Because cinnamon can combine oddly with yeast, giving an off flavor, we suggest holding it to the end, and glazing your raisin loaf with this delicious mixture. Heat the ingredients together, letting them come just to the boil, then brush the crust after the loaf has baked.

CHEESE, NUTS, OLIVES.

Firm, flavorful cheese-Asiago, Gruyere, sharp Cheddar-cut into raisin-size squares, makes a delicious addition along with favorite herbs, or with walnuts, for dinner bread or rolls. Cheese has more impact if it stays in chunks, so we don't suggest grating.

ONE-POUND.

1 - 1 -POUND.

TWO-POUND TWO-POUND.

cup cheese cup cheese cup cheese 1 cup cheese 1 cup cheese cup walnuts cup walnuts cup walnuts cup walnuts cup walnuts

Other savory goodies-olives, toasted pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, chilis, and favorite herbs-make delicious additions, too, when artfully combined. Soft items should be added just before the final rising period.

Date-Pecan Bread - TWO-POUND LOAF - 1 cup dates ( pound) - cup chopped pecans - 3 tablespoons maple syrup - 1 cups (12 fluid ounces) warm water (90100F) - 3 tablespoons oil - 3 cups whole wheat flour - 1 teaspoons salt - 2 teaspoons yeast - 1 -POUND LOAF - cup dates - cup chopped pecans - 2 tablespoons maple syrup - 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (10 fluid ounces) warm water - 2 tablespoons oil - 3 cups whole wheat flour - 1 teaspoons salt - 1 teaspoons yeast - ONE-POUND LOAF - cup dates - cup chopped pecans - 1 tablespoons maple syrup - cup (12 fluid ounces) warm water - 1 tablespoon oil - 1 cups whole wheat flour - teaspoon salt - 1 teaspoon yeast This splendid special-occasion bread smells wonderful baking, and tastes divine. A top favorite with an even, moist crumb and rich flavor, its crust is thin, crispy, and deeply colored. Makes excellent soft rolls.

Dates should be firm but not hard. Cut them into pieces and set aside. Toast the pecans lightly for extra flavor, and set aside to cool.

Put the other ingredients into the machine and set to whole wheat, light crust, or else select sweet setting, and start machine. When kneading has progressed a few minutes, stop to evaluate the dough, and correct with a little additional flour or water to make a firm, soft dough ball.

If you want the dates and pecans to meld somewhat into the dough, add them when the machine signals for extras. If you prefer that they remain big and chunky, wait until just before the last rise. Remove the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured countertop. Distribute the dates and nuts evenly over the dough, and press them in firmly. Roll up, incorporating as little air as possible. Press the dough into the bread pan. (You can remove the paddles at this stage, if you want to. Grease the pegs! They aren't nonstick.) Either way, you'll have delicious bread.

When the loaf is done, gently turn it out onto a thick towel, and use the towel to wrap it up while it cools for about 15 minutes before you slice it.

Deep Dark Rye - TWO-POUND LOAF - 1 cups warm water - 2 tablespoons oil - 2 tablespoons mola.s.ses - 1 tablespoons cider vinegar - 2 cups whole wheat flour - 1 cups whole rye flour - 1 teaspoons salt - 1 teaspoon caraway seeds - 2 teaspoons yeast - 1 -POUND LOAF - 1 cup warm water - 2 tablespoons oil - 1 tablespoons mola.s.ses - 1 tablespoon cider vinegar - 2 cups whole wheat flour - 1 cup whole rye flour - 1 teaspoons salt - teaspoon caraway seeds - 2 teaspoons yeast - ONE-POUND LOAF - cup warm water - 1 tablespoon oil - 1 tablespoon mola.s.ses - 2 teaspoons cider vinegar - 1 cup whole wheat flour - 3 tablespoons gluten - cup whole rye flour - teaspoon salt - teaspoon caraway seeds - 1 teaspoon yeast Moist and dark but far from heavy, with a fine rye flavor, this delectable bread will keep very well, though it seldom has the chance.

We use stoneground whole rye flour for its wonderful flavor. Keep whole rye flour airtight in the refrigerator, and use it up while it is fresh. (More on rye flour.) The special rye mixing technique is interesting-not your usual toss-into-the-machine-and-turn-it-on! Giving the wheat flour a head start, and adding the liquids after the flours are combined, makes the loaf higher, with much superior texture. Choose a cycle about 3 hours total, and, if possible, choose dark crust.

