Where to begin about the amazing convenience of a bread machine.... I have heard many stories of friends receiving these for house warming or wedding gifts and never using them. I am happy to report our Oster (a treasured shower gift from my first office) is still going strong - working since February 2001!
After making making wheat and french breads for years, I found The Cook's Encyclopedia of Bread Machine Baking by Jeannie Shapter and the past few years have been exploring the diverse wonders of whole grains.
This recipe makes a 1 1/2 pound loaf --
1 1/4 c water
3/4 c strained, plain yogurt
1 1/2 T sunflower oil (I use olive oil)
2 T molasses
2 1/3 c unbleached white bread flour
1 3/4 c whole-wheat bread flour
1/2 c wheat bran
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp rapid rise active dry yeast
Pous the water, yogurt, oil and molasse into the bread machine pan. If the instructions for your machine specify that the yeast is to be placed in the pan first, reverse the order in which you add the liquid and dry ingredients.
Sprinkle both the white and whole wheat flours over, ensuring that the liquid mixture is completely covered. Add the wheat bran and salt, then make a small indentation in the center of the dry ingredients (but not down as far as the liquid) and add the yeast.
Set the bread machine to the basic/normal setting, medium crust. Press Start.
Remove the bread from the pan at the end of the baking cycle and turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve when still just warm, if desired.
