Reverend Conehead
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You can get a bread machine dirt cheap at a thrift store. The reason is people buy them or get them as gifts and then don't use them, so they donate them away. I have two machines, one I bought at Deseret Industries in Nampa, Idaho for $8 and another I bought at Thrift World in Omaha, Nebraska for $4. They're both Oster machines and run perfectly. If you do get one at a thrift store, make sure to plug it in and turn it on to be sure it works, and know the store's return policy. For example, Deseret Industries in Nampa does not allow for any returns of bread machines, so you have to inspect it well and take your chances. Thrift World in Omaha allows for exchanges only within a week. Worked out perfectly for me -- both my machines run like new. I've got two loaves of bread baking right now. I own two machines because I sometimes give a loaf of bread away. After three and a half hours of smelling it baking, I always felt disappointed at not having any fresh bread after giving the loaf away. These machines are so affordable used that I might as well own two and then cook two loaves when I want to give one away. If you buy a used machine, you can almost always find its manual as a PDF online.
Btw, the heck with that stereotype that baking is for women only. I like quality bread and don't mind making it myself.
The manual usually comes with recipes, plus you can find them online, or you can use mine:
Wheat Bread
□ 3 total cups of flour of different types:
□ 1 tablespoon instant yeast
□ 1 teaspoon salt
□ Cornmeal as needed
□ 1 ¼ cups purified water (I purify it in a Brita water pitcher, though if tap water is good in your area, you'll be fine with that.)
Put three cups of flour into bread machine. You can divide the types up how you want. I usually do it this way:
Examples:
Put the rest of the ingredients into the bread machine except for the water and cornmeal.
Turn on the machine and start it in whole wheat mode. When the device starts spinning, add a little water at a time until it kneads it into a ball of dough. Keep control with a spatula.
As the machine spins your dough ball, add a little cornmeal at a time to keep it slick and spinning (and to garnish).
Let the machine run its course. For what bread, it usually takes a little over 3 and a half hours, depending on the machine. Be sure to read your machine's manual.
Note: Some bread machines in whole wheat mode don't spin right away and have you put all the ingredients and water in first. If that's the case, do so and mix well with the spatula.
Instead of a bread machine.....
You can also bake this in a cast-iron pot with a lid in the oven. You would just have to thoroughly knead the ingredients into a ball of dough by hand and then bake it at 500 with the lid on for 30 minutes and then another 10 minutes with the lid off. I prefer using a bread machine because it's easier and uses less electricity, but either way works.
Btw, the heck with that stereotype that baking is for women only. I like quality bread and don't mind making it myself.
The manual usually comes with recipes, plus you can find them online, or you can use mine:
Wheat Bread
□ 3 total cups of flour of different types:
- whole wheat flour
- white flour
- buckwheat flour (optional)
□ 1 tablespoon instant yeast
□ 1 teaspoon salt
□ Cornmeal as needed
□ 1 ¼ cups purified water (I purify it in a Brita water pitcher, though if tap water is good in your area, you'll be fine with that.)
Put three cups of flour into bread machine. You can divide the types up how you want. I usually do it this way:
- ½ cup white flour
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
Examples:
- ½ cup white flour
- ½ cup buckwheat flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour. Total = 3 cups flour
- 1 cup white flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour Total = 3 cups flour
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ cups white flour Total = 3 cups four
Put the rest of the ingredients into the bread machine except for the water and cornmeal.
Turn on the machine and start it in whole wheat mode. When the device starts spinning, add a little water at a time until it kneads it into a ball of dough. Keep control with a spatula.
As the machine spins your dough ball, add a little cornmeal at a time to keep it slick and spinning (and to garnish).
Let the machine run its course. For what bread, it usually takes a little over 3 and a half hours, depending on the machine. Be sure to read your machine's manual.
Note: Some bread machines in whole wheat mode don't spin right away and have you put all the ingredients and water in first. If that's the case, do so and mix well with the spatula.
Instead of a bread machine.....
You can also bake this in a cast-iron pot with a lid in the oven. You would just have to thoroughly knead the ingredients into a ball of dough by hand and then bake it at 500 with the lid on for 30 minutes and then another 10 minutes with the lid off. I prefer using a bread machine because it's easier and uses less electricity, but either way works.