Measure the liquids, including the oil, into a large measuring cup. Put half of the liquid mixture into machine and mix in the wheat flour (and gluten, if used). It will be dry. Restart machine to preheat. (If no preheat, just let dough rest for ten minutes, then start machine.) As the machine begins to knead, mix in rye flour, salt, and seeds. It's drier yet! Slowly Slowly add remaining liquid to the forming dough, then sprinkle the yeast over it. As kneading continues, add more flour or water as required to make a slightly stiff dough. add remaining liquid to the forming dough, then sprinkle the yeast over it. As kneading continues, add more flour or water as required to make a slightly stiff dough.

Rye dough must not be overkneaded. Machine options: program the kneading time down to 15 minutes. Or take the dough out of the bucket after the "extras" signal, and put it back in when "rise 1" starts. Or put 2 tablespoons gluten into the bottom of each cup when you measure the wheat flour to make the dough stronger.

If this bread weren't so good, it wouldn't be worth all this fussing, but it is.

RAISIN RYE.

Even better! Add raisins when the machine tells you to-some smooshing is OK. Use cup raisins in the 2-pound loaf, cup for a 1 -pound, and cup for a 1-pound loaf.

b.u.t.termilk Bread - TWO-POUND LOAF - cup HOT HOT water water - 3 tablespoons honey - cup b.u.t.termilk - 3 cups whole wheat flour - 3 tablespoons cold b.u.t.ter - 1 teaspoons salt - 2 teaspoons yeast - 1 -POUND LOAF - cup HOT HOT water water - 2 tablespoons honey - cup b.u.t.termilk - 3 cups less 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour - 2 tablespoons cold b.u.t.ter - 1 teaspoons salt - 1 teaspoons yeast - ONE-POUND LOAF - cup HOT HOT water water - 1 tablespoon honey - cup b.u.t.termilk - 1 cups whole wheat flour - 1 tablespoon cold b.u.t.ter - teaspoon salt - 1 teaspoon yeast - SEEDS FOR ROLLS - cup sesame seeds - cup poppy seeds - 1 tablespoon fennel seeds b.u.t.termilk Bread is the one we make the most often: tender, tasty, and a good keeper. Wonderful toasted-excellent for any sort of sandwich. The dough makes the very best rolls, too, plain or dipped in seeds, as described below.

Measure the hot water and honey into your measuring cup, and stir until the honey is dissolved. Add b.u.t.termilk, and mix. Set to light crust. Add ingredients according to the manufacturer's instructions, and start machine. The first time you make this recipe with this flour in this machine, please reserve some of the flour and add it as described to make a soft, firm dough.

A very nice touch: brush the top crust with b.u.t.ter when you remove the loaf from the machine. This bread is especially soft and fragile when it just finishes baking. Please wrap it in a towel and let it cool before trying to slice it.

SOFT b.u.t.tERMILK ROLLS.

At the end of the second rising period, shut off the machine and remove the dough. Place it on a wet countertop and gently flatten to about an inch. Cut into roll-size pieces (somewhere between a golf ball and a tennis ball, but more toward golf) and round each piece into a smooth ball. Use water rather than flour on the table and on your hands to keep dough from sticking. Fit shaped rolls not-quite-touching into a b.u.t.tered baking pan, and set in a draft-free place to rise until at least double. Meantime, preheat oven to 400F. When rolls are ready, put in the oven; turn the thermostat down to 325. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes, depending on how big they are. Brush with b.u.t.ter.

If you'd like to make seedy rolls-much beloved at our place-toast sesame seeds lightly and mix with the other seeds listed, or use others of your choice. After shaping, spray with water, then coat each roll with seeds. Proceed as above, but no need to brush with b.u.t.ter after baking.

Spelt Bread - TWO-POUND LOAF - 1 cups soymilk - cup maple syrup - 3 tablespoons oil - 3 cups spelt flour - cup gluten - 1 teaspoons salt - 2 teaspoons yeast - 1 -POUND LOAF - 1 cup soymilk - cup maple syrup - 2 tablespoons oil - 2 cups spelt flour - cup gluten - 1 teaspoon salt - 1 teaspoons yeast DELICIOUS VARIATIONUse water instead of soymilk. Add cup whole flaxseeds. A tasty, crunchy loaf that makes fine timed loaves.

