Bread Machine Sandwich Loaf

The key of successful bread machine baking lies with a great bread machine. Yes, you would pay a little more for a better brand but the savings over the long run are huge. Black and Decker makes excellent bread machines; great quality at affordable prices. We were lucky enough to inherit my mom's Black and Decker bread machine, which is only a couple years old.

Making your own bread is not only healthier, tastier, nut-free and cheaper. You control what ingredients go into the bread, and there are no preservatives or additives. For moms with nut-allergic children, baking your own bread also allows you a peace of mind knowing it is free from possible contamination. Even better yet, you save so much money by making your own bread.

A Little Home "Economics"
A homemade loaf costs $0.758 for a three-pound loaf. At my local Superstore, an one-pound loaf costs about $1.28, so a three pound loaf would be approximately $3.84. That's a savings of $3.08 each time you make your own bread. If you bought bread every week, over the course of a year, that equals to a savings of over $160, which is enough to purchase two Black and Decker Bread Machines.

Here's my cost breakdown* for a 3 lb loaf (your cost may vary). My most expensive ingredients are milk, butter and flour. You can further reduce your costs by purchasing these three items in bulk and/or on sale.

Milk - $0.265
Butter - $0.234
Flour - $0.104
Sugar - $0.07
Yeast - $0.05
Salt - $0.005
Electricity - $0.03

Now, take 5 minutes and go bake your own bread.

Freshly baked!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Makes: 3 lb bread loaf
Ready In: 3 hours and 10 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup scalded milk (Use whole milk for a richer taste)
1-1/2 cups water (80 - 90 degrees F)
3 tbsp butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1 tsp salt
3-1/2 tbsp sugar
5-1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1-1/4 tsp active dry or bread machine yeast (I used active dry yeast)

Directions
Please note the following directions are for the Black and Decker bread machines which can make 3 pound loafs. If you are using a different brand of bread machine, please follow the manufacturer's instructions on your machine.

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk to a slight boil. As soon as it boils (bubbles), remove the pan from heat.

Scalded milk: you should see small bubbles. Do not burn or let the milk boil over.

2. Gradually add in 1 cup of cold water and measure the liquid with a food thermometer. Add in the remaining water so the liquid is between 80 to 90 degrees F.

I prefer to have my liquid mixture a little warmer as it will cool off as you get the other ingredients.

3. Measure the ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed.

Ready for the bread machine.

4. Insert bread pan securely into unit and close the lid. Plug unit into wall outlet.

5. Select Sandwich setting and appropriate loaf size (3 lb).

6. Press Start button.

7. The Complete Signal will sound when the bread is done.

8. Using oven mitts, remove bread pan from the unit and carefully invert the bread pan to remove.  (Kneading blade may remain in bread. Remove blade once the bread has cooled).

9. Allow bread to cool on a wire rack until ready to serve (at least 10 to 15 minutes).

A slice of soft, fluffy and warm bread. Yum!

TIP 

• In lieu of dry skim milk powder, which can be quite expensive, substitute 3 tbsp of dry skim milk powder (generally called for in bread machine recipes) with 1/2 cup of milk. Make sure to reduce the liquid by 1/2 cup.
• Store yeast in a mason jar in a dark corner of your fridge to increase shelf life and prevent spoilage. 
• Place cut bread sliced side down on a cutting board to prevent the bread from drying out.
• Use crusts or leftover bread to make homemade croutons or fresh breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs can be frozen in the freezer for later use. 
• Storage: wrap bread tightly in plastic wrap and store on the counter for 1 or 2 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
• To freeze: Slice bread and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc bag.
• If you have a bread machine (inherited or bought second hand) and cannot find the instruction manual, here is a link that contains an archive of different brands of bread machine manuals (free PDF download as of this post).

*Prices based on:
Flour - 10 kg all purpose flour @ $4.00
Milk - 4 litres whole milk @ $4.50
Butter - 1 lb package @ $2.50
Sugar - 4 lb @ $3.00
Salt - 1 kg @ $0.87
Yeast - 2 lb (Costco) @ $4.50

Source: Black and Decker

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