Don’t rush the proofing of your loaf. The proofing is a fermenting process, and while it does this it is developing complex and interesting flavors and a texture.
Read more:35+ Dinner Ideas
Other Things You Can Use The Dough For:
We have used this exact dough recipe for all sorts of recipes. Sometimes you have to knead it with some flour to get the right consistency depending on what you are making, but it works like a charm in these recipes:
- Deep Dish Pizza
- The BEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- BBQ Cilantro Pizza
- Quick and Easy Calzones
- Parmesan Pull Apart Bread
- Monkey Bread
- Pesto Rolls
- Samoan Coconut Rolls (Pani Popo)
- Fry Bread
- Breadsticks
Bread Machine Bread
Video
Equipment
- Bread Machine
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place hot water, egg, butter, sugar, and salt in bread machine.
- Add 3 cups flour. Make a small well in the flour and add yeast.
- Set bread machine to "dough" for 90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes) and start.
- When dough is finished. Pour directly into a greased bread pan. If needed, gently turn the bread or tuck in the edges so the top is smooth.
- Place bread in COLD oven and set oven to 350 degrees. Set timer for 30 minutes.
- When finished baking, remove from oven and carefully remove bread from the pan (it's ok if it is sticky).
- Place on a baking rack to cool and brush the top with butter. Place a towel over the bread or place in a plastic Ziplock bag to keep from drying out.
- Serve immediately or place in a plastic Ziplock bag to keep from drying out.
If Making Rolls:
- Remove dough from bread machine and place on a floured surface.
- Knead in a little flour if dough is too sticky to handle.
- Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Fold and pinch into dough balls and place in a greased 9×13 glass baking dish.
- Place in a COLD oven and set to 350 degrees. Set timer for 25 minutes.
- Remove rolls from oven and brush with butter.
Notes
- a crust to spread with jams, from raspberry to fig to cherry, and drizzled with honey
- to toast slathered with garlic and cheese, paired with soups, salads, and vegetables
- to your favorite new sandwich, soft and flavorful
- to french toast, a morning staple
- and finally, the classic bread and butter, not to be overlooked.
Nutrition Information
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I cannot get over not having to let the dough rise a second time; ie: remove dough from machine, knock down and let rise again. Have I missed something, or do I take the dough from the machine, straight into bread pan and then into the oven? Thank you, from London, England.
Amazing recipe! I substituted bread flour and let the machine do everything with the basic, full program adding a tiny bit extra flour during the first kneading cycle. The bread texture, smell, color and everything was picture perfect. So soft, fragrant and beautifully plump and delicious. Love that this is just 3 cups of flour too! Thank you!
I made this bread Saturday and it is absolutely delicious. I just let my bread maker do the whole thing (bake it as well) and it is the best bread I’ve made since I got the machine 4 months ago. Thanks so much!
I followed the directions exactly and my bread is not very sturdy. It’s really falling apart even with thick slices. Anybody have any suggestions on what I might have done wrong? I used APV and quick rise yeast