Delightful flavor, a light, soft, cakey texture, and thin, crisp crust make this bread special. There are so many kinds of soymilk that minor adjustments will be necessary in some cases, but please do not omit or reduce the oil. Soy binds gluten; without the oil the bread won't rise.

Scald the soymilk (heat until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan), and allow to cool to 100F. Put ingredients in machine, select whole wheat and light crust, and begin. After a few minutes of kneading, check the dough. Add a little more flour, or a little more soymilk (or water), if needed to make a firm, soft dough ball.

When bread is done, turn it out onto a soft towel.

USING ALTERNATIVE WHEAT FLOURS FOR BREAD.

SPELT is a type of wheat that's more digestible for some people. Use it in whole wheat recipes, with some care. is a type of wheat that's more digestible for some people. Use it in whole wheat recipes, with some care.

1. Spelt flours vary in how much gluten protein they contain. When you buy spelt for making bread, check the nutrition label to be sure the protein content is at least 5 grams per -cup serving.

2. If you don't want to use gluten, and your machine is programmable, shorten the kneading time to 15 minutes. With its low gluten content, spelt dough weakens with normal kneading times, and the loaf is likely to collapse.

3. Spelt flour has less bran as well as less gluten. These two absorb the most liquid, so when adapting whole wheat recipes to spelt, expect to add less liquid-and vice versa.

KAMUT, another variety of wheat, has high protein but not high gluten gluten protein. In our experience, it makes a dense but pretty, sunny-colored bread using the same measurements as normal wheat flour. Kamut seems to us quite similar to durum wheat. protein. In our experience, it makes a dense but pretty, sunny-colored bread using the same measurements as normal wheat flour. Kamut seems to us quite similar to durum wheat.

Cottage Loaves - 1 -POUND BASIC LOAF - 1 cups cottage cheese - 2 tablespoons honey - 2 eggs, lightly beaten - 3 tablespoons b.u.t.ter or oil - 3 cups whole wheat flour - 1 teaspoons salt - 1 teaspoons yeast - 1 small onion, slivered (about cup) - 2 tablespoons dillweed - 1 cup cubed Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces) - cup pitted, cut-up olives - SWIRL MIXTURE - 1 teaspoon cinnamon - cup sugar This high-rising, high-protein loaf accommodates "extras" with grace, because the eggs and cottage cheese mellow the flavor of the whole wheat. The plain version keeps well and makes excellent toast.

Warm cottage cheese is this recipe's main liquid. The dough will seem dry at first when mixing but becomes normal after some kneading-resist the temptation to add water!

COTTAGE DILL LOAF.

Saute the onions in the recipe's b.u.t.ter (or oil). When onions are golden, add the cottage cheese, stirring it until it is warm. Put the warm mixture, dillweed, and other ingredients into machine and proceed as usual.

SAVORY COTTAGE DINNER LOAF.

Follow the directions above, using dill, crushed rosemary, or any favorite herb. Reduce salt by half. At the "extras" signal, add Parmesan cheese and olives.

COTTAGE SWEETIE.

Use the recipe at the top, but subst.i.tute cup brown sugar for the 2 tablespoons honey.

Remove the dough from the machine just before the last rise. Take out the paddle(s) and grease the peg(s). With a wet cloth, wipe your countertop, and turn the dough out onto it. Pat dough into a long rectangle about as wide as your machine's bucket. Spread the swirl mixture over the dough and roll up, trying not to incorporate any air. Seal the "seam" and ends by pinching, put the loaf back into the machine, and close the lid for the final rise.

When the bread is done, brush with Cinnamon Glaze (see margin). This recipe also makes excellent cinnamon swirl rolls (see this page this page).

Electric Focaccia - 1 cups + cup warm water - 2 teaspoons salt - 4 cups whole wheat bread flour - 2 teaspoons yeast - cup oil rosemary and basil, or other herbs of choice - OPTIONAL TOPPINGS - sliced tomatoes - sauteed mushrooms - roasted onions, garlic - roasted peppers - pine nuts - crumbled soft cheeses - grated hard cheeses Note: Focaccia requires a lot of oil. Not to worry! The bread is so delicious that no one ever dreams of putting b.u.t.ter on it. Olive oil is, of course, the traditional choice. You're cooking it, so don't use extra virgin, as the taste evaporates. In fact, because of the flavorful herbs, even gourmet friends won't guess if you use canola. Really.

