Today we dive deep into our bread making machines to come up with a list of the 10 best bread machine recipes. Essentially, a recipe is a set of guidelines for preparing a particular food or dish and includes a list of the ingredients, mixing, and timing for best results.
Preparing recipes is a Culinary Art that each baker improves with time and experience.cThe best have adapted old-school bread recipes for machine use. In many ways, machines simplify the baking process.
The bread machine mixes, kneads, and does the baking. However, this also means your ingredients have to be right at the beginning. You cannot “feel” the dough and make mid-course adjustments.
A bread machine tends to be consistent in mixing and kneading, making breads arguably finer than those prepared using hands. To those who love and appreciate products from the bakers, you have a reason to be excited because you can now bake high-quality fresh bread from the comfort of your home while saving money and time.
Thanks to the professionals who tried out several bread machine recipes and instruction manuals from bread machine manufacturers, we are able to compile a list of 10 cool bread machine recipes so you can try them out. Additionally, we providing materials pricing and hints about locating some harder-to-find ingredients.
Bread Machine Recipes: Comparison Table
To come up with our top ten bread machine recipes, we did a deep dive through numerous baking-machine-focused books. We risked major carb overload exploring more than 100 recipes, eventually narrowing our list to 20. We then debated, argued, and ate our way to the best 10 we present here.
Overall Price Range
We compared the cost of seven titles of Bread Machine Recipes from leading sellers like Amazon and Walmart. The price for hard copies ranges from the most affordable to premium price.
Men’s Guide to Bread Machine Baking: Making Pizza, Bagels, Beer Bread, Pretzels, Sourdough, and Over 100 Other Great Breads with Your Bread Machine can be bought for an affordable price while you have to shell out a bit more money for more detailed books like Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
Both can be found at Amazon. Further, they have bread machine recipes in soft copy-apps which you can download from their websites for as low a price, which is a plus. The cheapest hard copy guide has simple recipes for beginners and people who want to do simplified baking.
The most expensive bread machine recipe guide has the most complex recipes for complex baking for top chefs and bakers. It contains instructions and techniques for all types baking including confectionery and pastry.
Top 10 Bread Machine Recipes Reviewed
- Cornmeal Bread
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Bagels
- Hot Cross Buns
- Dinner Rolls
- Olive Bread
- French Baguettes
- Pumpkin Quick Bread
- Italian Bread
- Honey Buttermilk Bread
Cornmeal Bread
Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
Description
This is an excellent yeast bread used for toasting and making delicious sandwiches. It is usually made from cornmeal and whole wheat flour which add texture to the bread. Adding a small amount of brown sugar sweetens it perfectly.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 3/4 cup flour (whole wheat)
- 2 3/4 cups flour (bread)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (dark or light brown)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (active dry)
- 1 large egg (whisked)
- 2 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 1 1/3 cups water (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Price to Create
This recipe and numerous equally delicious others are available in The Original Cornmeal Cookbook: Cornmeal at its Finest at Amazon.
The Original Cornmeal Cookbook
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Skooh, Ema (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Cinnamon Rolls
Image by lifeforstock via Freepik
Description
This recipe largely depends on your bread machine to mix, knead and make the dough. After that, you shape and slice it the dough into rolls, place in a baking pan and stick it in the oven. In the final step, you drizzle on sugar frosting that gives the rolls their characteristic appearance and texture.
Ingredients for the rolls
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
- 3 1/3 cups bread flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast)
Ingredients for the filling
- 1/4 cup butter (melted)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/3 cup nuts (chopped and lightly toasted)
Price to Create
Found in 300 Best Bread Machine Recipes from Amazon.
300 Best Bread Machine Recipes
- Washburn, Donna (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 448 Pages – 02/04/2010 (Publication Date) – Robert Rose (Publisher)
Bagels
Image via Freepik
Description
A bagel is a round yeast roll with a hole in the middle. Its name means “bracelet” in German. We use no eggs in the dough and use malt in place of sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon bread machine yeast
Price to Create
Men’s Guide to Bread Machine Baking (used & new offers) is available at Amazon.
Men’s Guide to Bread Machine Baking: Making Pizza, Bagels, Beer Bread,…
- Gerlach, Jeffrey (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 208 Pages – 10/09/1996 (Publication Date) – Prima Lifestyles (Publisher)
Hot Cross Buns
Description
Hot cross buns are traditional buns eaten on Good Friday in some parts of America and other countries. These days people enjoy them year-round. Traditionl presentation places a cross on top of each bun with icing representing Christ.
Ingredients for the bread
- 3/4 cup milk (low-fat is fine; lukewarm)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 scant teaspoon salt (scant)
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup softened butter (cut into 4-6 pieces)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 to 1 cup currants (or finely chopped dried peaches)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons water
Ingredients for the icing
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or vanilla bean paste)
Price to Create
The Recipe Series: Hot Cross Buns can be found at Amazon.
The Recipe Series: Hot Cross Buns
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Monet-Telfer, Alana (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Dinner Rolls
Description
A dinner roll is a tiny, round loaf of bread served as an accompaniment. We can eat a roll whole or cut across and dressed with filling between the two halves. A roll sliced in half makes a great sandwich foundation.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup butter softened
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
Price to Create
Bread Machine Cookbook: Easy-to-Follow Guide to Baking Delicious Homemade Bread for Healthy Eating, available at Amazon.
