Real Recipes for Real People: Bread Maker Mixes

Three years ago my husband gave me a bread machine for Christmas. I have truly loved the convenience it adds to my life, but I did not love the instructions, which said to use only a special kind of flour and a special kind of yeast. Because I did not want to spend this extra money, I began to experiment with the recipes they sent me, and found I could use the same ingredients I had already been using for years! Next, I decided that I really loved the convenience of the pre-packaged bread mixes I could buy in the store, but I did not like paying the high prices of these mixes. This is how I came up with my own recipes for mixes I can use in my bread maker.

Below is my favorite bread maker recipe, and more can be found on my website. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Potato Bread Mix (1-1/2 pound loaf)

• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup dry potato flakes
• 1 T. white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt

Place the ingredients in a large (gallon-sized) zip baggie and seal. To make the bread later, you will need the following additional ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c. warm water (110 degrees F)
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 2 3/4 tsp. active or quick-acting active dry yeast (1 pkg.)

Place all wet ingredients into the bread pan, then add the dry ingredients, reserving the yeast for last. Insert the bread pan into the bread maker, and select White, desired crust color, rapid or normal baking cycle and loaf size. Select desired delay option, and press Start.

You should store these mixes in a cool, dry place just as you would store the pre-packaged mixes you can purchase in the stores.

You can also give this mix as a gift. I suggest placing a nice stick-on label on the bag and including a packet of yeast, or the measured amount of yeast inside a very small zip baggie. Attach the instructions to make the bread, written on a recipe card, and decorate or wrap as desired. You could place the mix inside a decorative tin or in a bread basket. Use your imagination, and you will find the perfect way to present your gift to each individual on your gift list.

You can find more mixes like this one, as well as mixes for 1 pound loaves, on the Real Food for Real People website and you can subscribe to my free daily email recipes by sending a blank email to realfood-on@mail-list.com

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"The Dollar Stretcher, Inc." does not assume responsibility for advice given. All advice should be weighed against your own abilities and circumstances and applied accordingly. It is up to the reader to determine if advice is safe and suitable for their own situation.

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