In December, we bought a Black & Decker Deluxe Breadmaker (Product #43-0825-6), and have been delighted with it ever since!It's on sale this week (till Thursday) at Canadian Tire, in case you've been thinking of buying one...
Sale: $59.99
Reg: $99.99
Features:
* Bakes 2, 2.5, and 3lb loaves (!) (great for large families)
* 13-hour programmable timer lets you make fresh bread while at work or asleep
* 10 settings including one for dough, whole grain, preserves
* "Rapid Bake" cycle makes basic bread in less than 2 hours
* 60-minute "keep warm" cycle begins automatically after baking
* Crust control setting with automatic temperature adjustment for regular or dark crust
* Viewing window to check on bread without opening lid
* Includes easy-to-follow recipes and tips
Another great feature is that you can make a delicious date bread or banana bread with one of the settings -- it's a nice treat to be able to bake without even turning on your oven! Rachel & Maria take turns making the bread every morning, & it always turns out great (doesn't sink!) This is our recipe:
1 egg
1 & 2/3 cup warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. molasses
4 cups kamut flour
2/3 cup spelt flour
1 tsp. yeast
1 Tbsp sesame, flax, or sunflower seeds
For raisin bread, add 1 & 1/2 cups raisins and 1-2 tsp cinnamon. It's best to add the raisins toward the end of the mixing cycle, so they don't get pulverized.
We use setting # 6, the 3 lb. loaf, for our bread. But if I am in a hurry or if I want to make buns, I use setting #8 for dough & then bake it in the oven. I order flours & grains from Grain Process a number of times each year... amazing how fast we go through things nowadays! :) (I'm doing an order next week if anyone is interested!)
