More Electric Bread, a book review

Given last week's re-review, I thought I'd take the time to feature my other favorite bread-machine cookbook, More Electric Bread.  It is less eclectic in its selection of ingredients than The Bread Machine Gourmet, but still has a good range of recipes that cook the whole time in the pan, and all the recipes I have tried work.  There are the standbys--white and "whole wheat"(1), but there is also a surprising array of other yummy recipes. I have not worked my way through all of them, but favorites include "Cinnamon Sunrise," "Espresso" (a delicious coffee-flavored bread), "Maple Walnut" (mmm), and "Rice Pudding" (useful if you have leftover rice or have cooked the rice with too much water so it's mushy).

(1) See earlier comments on the portion of actual whole wheat flour that goes into these.

The Bread Machine Gourmet by Shea Mackenzie, a book review

With hot weather closing in, it's time to reiterate my love of The Bread Machine Gourmet, still my favorite bread machine cookbook.

Homemade bread is miles ahead of the flat, packaged stuff that they sell in the grocery store. Bread from the bread machine isn't quite as good as oven-baked bread--you get a larger crumb, for one thing, and a slightly awkward shape, particularly where the paddle was. However, it has its advantages. Making bread in the bread machine means not having to be around while it bakes--it's even possible to set a timer to arrange for it to be ready by a specific time--and not having to deal with the heat of the oven during the summer months.

Trouble is, most bread machine recipes stop at a basic white. There may be one or two recipes for oatmeal bread, and just possibly a "whole wheat" bread where no more than a third of the flour is actually whole wheat. Anything truly interesting has to be removed from the pan, shaped, and baked--and there goes most of the advantage of using a bread machine. Almost no one thinks of trying new recipes, particularly not whole-grain recipes.  Shea Mackenzie is the exception. I sometimes call her book the "everything but the kitchen sink" cookbook. There are recipes for oatmeal bread, banana bread, apple bread, black bean bread, jalepeno cheese bread, chocolate bread, peanut butter bread, and the list goes on.  I have by no means tried all of the recipes, but the ones I have tried have been good!

Baking now?  Apple oatmeal bread.

The Bread Machine Gourmet by Shea MacKenzie

One of my favorite cookbooks; I've had it for years. I love making bread by hand, but sometimes there just isn't time, or it's too hot to turn on the oven, and then the bread machine comes to the rescue.

And this cookbook has lots of intriguing and tasty recipes in it. Favorites include: Blackstrap Bread, Black Bean and Raisin Bread, Brown Rice Bread, Banana Maple Bread, and Chocolate Chip and Nut Bread.