You probably think you know what this is. Right now are you saying to yourself, "those are a couple of slices of bread" or if you're really in the know, "that's bread made in a bread machine because of the little indentation in the slices." And you're right, but there's more to the story. Those are slices of bread from the very first loaf of bread I made with my new Zojirushi BB-HAC10 Home Bakery 1-Pound-Loaf Programmable Mini Breadmaker.
I actually have another bread machine that I've never used. It's too big to sit on my sliver of a counter and it makes a big loaf of bread, too big for a household of two. But the Zojirushi takes only a smidgen of room and makes such a nice little loaf that it gets used before it turns stale. For my first loaf I used the King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour I wrote about a while back. Next time I will try using the stoneground whole wheat bread flour I bought at the Bale Grist Mill in Napa. Only a couple of slices have those funny indentations, by the way, most come out looking very normal.
The Zojirushi has options for different styles and firmness of bread and crust. It comes with a booklet with tons of recipes and it has a timer so you can set it to bake the bread when you wish. Next time around I'm going to set it before I go to bed and wake up to fresh, warm bread in the morning. Now I can't compare it to other bread machines, but it was super easy to use and it gets nothing but great reviews on Amazon.
There are lots of reasons to make your own bread. The price of bread has really gone up recently. You can control what does and doesn't go into your bread and make it to your taste. But best of all? You get fresh, tasty bread and the deep satisfaction of having made it yourself. It might not seem like much, but you've got to try it. Quick breads like muffins and biscuits are fun to make now and again, but real bread? It tastes great and it is so easy to do using a bread machine. Just measure all the ingredients, push a button or two and voila! Fresh bread you made yourself.
