The long cold days of winter have me looking for savoury soups, stews and home-made bread recipes. They all seem so comforting, both inside and out and they are easy on the old wallet too. Each meal seems to improve in flavour by the next day. Last week, I gave you the recipe for a great French Onion Soup. Here is one of my favourite bread machine recipes you can make to go along with a steaming bowl of home-made soup.
Healthy ingredients to add into your bread machine recipes:
Instead of using the butter or margarine in any of you bread recipes, use granulated lecithin in equal amounts instead. This is a healthy replacement for all the fat used in you bread recipe. Lecithin is a soy based product. It will give your bread a lighter and even texture. Your bread will rise higher and there are only 60 calories in 1 tbsp. of granulated lecithin. We carry this excellent product in my store, Sharyn's Pantry. You must always keep it in the fridge to prevent rancidity. It is rich in Vitamin E, iron, phosphorus and choline. There is also no cholesterol as it is a plant, not animal based product.
Try replacing 1/2 cup of ground golden flax meal for 1/4 cup of flour in any of your bread recipes. Ground flax meal must be stored in the fridge or freezer for optimum freshness and to prevent rancidity. Ground flax will help to lower your bad cholesterol, reduce menopause symptoms and help reduce inflammation caused by arthritis. You can eat 2 tbsp. daily in your cereal, yogurt, applesauce, or add some in your bread machine recipe.
Instead of just making a completely white flour loaf of bread, try using 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat flour for a healthier bread for you and your family. Our flour at Sharyn's Pantry is 'bakery quality flour' and you will see the difference when you use it. Buy it by the 20 kilogram bag to save even more money.
Save the water you boil your potatoes in and use it in all your bread recipes. Your bread will stay moister and have more nutrients left from the potatoes. Just store it in the fridge and warm up before adding to the bread machine.
Barbara’s multi-grain bread:
9 oz. warm water (or potato water)
1- 1/2 tbsp. canola oil or granulated lecithin
1 tbsp. liquid honey
1 tbsp. molasses
1- 1/2 tsp. fine salt
1 cup unbleached bread flour
1 cup hi-rise whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup 7 or 12 grain cereal
2 tsp. instant bread machine yeast (our yeast is half the supermarkets price)
Method:
- Add ingredients in the proper order in your bread maker. Set on whole wheat cycle.
- If you want to make buns, just use the DOUGH CYCLE, remove and shape into buns, allow to rise to double in size and then bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
