Milk & Honey Bread (Bread Machine)

 

I am sharing a milk and honey bread machine recipe with you today that you are going to fall in love with.  I got my bread machine about two weeks ago now and I am just loving it. I have used it at least twice a week since then.

I baked this lovely loaf the other day and was really pleased with it. So pleased with it that I knew I had to share it with you!

 

  

I just love my bread machine.  I have been using the same model of bread machine for about 20 years now.  It makes fantastic bread. It is a Panasonic SD-RD250 with a raisin dispenser. 

My friend Jo had one in the UK and she talked me into getting one and I was so pleased with it that I have used no other kind ever since.  In fact I wore out one of them in the UK and had just purchased another one about a year or so before moving back to Canada.

I had not been going to get another one, but I just don't like the store bought bread here, so I finally caved a few weeks ago and purchased one.  I am so glad that I did!  

If you are a person who lacks the arm strength to knead bread really well, I can't recommend a bread machine enough!  Even if you never actually bake your bread in it, they are great for making the dough and letting it rise.  

You can just use the dough cycle and then pop your dough into a bread tin for the final rise and baking (in the oven of course!)

This recipe is one I adapted from the bread machine book entitled, The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook, by Tiffany Dahle.  I purchased the kindle version.  

There are over 60 recipes in this book for some really delicious sounding loaves, in two sizes, 1 1/2 pound and 2 pound loaves.  Each recipe is also accompanied with a tasty photograph so you know exactly what to expect.

This is the first recipe I have baked from it, but I have my eye on quite a few recipes and I think I am really going to enjoy baking my way through the book. I highly recommend! 

 

As you can see this recipe produces a really nice tall loaf with a beautiful crumb. If you are a novice bread baker, even in the machine, this recipe is a great place to start!

It produces a loaf of soft, tender, slightly sweet bread that is perfect for sandwiches, or toasting.  The other night we enjoyed it with bowls of chili.  The milk and the honey add a richness to this bread that is quite irresistible! 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MILK & HONEY BREAD

There is nothing complicated here and you can get quite fancy with the honey if you like by using different varieties.  Each will give you a slightly different flavor.  I used clover honey this time. I am keen to try it with Greek honey.

• 1/2 cup (120ml) water
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
• 1 1/2 TBS butter softened
• 2 TBS honey
• 3 cups (420g) bread flour
• 1/2 TBS vital wheat gluten (optional)
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 3/4 tsp instant yeast

 

I used whole milk.  I only keep whole milk in the house. I am not a milk drinker per se, only using it for cooking or for on my breakfast cereal, so whole milk works for me. It has a special richness.

I use a good quality bread flour for this loaf.  I did not use a blend this time as it was a white loaf.

I used clover honey, but as I said, I am keen to try it with Greek honey. I adore Greek honey. It has a slight anise flavor to it that I really enjoy.   Some other good honeys to use would be orange flower honey, wild flower honey,  and buckwheat honey.

 

The original recipe in the book called for 1 1/2 TBS of canola oil, instead of butter. I chose to use softened butter. I like butter and as you can see it worked well.

I also added vital wheat gluten to the recipe as it helps to boost the protein content of the bread and gives you a nicer rise. She did not use it in her original recipe.

 

If you have a larger machine you may want to make a 2 pound loaf, which will have a slight increase in amounts needed:

• 2/3 cup (160ml) water
• 2/3 cup (160ml) milk
• 3 TBS honey
• 2 TBS butter, softened
• 4 cups (560g) bread flour
• 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 TBS vital wheat gluten
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

 

HOW TO MAKE MILK & HONEY BREAD

Follow the recommendations when it comes to the order of adding ingredients to your machine. There are reasons why some machines put the dry ingredients first and the wet last.    Others might recommend putting in the wet first and the dry last. YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THE EXACT ORDER AS RECOMMENDED BY YOUR PARTICULAR MODEL!!

You could of course use the dough cycle and then bake your bread in a bread pan in the oven. 40 minutes at 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4 will do the trick. Just use the dough cycle for your particular machine and then at the end shape it into a loaf, pop it into a greased bread pan, cover lightly and leave to rise for an hour, and bake as stated.

This is a really lovely loaf of bread.  I was very pleased with how it came out!  If you are a keen bread baker and don't mind making bread by hand, here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:

QUICK AND EASY FRENCH BREAD - With only five basic ingredients and half an hour's time, this is a bread everyone will enjoy!  It really is that quick!  I know, amazing!

AMISH FARMHOUSE WHITE BREAD - Simple and easy. If I can make this anyone can. The Amish know what they are doing!  They are great cooks. You can trust their recipes for anything.

OATMEAL BATTER BREAD - I have always had a fondness for batter breads.  They are so much easier to make than regular breads. You can make them simply with a mixer and a bowl.  They also tend to be a lot quicker to make than regular bread.  This version is particularly good.

Milk & Honey Bread

Yield: 1 (1 1/2 pound) loaf

Author: Marie Rayner

Delicately sweet with a light crumb, this classic white bread is the perfect every day loaf.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (120ml) water
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
• 1 1/2 TBS butter softened
• 2 TBS honey
• 3 cups (420g) bread flour
• 1/2 TBS vital wheat gluten (optional)
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 3/4 tsp instant yeast

Instructions

1. Add all of the ingredients to your bread machine according to the manufacturer's instructions for your particular model. (In mine you start with the yeast, then flour, butter, then wet, then salt.)
2. Choose basic/white program setting, based on the options of your particular machine. Select the loaf size and press start.
3. When loaf is done, remove it from the baking pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least half an hour prior to slicing it.

Notes

You can enhance the flavor by swapping in different varieties of honey. Greek honey has a slight anise flavor. Orange Blossom honey is very nice. Play around with it a bit and find your favorite!

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