A Basic Wheat Bread For Bread Machines

Following our theme in the first week of simple breads, here is a simple wheat bread.

3/4 cup of water

Bread Pan

1 Egg

2 cups of bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons of butter or butter substitute

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon of yeast

Directions:

Measure 3 cups of water into a measurement cup; place the cup at eye level to determine that the water is level with the measurement line. Add the water and the cracked egg into the bread machine pan. Add two cups of bread flour and one cup of whole wheat flour, making sure not to pack flour into your measurement cup--instead, scoop the flour with a spoon loosely into the measurement cup. Drag a knife across the cup to level out the flour and fill in any "gaps".

Carefully add salt to the pan, taking care to pile it in one corner. Never let salt fall into any exposed water at the bottom of the pan--if it does, it can kill your yeast during the knead cycle and your bread won't rise. Add the remaining dry ingredients, except the yeast. Create an even surface by knocking the bread pan twice against the counter, then use your index finger to create a small canyon in the flour. Add the yeast here. Throw the pan in your bread machine and put it on a basic wheat cycle. A few hours later, you'll have a delicious wheat bread. I find that this bread is particularly good warm; I have trouble keeping any for more than a few hours.

A Basic Wheat Bread For Bread Machines

Brian Fain lives in the Pacific Northwest and enjoys making his own meals. Read more of his articles about bread machine recipes at his website.

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