Okay, so I decided to give the honey wheat bread a go in my machine again. It’s been a while, and honestly, store-bought just wasn’t cutting it lately.
Getting Started
First thing, I hauled out the bread machine from the back of the pantry. Gave the pan a quick wipe, made sure it was dry. You know how it is, gotta start clean.
Then, the ingredients. I like to get everything out on the counter first. Makes me feel organized, even if the rest of the kitchen is a mess. For this honey wheat thing, you obviously need the flours. I grabbed the regular bread flour and the whole wheat stuff. Always check the dates, learned that the hard way once.
Water next. I just used tap water, measured it out carefully. Then the honey – gotta have honey for honey wheat, right? I used the clover honey we had. Poured that sticky stuff in. Added a bit of oil, salt, and a touch of sugar too, just a bit.
Loading the Machine
Here’s the part where everyone says order matters. So, I follow the rules: liquids first. Water, honey, oil went into the pan. Then I piled the flours on top, kinda making a little mountain. I made sure the flour covered the liquid completely. Then, I made a small dent in the top of the flour mountain, careful not to go down to the liquid, and sprinkled the yeast in there. Salt went in a corner, away from the yeast. Seems fussy, but I stick to it.
Put the pan back into the machine, clicked it into place. Closed the lid. Felt kinda satisfying, like locking in potential goodness.
The Waiting Game
Now for the machine settings. My machine has a “Whole Wheat” setting, so that seemed like the obvious choice. I just picked the loaf size – went for the medium – and the crust setting, medium again. Didn’t want it too dark or too light. Then I hit start.
And then you wait. The machine does its thing. Kneading noises start up. It’s a familiar sound in the house when I actually use this thing. Later on, that baking smell starts wafting through the kitchen. That’s the best part, honestly. Smells way better than any candle.
The Result
Finally, the beeping signaled it was done. Popped open the lid. Looked pretty good! Got the oven mitts – that pan is hot – and carefully lifted the pan out. Tipped the loaf onto a wire rack to cool. It slid out mostly okay, paddle stayed in the loaf this time, typical.
Let it cool down for a bit before slicing. Patience is key here, slicing hot bread just makes it gummy. The crust was nice and golden brown. Sliced into it – texture looked good, not too dense, not too airy. Had a slice with just butter. Yep, that familiar, slightly sweet, wheaty taste. Way better than the plastic-wrapped stuff.
So yeah, another successful bread machine adventure. Simple stuff, but feels good to make it yourself.