The No-Fuss Bread Machine Cookbook: Hands-Off Recipes for Perfect…
- Anderson, Michelle (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 236 Pages – 08/16/2016 (Publication Date) – Rockridge Press (Publisher)
Olive Bread
Photo by danmir12 via Freepik
Description
This olive bread recipe makes a large loaf of bread in a bread machine. It requires simple preparation, and the olives make it fabulous bread to serve with a spaghetti dinner. The dried basil adds an extra herbal flavor to the bread.
Be sure to get the brine from olives. The fragrance of the basil and olives make your kitchen smell heavenly while it’s baking. It is a great alternative to garlic bread to serve with any Italian-inspired meal. You need no butter on this bread, it is flavorful enough. Also, great with soups.
Ingredients
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup brine from olives
- 1 cup warm water (enough to make 1 1/2 cups when combined with brine)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 2/3 cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons basil (dried leaf)
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup olives
Price to Create
The Complete Guide To Bread Machine Baking – Recipes For 1 1/2 & 2 Lb. Loaves is available at Amazon.
The Complete Guide to Bread Machine Baking: Recipes for 1 1/2- and…
- Hardcover Book
- Better Homes and Gardens Books (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
French Baguettes
Image by freepic.diller via Freepik
Description
A French baguette is a long, thin loaf of bread from basic lean dough. You can distinguish it by its length and crisp crust. It has a diameter of about two inches and a usual length of about 25 to 63 inches.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
Price to Create
The French Baker: Authentic Recipes for Traditional Breads, Desserts, and Dinners, is available at Amazon.
- Hardcover Book
- Raynaud, Jean Michel (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Pumpkin Quick Bread
Image by franloomis from Pixabay
Description
It’s a simple quick bread made of pumpkin flavor-pumpkin is an ingredient.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
Price to Create
The Art of Baking Bread: What You Really Need to Know to Make Great Bread, is available at Amazon.
The Art of Baking Bread: What You Really Need to Know to Make Great…
- Pellegrini, Matt (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 192 Pages – 03/03/2015 (Publication Date) – Skyhorse (Publisher)
Italian Bread
Image by Quinn Kampschroer from Pixabay
Description
It’s an Italian white bread made from wheat flour, water, olive oil, salt, and yeast. It was first created in 1982 by a baker in Verona, Veneto, Italy, in response to the popularity of French baguettes. It is long, broad, and flat, and has many variations.
Ingredients
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal
Price to Create
Delicious Homemade Bread Baking Guide: Tasty Homemade Bread Recipes For Beginners is available at Amazon.
Delicious Homemade Bread Baking Guide: Tasty Homemade Bread Recipes…
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Christine Rooney (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Honey Buttermilk Bread
Photo by Marta Dzedyshko from Pexels
Description
It’s a delicious homemade yeast bread, and the bread machine makes preparations hands-free. It’s fantastic bread for sandwiches and toast, with a light sweetness and a variety of flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons butter (melted)
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Price to Create
Bread by Mother Earth News: Our Favorite Recipes for Artisan Breads, Quick Breads, Buns, Rolls, and Flatbreads is available at Amazon.
Bread by Mother Earth News: Our Favorite Recipes for Artisan Breads,…
- Voyageur Press MN
- Mother Earth News (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS) about Bread Machine Recipes
What Is a Bread Machine Recipe?
A bread machine recipe is the ingredient list and baking instructions for making bread in a bread machine.
Though bread machine recipes are similar tobreads baked by hand, there are some nuances that require slight variations in a machine-focused recipe.
What Is the Importance of a Bread Machine Recipe?
A bread machine recipe guides you in preparing bread and a variety of snacks in the right way and to produce the best bread even if one doesn’t have prior machine-baking knowledge.
It is a near-magical way to have the experience of baking (the smell of bread in the oven; truly fresh bread to eat) with minimal time investment.
How Does the Bread Machine Recipe Work?
Because a bread machine is mechanical, bread machine recipes are adjusted to accommodate for a “hands-off” baking process.
They also adjust ingredients to work with the machines more regimented timing (from mixing, to rising/punching, and baking time).
Where Can You Get/Buy Bread Machine Recipes?
Though you can pick up pre-packaged bread machine recipes at most grocery stores, there are several websites with bread machine recipes including The Spruce Eats and The Huffington Post.
You can also get cookbooks from leading sellers, such as The No-Fuss Machine Cook Book from Amazon.
Conclusion
One thing you will notice is our emphasis on cookbooks even though we provided stand-alone links to each recipe. The reason is that the book provides a full context for the recipe, including bread machine-specific guidelines.
The Internet is great for finding information quick (and free). However, these recipes are often presented absent special notes that will help you be successful with your particular bread maker.
Having already dug our way though each of these 10 bread machine recipes, it would be impossible to pick just one out of the bunch for a “best” crown. However, of the books we listed, we found Delicious Homemade Bread Baking Guide: Tasty Homemade Bread Recipes For Beginners by Christine Rooney to be the best guide for beginners.
It has great hold-your-hand instructions that will help your success from the beginning. It also has a great collection of recipes, which will help you explore a variety of breads in your machine. The affordable Kindle edition cost is a bonus.
As for recipe ingredient costs, there will be some upfront investments. However, many of the recipes use the same ingredients over and over. If you buy in bulk, this will greatly lower your long-run cost (even making it competitive with store-bough bread). Save for the Hot Cross Buns Bread Machine Recipe, which has a longer list. However, considering they are mostly for Good Friday occasions, the cost is fair. Happy baking!© Incomestorage
