Amanda Prahl
There’s so much more to bread machines than just basic loaves! If you’ve been wanting to try some new recipes in yours, it’s as easy as choosing the one that sounds the tastiest.
A few creative recipes can take your bread-baking to the next level, while still enjoying the convenience of a bread machine. Gourmet recipes can be as simple as including additional ingredients, like dried fruit, herbs, and nuts, while the more complex might involve both the bread machine and oven.
Whether you tweak your favorite bread recipe or try one of the tasty concoctions we found online, you’re sure to love the delicious results.
The Best Bread Machines
Basic Bread Recipe
Pepperoni Cheese Bread
Cranberry Pecan Bread
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
The Best Bread Machines
A good bread machine is the basis for any customized loaf. While there are tons of options on the market, you’ll want to look for a machine that has lots of customizable choices. This will allow you to tweak the settings and bake loaves with upgrades or “mix-ins.”
For a bread machine that has all the options you need for customized breads, the KBS Extra-Large Bread Maker is just right. With 17 customized settings, plus a few extra features and a ceramic interior, this bread machine can handle anything you throw at (or in) it.
Best of all, for bakers looking to go beyond the basic white bread, there’s an automated fruit and nut dispenser, which releases ingredients into the dough at exactly the right time.
If you want more control over how your bread bakes, Cuisinart’s CBK-200 Convection Bread Maker might be your best bet. It has settings to specify how light or dark the bake should be, preprogrammed settings for certain types of bread, and a window so yuo can keep an eye on your bread.
Because it uses convection heating, it also produces a more even bake, which is also friendlier for loaves with extra ingredients.
Basic Bread Recipe
To get used to your bread machine, start with a basic white loaf. It’s not the most exciting recipe, but it will give you a soft, springy, neutral base to build on. Plus, starting with something simple will allow you to get more comfortable using your bread machine if it’s your first time at the rodeo.
It doesn’t get much easier than this basic recipe from the King Arthur Baking Company. You’ll just need some flour, butter, yeast, milk, water, and a hint of sugar (mostly to feed the yeast, not for a super-sweet flavor). You can use the results to build sandwiches, or experiment and tweak this basic recipe to your heart’s content.
Pepperoni Cheese Bread
If you love the flavors of the tear-and-share cheese bread you order from your favorite takeout place, but don’t want the mess of layers, try this Pepperoni Cheese Bread instead.
Instead of wrapping the spiced meat and cheese in layers for a gooey, pull-apart bread, this loaf incorporates them into the actual crumb of the loaf. A dash of cayenne and garlic gives the bread a little more kick, transforming a would-be boring bread into a spicy, cheesy delight.
Cranberry Pecan Bread
Adding your favorite dried fruit and nuts is an easy way to upgrade a basic bread recipe. You can mix and match your favorites to find a custom blend you like. Or, you can start with a pretested recipe, like this Cranberry Pecan Bread.
As the name suggests, dried cranberries and chopped pecans are the main additions that make this loaf unique. There’s also a bit of rosemary, which elevates the dough from plain to flavorful. All together, it’s a gourmet-style loaf that’s easy to make but tastes much fancier.
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Put a healthier spin on that basic bread recipe with some Honey Whole Wheat. Tasting faintly sweet from the honey, and rich and nutty from the whole wheat, this is the kind of bread that’s delicious as part of a sandwich or on its own with your favorite spread.
The trick to this recipe’s light, soft texture is the blend of whole wheat and all-purpose flours. Combining the two produces a bread that’s lighter than your typical wheat, but sturdier and more flavorful than a typical white.
For a bread machine novice who’s looking to venture beyond simple white bread, this is a great first recipe you’ll definitely return to.
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Who doesn’t love a good cinnamon swirl bread? It’s actually pretty easy to get a beautifully swirled, sweetly spiced loaf. Armed with a bread machine and this recipe from Brooklyn Farm Girl, you’ll have a memorable loaf in no time.
You’ll only need your bread machine to make the basic, slightly sweet dough. After that, you take it out and build the cinnamon nut swirl center by hand. This kind of hybrid recipe is a great example of how your bread machine can come in handy, even when you’re not baking a whole loaf.
Whether you just bought a bread machine or have had one for a while, there are so many delicious things you can do with it. Once you go beyond the basics, you’ll probably never make that plain white loaf again.
