Snack Time: Literally! Homemade Bread

I have sooo many blogs I love to read (too many to possibly list), but this snack today was inspired by Amy at The Motherload! She has so many true life things that she shares that I always get something out of. Whether she's baking up a storm or learning to knit like a pro, her place has loads of information and I'm a devoted reader!

Well, she has tons of great content and she had a discussion one day about homemade bread. Well, that discussion inspired me to dust off (it was 10-years dusty to be exact) our old bread machine and give it a go! I don't have the manual and couldn't locate one online, but Amy posted some great instructions on using a bread machine, even missing a manual. Her instructions worked perfectly for me and I'm proud to report that this recipe turned into this…


Yeap, it's real bread and it was super inexpensive to make too! So, if you have a bread maker at home, Amy has some great posts to help you get your bakin' on:

Getting to Know the Bread Machine
Bread Dough Recipe (this recipe says “Buns”, but it's what I used today)

We came home from the pool and the bread was done! My kids said, “Mom what is that good smell, can we have some?” So, I'm getting the “Mom of the Week Award” and I am on my way to becoming a domestic diva! I think this might just be more than the summer of survival, but the summer of domestication :-) Amy, my hubby will thank you immensely!

A question for all of you: Do you have any good pretzel recipes (like the Auntie Anne's pretzels) and also a bread recipe similar to the Tastefully Simple breads that use carbonated beverages? My friends and I were discussing these and thought they would be yummy too especially if we could do it ourselves! I could just make the dough in my bread machine and twist my pretzels or shape the dough from the carbonated bread and bake it in the oven. I would appreciate any tips or recipes you could share!!

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12 Comments

  1. Anonymous says:

    I tried the pretzel recipe that came with my breadmaker and they were nasty. There’s nothing like auntie anne’s! – bluebonnet on cincymoms.

  2. bluebonnet – thanks for posting! If I come across one, I’ll post it here (please let me know if you find one too) because I know there just has to be a way to make those buttery pretzels from Auntie Anne’s.

    I hadn’t had Auntie Anne’s in a long time but when we went to get our FREE prezel (with the Entertainment Book B1G1 FREE), I took a bite of my son’s and I had to stop – too good!! :-)

  3. Marianne Thomas says:

    Andrea, I do have one! And here’s the funny part — I’ll post it up next week as part of series I’ll be doing over at my blog!

    I think we’re all looking for ways to survive the summer!

  4. Marianne – I’m sooo excited now!!! Thanks for sharing and the heads up :-)

  5. Andrea,
    A friend of mine has made soft pretzels from a recipe she found on the side of a flour bag. They’re amazing!! I’ll find out what brand of flour and/or get the recipe from her.

    Fresh bread is wonderful. My family and I have enjoyed it even more since I got a Kitchenaid Stand mixer. I use it for the bread dough and then bake in the oven. You had better luck with your bread machine than I ever did with mine.

    Becky

  6. Hmmmmm…. I have a bread machine I haven’t used in about 5 years. I may just go digging for it, I love homemade bread!!

  7. Anonymous says:

    Here is a recipe that is not as buttery as Auntie Anne’s but still delicious!

    Soft Giant Pretzels

    1 cup + 2T water (70-80 degrees)
    3 cups all purpose flour
    3T brown sugar
    1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
    2 quarts water
    1/2 cups baking soda
    coarse salt

    Place first four ingredients in bread pan (the order suggested by manufacturer) Select dough setting. Check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 2T of flour or water if needed. After knead/rise cycle is done (usually 1& 1/2 hours) Turn dough into lightly floured surface & divide into 8 balls. Roll each into 20 inch rope & form into pretzel. Bring water and baking soda to a boil. Drop 2 pretzels at a time into boiling water – boil for 10-15seconds. Drain on paper towels. Place pretzels on a greased baking sheet. Spritz or brush with water and sprinkle with salt. Bake @ 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

    Enjoy!

    Christina

  8. I recently bought a bread machine for $6. I hadn’t taken good care of my older one and the pan warped. Now I am no longer ignorant. I actually have something in it now…
    Anyway, check out the books Electric Bread (there is a 1, 2 and a Kids one) and Bread Machines for Dummies. They have great recipes. By the way, what brand is the machine you have? Your readers might be able to healp you out. Also, http://www.megaheart.com has a list of bread machine manuals you may want to check out.

  9. Renata – thanks for the book suggestion! I’ll look into that – maybe the library even has it!

    I will also check out that site to see if they have the manual. My bread machine is a Regal Pro and I found a manual someone scanned online but it’s not clear. I sent the company a request, but haven’t heard back yet. So, I’ll definitely try that site too!

    Thanks again!

  10. Anonymous says:

    Yummo…that looks delicious! Now I want a breadmaker. I use to have one but could never get it to work so I gave it to Erics grandma…o’well. <3 Ginger

  11. Oh, now you just made my day, girlfriend! Thank you so much for the sweet links! I am so proud of you and I bet that your family will really love this new domesticated side of you :) Thank you so much- you are so sweet to link to me!

    Now I need to replace my broken bread machine :) In the meantime, I will keep trying this artisan bread stuff, but I miss the convenience of our bread machine :)

    Hugs to you!

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