Update: November 16, 2015
Since I have been posting about breakfast foods for the past week, I thought you might enjoy this blog post from last year when I first attempted to learn how to make bread in a bread machine. As I reread the post, I noticed that I shared I had been free of symptoms for a year and a half. I'm thrilled to report that next month I will celebrate three years of being symptom free from fibromyalgia. Even if your attempts to move toward a healthier lifestyle are filled with setbacks and culinary disasters, it is so worth the effort. Happy baking and hope for healing to all!
 |
| Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread |
Over the past few years, I have been replacing processed food with whole foods as part of my plan for coping with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. My symptoms disappeared when I got chemicals out of my environment, stopped eating processed food, and started eating whole foods rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. I haven't had any fibromyalgia pain or CFS symptoms in over a year and a half.
My goal is to eat 95% real food. I use a few processed prepackaged items for the remaining 5% of what I eat like mustard, ketchup, pickles, and until recently - bread. Packaged bread is probably not nearly as full of chemicals as industrially produced cookies, candy, soda, etc. - Right? That's what I thought until I read the label on the bread package and saw that the list of ingredients includes: sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium stearoyl lactylate, monoglycerides, calcium peroxide, datem, ethyoxylated diglycerides, high fructose corn syrup, azodicarbonamide, and enzymes.
Since I don't want to eat chemicals, I decided it was time to learn to make my own bread. I've been making muffins for years so it was no problem to make a few batches to put in the freezer. So far I've made blueberry, banana walnut, and apple oatmeal muffins.
 |
| Blueberry Muffins |
I had an old bread machine collecting dust in the
attic and an old bread machine cookbook shoved to the back of the cookbook
shelf in the kitchen. So one day when my schedule was completely free and I was feeling adventurous. I decided to tackle making bread. My first attempt was a stellar success. The cinnamon raisin bread made my kitchen smell like a bakery and it was absolutely delicious. And I knew exactly what was in it: water, raisins, cinnamon, butter, salt, organic raw sugar, flour and yeast.
 |
| Cinnamon Raisin Bread |
And then I had a great idea. I noticed that all of the recipes in the cookbook were
for one pound loaves and my bread machine could make up to a two pound loaf. Hmmm, let's see: to make twice as much of most recipes you multiply times two and - Voila! I should have twice as much bread. So
I doubled one of the recipes in the cookbook, dumped all of the
ingredients in, and pushed the start button. The bread machine was churning merrily away when I left the kitchen to
go tend to some other chores. About an hour later I smelled something burning.
I went back to the kitchen to investigate. It looked like the bread machine had
exploded. Dough was running over the top
of the bread pan and oozing out of every seam in the machine. Globs of sticky dough had trickled down on to the heating element, and caught on
fire. I yanked out the plug, poured water over the smoky mess, and stood gazing at the sad remains of the bread machine as it quietly died.
I learned something. If the bread recipe says it makes a one pound loaf,
DO NOT double it to make a two pound loaf. I ruined a loaf of bread and murdered a poor innocent bread machine. Since I am quite stubborn and persistent, I just
bought a new bread machine and started over. I have been
making delicious homemade chemical free loaves of bread ever since.
I have had fun recently making bagels and sandwich buns.
 |
| Bagels |
 |
| Whole Wheat Sesame Buns |
I have learned a few things about making bread in a bread machine.
Measure all ingredients exactly.
Make sure all of your ingredients are fresh.
If you use bread flour, choose a brand that is non bromeated with no xanthum gum.
Do not double the recipe.
Have all ingredients at room temperature.
Heat the milk or water until it is warm but not hot.
Put all of the liquid ingredients in first.
Add all of the dry ingredients next.
Spread the dry ingredients evenly over the liquid ingredients so that no moisture can get through.
Make a small indention in the dry ingredients with a spoon.
Sprinkle the yeast into the little hole you have made for it.
Follow the directions on your machine.
The new bread machine is working great. And I haven’t caught anything else on fire.