This airy, flattish, flavorful Italian bread, thicker than pizza and not so gooey, can be ho-hum or wow wow, depending; this this recipe makes wonderful, crispy-chewy focaccia, quite recipe makes wonderful, crispy-chewy focaccia, quite wow wow even without a single one of the optional toppings. The recipe is made in steps: to achieve a desirable holey texture, the dough rests in the refrigerator for hours (or days) before it's baked. The first steps make a fun, messy project for a day when you'll be hanging out in the kitchen anyhow. even without a single one of the optional toppings. The recipe is made in steps: to achieve a desirable holey texture, the dough rests in the refrigerator for hours (or days) before it's baked. The first steps make a fun, messy project for a day when you'll be hanging out in the kitchen anyhow.

Good hot, good cold, good warm...

Warm the bread machine's bucket by filling it with very warm water. Gather your ingredients. Empty the bucket. Put in the 1 cups water, salt, flour and yeast in the usual way. Bypa.s.s "preheat" if you can; mix and knead for 10 minutes. Then, bit by bit, pour in the reserved water, letting it incorporate into the dough. The dough will be very wet-as it should be. Help it with a rubber spatula if you feel the urge. When the whole kneading cycle is finished, turn off the machine.

Sprinkle a clean countertop with flour. Turn the dough onto it and, with wet hands, pat into a big rectangle. The dough is very soft and sticky. Measure a tablespoon of oil and spread it over two-thirds of the dough, then fold it up like a letter with the oil inside. Wait a little, then pat it out and repeat the oil and the folding. Now let it rest again.

In a small pan or measuring cup, warm remaining oil to about 100F and add 2 tablespoons of dried herbs or cup fresh, or a combination. Chopped rosemary and basil are marvelous, or use your own favorites. Set aside.

Grease a 12X18 baking pan with sides. Coat it with a tablespoon of oil. Loosen the dough and lift it carefully onto the pan, centering as much as possible, without ripping it. Pat it out to nearly fill the pan. Let it rest awhile longer.

With fingertips only fingertips only, make little dents apart all over the dough. No more patting with anything but fingertips from now on, because the little dents encourage the characteristic holey texture. Spoon herbed oil (and herbs) onto the top, letting it pool in the dents. Use most of the oil.

Cover with another similar pan upside down, or put into a blown-up plastic bag. Put into the refrigerator overnight, or for as long as a couple of days. When you're ready to bake, it will look oily and not promising-but just wait!

TO BAKE IN MACHINE.

You will be able to bake one small section of the dough at a time. Keep the rest in the refrigerator, to bake when it suits you over the next couple of days. Remove the paddle from the bread machine's bucket, and use the bucket upside down like a cookie cutter to mark the dough, then cut along the marks with a pizza cutter or knife. Plan so that the segments will use the dough as efficiently as possible-piecing is OK. Carefully transfer a segment into the bucket, nudging it so it lines the bottom of the bucket without wrinkles. Top with any of the selected toppings except cheese. Drizzle with herby oil, making finger dents, as before. Allow to rest at room temperature for 2 hours, then top with cheese, if desired. Set the machine to "bake only." (Or program out all other cycles, leaving bake.) It will bake in about 25 minutes. Focaccia is done when golden brown and coming away from the side of the pan. Turn off the machine. Let bread cool on rack for 10 minutes before slicing in two, or four. Just right for a hearty lunch, or with soup and salad for two.

TO BAKE IN OVEN.

Remove pan from refrigerator and set on a countertop away from drafts. Use fingertips to make dents in the top as before, drizzling on the rest of the herby oil. Put on toppings if desired, except cheeses. Keep at room temperature for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 450F. Crumble soft cheeses on now. Put the pan in the middle of the oven and bake 10 minutes. Check; if necessary, turn the pan to make sure it is cooking evenly. If adding grated hard cheese, add it now. Bake 5 to 10 minutes more; it is done when nicely golden brown. Let cool on rack for 10 minutes before slicing into squares.

Converting Recipes We had dearly hoped to be able to tell you that any recipe in this book is fine in your machine, if you just do the math. In a way it's true; here's what you need to know to make it work.

SPEED AND FLAVOR.

Bread machines make bread very fast-all but the longest (older) machine cycles count as a "fast rise" in terms of traditional baking. Some models let you reprogram for longer rising times, in a more traditional pattern, and, for sure, that is a help. But because machines keep the dough so warm, there's a top limit of 3hours for total rising time-still a "fast" dough. Note that fast doughs require extra yeast.

