I’m Just a Bread Machine and I Won’t Knead for Nobody But You (Maple Buttermilk Bread)
The COVID-19 stay at home policy has me pulling out my mixing bowls, pots, and pans. Cooking and especially baking keeps me busy and helps calm the COVID-19 jitters. I find myself gravitating towards comfort foods and foods from my childhood. The first thing that came to mind was bread. Who doesn’t like the aroma of baking bread? Is there a more perfect food than fresh warm bread, slathered with butter and a dollop of jam? Apparently I am not alone. Who knew that all those pictures of empty shelves at the supermarkets were of the flour aisles.
After scavenging a couple of stores, I found the last two bags of King Arthur Flour on the shelf at Whole Foods (sorry, I was THAT person) and packets of yeast at Raley’s. I settled in under the #stayhome mandate (totally cool with it) and started my carb bender, I mean bread baking.
I made two loaves of bread, best described as polar opposites. Both are incredibly easy but for really different reasons.
The first loaf a Buttermilk Maple Loaf comes from Lora Brody’s Bread Machine Cookbook, a book I picked up waaaay back in the day when I bought a bread machine. The Maple Buttermilk Loaf was my go-to recipe in the book. Great for toast, sammies, crumbs or croutons. It has a nice flavor and the texture of classic sandwich bread. Pretty much the bread you grew up with soft, tender, slightly sweet-yummy. Perfect for Peanut Butter and Jelly, Fried Baloney Sammies and Tuna Fish with Chips Sandwich, the stuff of childhood. Perfect for these times.
And it couldn’t be easier, that is, as long as you still have that bread machine hiding in a closet or corner of your pantry, or call your mom, she probably has one packed away, probably in your old bedroom.
So drag that puppy out and make yourself some bread. Literally, dump, push the button, comeback in a few hours, bam, a loaf of freshly baked bread. Like magic. The kneading, the proofing, the resting, all take place in your bread machine. All the rage, back in the day. Did you buy too many berries in your moment of frenzied grocery shopping? Make this super easy and delicious berry jam to go along with your freshly baked bread!
The second loaf is a No-Knead Bread, more like an artisan bread, almost as easy to make, and totally swoon worthy. Find the post here.
My machine is an old Panasonic that makes 1.5 pound loaves. Which means really TALL bread, lol. I may be crusty, but I don’t like the crust from machine made loaves. I cut my slices into squares and keep the scraps for bread crumbs, croutons and for Sammy, he adores bread.
Maple Buttermilk Bread
Equipment
- Bread machine, lol
Ingredients
- 3 Cups unbleached white flour
- 4 tablespoons powdered buttermilk
- 1 teasoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon pure Maple Syrup*
- 1 Cup water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
Instructions
- Dump* all the ingredients in the machine except the yeast**, program for Basic Bread. Push the button. Comeback in 3.5 hours. Let bread cool so it is easier to cut.
- *Refer to your machine directions for order of ingredients.
- **If your machine has a separate yeast reservoir, place yeast in that.
Stay home, stay well.