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Jan 21, 2011

Soaked Bread in the Bread Maker

Eleven years ago, someone gave me a bread maker as a wedding gift.  I've loved it.  But, when I started learning how bad white bread was and that I should soak wheat bread, I almost stopped making bread.  Almost.

I love bread.

The below recipe works for my bread maker.  I hope it works in yours, too.  If you don't have a bread maker - keep your eye out for one at your mother's house Goodwill or a garage sale this summer.

Overnight soak:
9 oz warm to hot water
1 oz apple cider vinegar
2 T butter, soft or melted
3 1/3 cups freshly milled wheat flour (I've not tried this with store bought whole wheat.  The texture will be different.)

I turn on the bread maker long enough to mix the dough. I think the first cycle is 5 minutes in my machine.  Then I unplug it - so there's no chance of it becoming possessed and making bread in the night.

The next morning I add the remaining ingredients just before I turn on the machine again.  This time for the duration.

1.5 t yeast (or 1 pkg)
1.5 T honey or other sweetener
1.5 t salt

I've used both the basic and whole wheat settings.  Both make yummy bread.

See what others are making for Fight Back Fridays with Food Renegade.

7 comments:

  1. I tried this in my bread machine on both basic and whole wheat. It didn't bake. 3/4 of the way through I got an error message. Is your bread machine larger than mine maybe? (My machine could be broken too but it worked fine last time I tried.)I finished it in the oven so maybe next time I'll just put it on the dough setting and bake in the oven but I'd like to know what I did wrong. Any ideas?

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  2. Heather: the above recipe is for 1.5 lb loaf. I'm sure the loaf size varies with each machine. My sister has a machine that makes super tiny loaves.

    I would recommend you double check your machine is working properly by making a loaf according to the manufacturer's directions.

    I've thought of making dough and finishing in my oven, too - but I really like the convenience and preciseness of the machine. :)

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  3. Thanks so much for this recipe...If i want fresh bread in the morning can I soak throughout the day (ex. 8am-11pm), then add the yeast, salt, & honey at night (ex. 11pm) & set my delay timer to start in the early morning (ex. 2 am) so it will be ready the next morning (ex. ~6am)? Or will it not work if the salt, honey, & yeast sit on top of soaked dough for a few hours before starting?

    Thanks so much!

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    Replies
    1. Jeanette - I think yours sounds like a great idea! Try it and let us know how it works.

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  4. What is the consistency after the first step? I think mine didn't work out. Its like playdough, tuff playdough. I am using flour I sprouted, dried, and ground myself (White Spring Wheat).

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    Replies
    1. Adrianne, I have not used sprouted flour and I'm sure that is a difference maker. It's been a while since I've used my breadmaker but the consistency should be similar to the final (dough) product since you don't add much liquid (1.5 T honey). Of course the humidity also can make a difference in bread making - how much flour to add.

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    2. Thanks Julie! I just tried another bread recipe (not soaked) and it did the same thing. I think I must have sprouted and dried my wheat incorrectly. Perhaps I actually "cooked" it while I was dehydrating it, which means my oven doesn't have an accurate 150 degrees. I will try this again with plain freshly milled wheat flour. And I'm going to the local goodwill and buying a bread machine (its a bread machine graveyard there).

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