Bread Machine (18 page)
S
our Cream Bread has a beautiful crust and a unique, moist, dense texture reminiscent of a brioche or cake. Sour cream is an ingredient much beloved by bakers of both breads and pastries. It has an inherent richness and acidity that consistently give a special texture, flavor, and keeping quality to bread. A simulated sour cream made from a vegetable oil base, such as Imo, can be substituted for fresh sour cream in this bread with good results. Since sour cream has plenty of its own butterfat, no extra butter or oil is needed in this bread recipe to make a nice loaf. You will make this good bread often; it was a favorite among my recipe testers. The delicate, cakey texture makes it great for grilled sandwiches and French toast.
1
1
/
2
-POUND LOAF
1
/
2
cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1 cup sour cream
3
1
/
2
cups bread flour
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons gluten
1
1
/
4
teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
1
/
2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
2-POUND LOAF
3
/
4
cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1
1
/
4
cups sour cream
4
1
/
3
cups bread flour
1
1
/
2
tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon gluten
1
1
/
2
teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon plus
1
/
2
teaspoon bread machine yeast
Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions, with the water and sour cream put in first, and adding the dry ingredients in on top. Set crust on medium and program for the Basic cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.)
When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
T
his is a beloved recipe from the files of food writer Jacquie McMahan, adapted for the bread machine. She makes homemade yogurt in jelly glasses and sets it overnight on her Wolf range. Though this recipe was not published in any of his books, James Beard, well known for his love of good bread, taught Jacquie to make this bread during a weeklong cooking class he gave at the Stanford Court Hotel, where he baked in Fournou’s Ovens. Jacquie was one of eight student in the class, the roster of which included food world notables such as Jeremiah Tower, Alice Waters, Joyce Goldstein, Flo Braker, and Chuck Williams. Everyone loved feeding Beard, so during the class, the restaurant chefs kept coming in with treats for him to taste while he was lecturing and baking bread. This bread is pure Beard—simple ingredients that bake up wholesome and flavorful. Eat it the day it is baked. It is a perfect sandwich bread.
1
1
/
2
-POUND LOAF
3
/
4
cup water
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3
1
/
2
cups bread flour
1 tablespoon gluten
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
1
/
2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
2-POUND LOAF
1 cup water
1
1
/
3
cups plain whole milk yogurt
4
3
/
4
cups bread flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gluten
2
1
/
4
teaspoons salt
2
1
/
2
teaspoons SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast
Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. I put 3
1
/
4
cups of flour in for the 1
1
/
2
pound loaf (4
1
/
2
cups for the 2-pound loaf) and sprinkle the rest in over the dough ball as needed, since yogurts have different consistencies. Set crust on dark and program for the Basic cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.) The dough ball will be slightly sticky, but it will smooth out after the kneading.
When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
E
veryday bread in Greece is call
psomo,
or mother’s bread. Don’t substitute regular milk for the evaporated milk here, you will miss out on the especially sweet, rich flavor it provides. The most authentically Greek version of this bread is made with canned evaporated goat’s milk, but the ubiquitous evaporated cow’s milk is just fine.
1
1
/
2
-POUND LOAF
1
/
3
cup water
1 cup evaporated milk or evaporated goat’s milk
2
3
/
4
cups bread flour
1
/
4
cup whole wheat or whole grain spelt flour
1
1
/
4
tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon gluten
2 teaspoons sugar
1
1
/
2
teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
1
/
2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
2-POUND LOAF
1
/
2
cup water
1
1
/
8
cups plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk or evaporated goat’s milk
3
3
/
4
cups bread flour
1
/
4
cup whole wheat or whole grain spelt flour
1
3
/
4
tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gluten
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2
1
/
2
teaspoons SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast
Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on medium and program for the Basic cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.)