Spinach Feta Bread - Bread Machine Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my bread so dense in my bread machine? ›

Too much heat or humidity might lead to a too-quick rise and a crevice near the center of your bread. Conditions that are too cold might delay proofing or rising, resulting in a super-dense loaf. The bread machine works on a timer and hums along at its regular pace.

Butter – Melt or soften butter or margarine in the microwave before adding it to the machine. Eggs – I bring my eggs to room temperature by placing them in a cup of really warm water for several minutes before adding.

Bread made from your bread machine is best eaten on the same day, however if kept in an airtight container will last for 2 to 3 days depending on the type. Most bread types can be kept in the freezer. If the bread is slightly stale it can be used for bread pudding, croutons or baked French toast to save wasting it.

Some attribute the demise of the bread machine to the fact that cooks were just disappointed by their results. Lara Pizzorno, the author of Bread Machine Baking, chalked it up to food snobs who regarded the machine as “the electric equivalent of The Bridges of Madison County” in a 1996 article in The New York Times.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

To oil the bread spindle shaft, Bread Machine Digest recommends ONLY using either 3-in-1 oil, or sewing machine oil. Do not use any other oil types on the spindle shaft and be sure to read all the information on the oil packaging before using.

Water is a common ingredient, but since many people use the timer on their bread machines, most recipes call for non-fat dry milk or powdered buttermilk. However, if you are mixing your dough right away, you can certainly use fresh milk. Simply replace the water with milk or buttermilk and omit the powdered milk.

Fat. If you're looking to ramp up the taste of your favorite bread recipe, we recommend adding a bit of fat. A fat like butter, olive oil or coconut oil in small quantities will help your bread achieve a higher rise and it will also boost its flavor by tenfold.

Bread Machine Drawbacks

Harder to create different shaped breads (i.e. long baguettes). Upfront cost of a bread machine. Homemade bread usually goes stale faster than store packaged brands (because store breads often contain chemical preservatives). Inability to make very large bread sizes.

The Verdict

Bread machines require some upfront investment and involvement. But they undeniably save significant money over time, especially for frequent bread eaters. The convenience, tastes, and health perks are added bonuses. Taking the homemade approach is the financially smarter choice.

What kind of flour do you use for bread machine? ›

Just be sure to use a flour with a high protein content. King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, with its high gluten, is an excellent flour for bread machines. Numerous people have told us that their recipes worked in the bread machine using King Arthur, when they didn't work with other all-purpose flours.

French Feta is made with Lacaune sheep's milk (if you remember, that's the sheep breed used for Roquefort production). It has a softer and creamier texture that Greek Feta and a milder, less tangy flavor (though it's sharper than Israeli Feta).

She explained that French feta, made of 100% sheep's milk, is the least salty of the three. Bulgarian may be made of sheep and/or goat, while Greek feta will be primarily sheep's milk and sometimes up to 30% goat's milk ― both are a little saltier than French.

Greek-style may use some cow's milk but is mostly goat or sheep milk, and results in a crumbly or hard cheese. The Danish feta is made from cow's milk and has a smooth texture.

- Use bread flour, not regular all-purpose flour for all bread machine recipes. Bread flour contains a higher percentage of gluten than regular all-purpose flour. Using bread flour will produce taller, less dense loaves.

There may be several reasons for a dense, cake like texture in bread. It may indicate the kneading wasn't enough for the gluten to develop properly, or the dough was proved for too short a time or the dough may have been too dry. It is also worth checking the flour you used.

Getting the amount of flour right is vital due to the high flour ratio to the other bread ingredients. Measuring one or two tablespoons too much per cup (easy to do) can cause your bread to be dense.

Adding dry milk powder to your bread dough will help your loaf rise higher. In addition, the loaf will stay soft and hold moisture longer which again means it will last longer. It also helps brown the crust. If you want a lighter fluffier bread loaf just add 2 Tbsp of dry milk to the flour per loaf of your bread.