Discover the versatility of bread maker recipes!

Theres nothing like the aroma of a freshly baked loaf of bread to make any meal just a little bit better. Paired with anything from a hearty bowl of soup to a big summertime chefs salad, warm, fresh bread makes the meal. Before the invention of the bread machine, who had the time? Now, with a bread machine and a book of bread maker recipes, all it takes is a few minutes of your time and pressing a button or two - in about three hours, youve got an economical, but oh so good, 2-pound loaf of bread.

Unlike the supermarket white bread, for the same thrifty price, using your stash of bread maker recipes, you can serve nutritious, artisan breads, made with whole grains, enhanced with cheese, jalapenos, bits of dried fruit or, really, whatever strikes your fancy.

Once youve experimented with a number of types of bread maker recipes, you begin to realize that its easy to make substitutions for ingredients given in the recipes. One of the most important factors is maintaining the ratio of wet to dry ingredients. The other main key to success lies in the flours you use. Gluten is what makes the texture of the bread right - too much produces a heavy, too-chewy texture. Too little and your loaf will fall.

While youre getting the hang of making bread in your bread machine, be conservative in substituting one ingredient for another. For example, if your bread maker recipe for Cheddar bread calls for two cups of grated Cheddar and youd like to try using some freshly grated Parmesan instead, remember that the Parmesan is drier than the Cheddar, so the resulting texture will be different with the substitution. In this case, you might try using two cups of Parmesan and an additional 2/3 cup of a soft, moist, neutral tasting cheese, such as a Farmers style or Teleme.. If you enjoy Havarti dill, this cheese contains more moisture than Cheddar, so use a little less than your bread maker recipe calls for - say, just 1 cups instead of two.

Not every loaf will come out picture perfect, but thats OK. Live and learn. If one of your modified bread maker recipes fails to rise properly, its still just as tasty when you dip it in that bowl of stew. Just make a note or two on how you might adjust the ingredients next time. With a bread machine and basic recipes, there really are no failures!

Now, how about some home made pizza dough? Your book of bread maker recipes is sure to include at least a couple of recipes for this yummy bread!

The bread machine is one of the best inventions since - well - sliced bread! Enjoy!