Because a fast rise doesn't allow the dough time to develop full flavor, machine recipes increase the relative amounts of added ingredients that provide flavor: salt and sweetener, raisins, nuts, etc. (For more see this page this page) Another way: mix-but don't knead-the dough. Cover it and put it in the refrigerator. After several hours, or next day, let it come to room temperature, put it in the machine, and push "start."

LIQUID BALANCE.

Machines require stiffer dough-relatively less liquid-than traditional bakers would consider ideal, and less than what is called for in the recipes elsewhere in this book. Loaves made with the traditional balance of liquid almost always collapse in the machine, possibly because the last rise gradually segues into a very low-temperature bake; the center of the loaf continues to rise after the outside edges have baked, so that the inside becomes weak and collapses. This is much exaggerated when the bucket is wider than 5.

Decreasing the liquid measure, as suggested by all the manufacturers, prevents collapses. However, less liquid in the dough translates to dry bread. To ameliorate this, use ingredients that promote moistness: honey for the sweetener, extra b.u.t.ter or oil, fruits, cooked grains. As you use your machine over time, gradually try to increase the amount of liquid as much as you can without provoking collapses.

SHAPING AND BAKING.

Machines do a splendid job of kneading, but most cannot shape the bread well, and none can preheat their "oven." Shaping provides even, structured texture. Preheating promotes oven spring. Both together usually give a loaf an additional couple of inches in height-they make your bread lighter. Some machines do a better job of "shaping" than others, and the best of them, left to themselves, will give you a very pretty loaf-but never like well-shaped loaves baked in a preheated oven.

If you are going to be around when the last rising time starts, you have two separate options for a better loaf: 1. Take out the dough and shape it; remove the paddle, grease the peg, and put the dough back to rise and bake; or, 2. Turn off the machine. Shape the dough and put it into a greased loaf pan (or make rolls or pizza or a braid, and set on a greased baking sheet). Keep the rising dough in a draft-free place. Preheat your oven to about 400F while the shaped dough rises high. Put it into the hot oven, and then immediately turn the heat down to 325F if the dough includes dairy, 350F if not. Bake about an hour-less for rolls or pizza-until nice and brown.

See this page this page for more about shaping and baking; for rolls; for more about shaping and baking; for rolls; this page this page for pizza; for pizza; this page this page for braiding and glazing. for braiding and glazing.

THE SHORT VERSION.

To summarize: for beginning-to-end machine baking, when converting recipes from other chapters in this book (or other nonmachine sources), include proportionately more yeast, more flavoring ingredients, and something to give the loaf better moisture. Specifically, cut the flour by a third and the liquid nearly by half, and let the rest stay the same! Start with a liquid measure close to what your manufacturer recommends for a basic recipe, and work from there.

If you use the machine only for mixing and kneading, keep the nonmachine recipe's proportions. If you're using a machine recipe but will bake in a normal oven, expect a higher rise and allow for that in choosing the size of your loaf pan.

In spite of some cavils, these machines are marvelous tools for a busy person's kitchen, and can clear the way for a lot of really fine bread.

Specifics A useful book: The Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints The Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway (St. Martin's Press, 1993) by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway (St. Martin's Press, 1993) Up to now, we have tried to speak generically, knowing that technology changes, and that by the time you read this, a model we praise may have been replaced by one even better. Even so, it may be helpful to have a few real-life details.

Being able to program your own timings is particularly helpful for whole wheat baking. As we go to press, only the Zojirushi Traditional and the Breadman Ultimate-the top machines-let you change the timings for preheat, kneading, rising, and baking. The Breadman lets you lengthen the "punching" and "shaping" times, too. Breadman's shaping motion is very good, and lengthening those two timings makes its shaping outstanding.

Because timing has to balance temperature, the Zo timings can be a little longer than the Breadman, which rises faster, at slightly higher temperatures. Here are the timings we have worked out for them: .

BREADMAN BREADMAN.

ZOJIRUSHI ZOJIRUSHI.

ULTIMATE ULTIMATE.

TRADITIONAL TRADITIONAL.

KNEAD.

25 minutes 25 minutes 25 minutes 25 minutes RISE 1.

60 minutes 60 minutes 1 hour, 15 minutes 1 hour, 15 minutes PUNCH.

10 seconds 10 seconds - - RISE 2.

45 minutes 45 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes SHAPE.

15 seconds 15 seconds - - RISE 3.

30 minutes 30 minutes 40 minutes 40 minutes BAKE.

60 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes