First time bread; 3 ways

Since I've been loving making food lately I'm trying to make what I can instead of buying it. Today, that means bread.
When we moved in my Grandparents gave Chad and I a bread maker and we have been wanting to try it out. I have also found a few other recipes I wanted to try that don't go in the bread maker.

This first one I made gave me 2 delicious little loaves. I got the recipe from here. Rosie writes one of my favorite blog's to read but unfortunetly her recipes come with measurements I don't usually know. Here is a translation.

Irish soda bread
3 cups  Flour (I used whole wheat)
1.5 tsp  Baking soda
1.5 tsp  Salt
2 cups buttermilk
.5 cups of any add-in you might like. I have 1/2 cup of dry cranberries and 1/3 cup sunflower seeds.

This recipe is short, sweet and very simple. No kneading, no waiting for a rise.

Mix all your dry stuff in a big bowl

Add the milk. Mix it in, but not to much.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface and split in 2. Make flattened balls

and put a shallow X on top. Rosie says the X is for heat distribution and also to keep the devil out..

25-30 minutes in the oven at 400F then wrapped in a damp cloth and put out to cool.

YUM!

Next up is potato dill bread

This recipe take quite a bit more time and effort but still isn't hard. Like the last one, this makes 2 loaves.

2 cups cold mashed potatos (no milk or butter added)

4 3/4 cups sifted flour + more for kneading

1 tsp salt

2 tsp yeast

4 tsp dill

Peel, boil and mash the potatos

Save the water to use in the bread it adds extra potato flavor.

Push the flour salt and potatos together, add yeast, then dill and finally milk. 

When everything is all stuck together it can be put out onto the floured surface for kneading. 

Give it hell for about 5 minutes then place it in an oiled bowl and cover for 40 minutes.

Take it out, "punch" it down and knead for another 3 minutes. When it is well abused it can be split in 2, 

given some shape and placed in an oiled loaf pan. Cover it again and leave it for another 20 minutes.

Into the oven it goes. 350F for 40-45 minutes

When it's all done the house will smell delicious. Take it out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool. 

Lastly, the bread machine.

This one is very easy but equally yummy.

3/4 cup potato water

3 tbsp butter

1 egg

1/2 cup mashed potatos

1 tsp salt

3 cups flour

2 tsp yeast

Put everything in the machine. Liquid first, salt next, flour and then yeast. Press the start/on button. Wait. 

I hope you enjoy!

xoxo