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Bread Machine Country White Bread Recipe

Homemade bread is special. It’s like love in a loaf form. And making it regularly is something I have always wanted to do — but didn’t.

Bread Machine Country White Bread

Yet.

With gas prices escalating, I have been looking for ways to trim our budget. One way I realized we could live more frugally? By breaking out the bread machine and bread pans and making my own bread.

Last week, all the bread eaten in our house — and at school — was made by me. It took three loaves and maybe a total of 15 minutes (5 per loaf) to feed us for a week. Easy.

Two of those three loaves? Country White Bread. It’s a must-make bread recipe.

It was luscious and springy … so tender with a delicate, crackling crust. Before I made this recipe for Country White Bread from Melissa Clark‘s cookbook, The Bread Machine Cookbook, I didn’t realize that the bread machine was capable of making such an airy, light loaf. It’s simply amazing — like a really good bakery focaccia.

We like this warm, right from the bread machine, spread with Kate’s Homemade Butter, my favorite. So good. But it’s also great as the base for open-face sandwiches or used as toast with eggs over easy.

Do you use a bread machine often? Do you make bread?

Bread Machine Country White Bread Recipe
Bread Machine Country White Bread

Bread Machine Country White Bread Recipe

Yield: 1 loaf

From The Bread Machine Cookbook by Melissa Clark

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 1/2 tbsp organic sugar
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast, (1 packet)

Instructions

  1. Add the ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed. Set it to the white bread setting for a 1 1/2 lb loaf.
  2. About 1/2 way through the kneading, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. If the dough is sticking to the sides, add an additional tablespoon or so of flour.
  3. Then, let the machine do the rest of the work.

Kate

Thursday 5th of May 2011

I don't have a bread machine, but I do love making homemade bread

Rivki Locker

Thursday 5th of May 2011

This looks wonderful. I have a bread machine but find it almost as easy to make bread in the stand mixer. but I might just have to give this a try. It does look lovely!

Ellen

Thursday 5th of May 2011

At this point, I mainly use the bread machine for cinnamon rolls (the dough, that is) and foccacia bread. But I used to use it regularly. I like it but I miss a good crust. I played around some with the "artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" (http://www.cheapcooking.com/blog/2010/11/master-recipe-for-artisan-bread.html) which is great. I've now started a starter based on a recipe in My Calabria and have used that several times to make bread. Nice thing is you don't keep adding yeast! The bread is really good but it makes a LOT so I need to figure out how to tone down the recipe for 2 of us, or just share with the neighbors. But I use some of it for pizza too. Last time I made 2 big loaves of bread and enough dough for 4 medium pizzas, and just froze 3 of them. Stale bread goes to croutons or bread crumbs (or the chickens!).

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