Anyone else baking?

karenburton1305 said:

Oooo do you use a break maker or do you do this another way? My nan used to make bread and it was THE BEST smell ever! As a kid I was always annoyed that it was smaller than normal loaves!

I really want a bread maker for our kitchen, but they're really big aren't they? My kitchen is quite company and sleek in finish (like these ones) so I'm not sure if a big bulky bread maker would fit? I just remember my nan's being HUGE! are they still like that?

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At our house, we bake bread daily, so we use a bread machine. Ours is a serious one, a Panasonic BMT-1001; it's *from* Japan, so we use it with a voltage converter.

It's big, but we have a "clear counter" rule in our house, so we put all appliances away when not in use (our pantry is big enough, so it's not an issue, but YMMV.)

Normally, I'd not bother with a machine, but the high-end Japanese machines (the only kinds you should buy) do SO much. Ours makes any kind of bread you could want (I make French bread, brioche for French toast, fruit and nut breads, etc), it makes pizza dough, it makes jams (we use it to make strawberry and blackberry preserves), it makes mochi, and it can just be used to make dough to bake other ways (if I'm making baguettes, or Finnish cardamom twists, or ciabatta).

It's a must-have in our busy house!

DH

I find myself suddenly wanting to bake a coffee cake.

Any recipe recommendations? (I have fond memories of my father's, but I'm sure it's bisquick.)

As much as I appreciate the innocence of simpler times, things like "bisquick" and "Folger's" don't make the modern cut

DH