Best Bread Machine Recipes: For 1 1/2- and 2-pound loaves (Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen) [Spiral-bound]

Better Homes and Gardens Books (Author), Jennifer Darling (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Homemade bread has long been appreciated, but the fact that it takes so long to make tends to discourage many cooks. Bread machines certainly decrease cooking time, and baking bread can again fill one's home with wonderful aromas and delectable nourishment. This compendium of recipes includes a fine selection of breads--plain breads (beer, buttermilk, cheese, egg, potato, and rye); sweet and savory loaves, featuring veggies, herbs, fruits, spices; flatbreads; and shaped breads and rolls. The Better Homes and Gardens test kitchens provide clearly written basic guidance and helpful tips in an introductory chapter aimed at ensuring that cooks achieve the best results. Alice Joyce

Product Description

Designed for people who own bread machines that yield two-pound loaves and for anyone whose machine makes a one-and-a-half pound loaf, this book contains a variety of recipes that make maximum use of a bread machine's convenient and timesaving festures. Conversion directions for favorite recipes are included. 10 photos. 80 recipes.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 128 pages
• Publisher: Better Homes and Gardens; 1 edition (January 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069620682X
• ISBN-13: 978-0696206825
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #107,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

  #87 in

  Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Baking > Bread

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you get a bread machine, be sure to get this, too!, December 18, 2001

By	Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: Best Bread Machine Recipes: For 1 1/2- and 2-pound loaves (Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen) (Spiral-bound)

The recipes that come with the typical bread machine are always useful, the tried and true Old Reliables that everyone needs to get started. When you are ready to break out and try something really fun, however, this is the book you'll want! The Bread Machine Primer at the beginning answers every question you could possibly have about machines and ingredients, explains the chemical interrelationships between salt, sugar, yeast, and flour, and, best of all, even tells you how to adapt your grandmother's non-bread-machine recipes and other family favorites for use with the bread machine.

Even the "Plain" Breads in this book are much more imaginative and interesting than average--Beer Bread, Potato Bread, and Cheese Bread are not exactly "white bread." The Whole Grain Breads are fantastic, with the Wild Rice Bread and Yogurt Corn Bread among our special favorites. Savory Breads feature Welsh Rarebit Bread, Prosciutto Loaf, and a really toothsome Olive Bread. Holiday Eggnog Bread, Rum Raisin Loaf, Peaches and Cream Loaf, and Welsh Currant Bread are just a few of the Sweet Breads to keep you constantly tempted. And the flatbreads, such as Rosemary-Fig Foccacia and Jalapeno-Cheddar Rounds, show the variety of possibilities open to you.

This is an imaginative and useful accompaniment to any bread machine, the best of the several bread machine cookbooks I've tried. My one recommendation is to pay attention to the amount of yeast you use. This book uses significantly less yeast than most other books, and I've found I need to add 1/4 t. more yeast to the recipes I've tried. Mary Whipple

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a keeper, May 1, 2000

By	Jennifer L. Willis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best Bread Machine Recipes: For 1 1/2- and 2-pound loaves (Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen) (Spiral-bound)

I bought this book along with my new breadmaker. I threw away the recipe booklet that actually came with my machine and rely solely on this one. Not only does it have pictures with what things have the potential to look like but it also talks a bit about the process. That is, the proper mixing of ingredients and why you want to do then this way, what the dough looks like when mixing and how you might "fix" the dough if it appears too dry or too wet. I share this book with all my friends and family who are embarking on the bread machine world. A must have for your collection!

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great results each time!, April 8, 2003

By	Sylvia Bass (Tustin, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Best Bread Machine Recipes: For 1 1/2- and 2-pound loaves (Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen) (Spiral-bound)

I recently purchased a bread machine (Williams Sonoma) and wanted to try different recipes. I bought a book "Bread Machine Baking" which had recipes scaled for my machine. I also found this one on Amazon and bought it too.

I have found that the recipes in this book actually turn out better, even with the lesser amount of yeast used. Each loaf has risen evenly and nicely, creating a beautiful and delicious loaf of bread.

I also prefer the way this book is laid out. It is spiral bound which allows it to lie flat, it has a good table of contents and the recipes are easy to read at a glance.

I highly recommend this book. Try the Egg and Oatmeal breads. So good and easy to make with ingredients you have on hand.