THE BREAD MACHINE COOKBOOK

The bread machine cookbook
by Donna Rathmell German

In the early 1990s, Donna Rathmell German produced a series of six bread machine books, plus one with Ed Wood.

The bread machine cookbook (1991, revised 2005)
The bread machine cookbook II (1991)
The bread machine cookbook III (1992)
The bread machine cookbook IV: whole grains and natural sugars (1992)
The bread machine cookbook V: favorite recipes from 100 kitchens (1994)
The bread machine cookbook VI: hand-shaped breads from the dough cycle (1995)
Worldwide sourdoughs from your bread machine (1994), with Ed Wood

Then in 2002, she released The big book of bread machine recipes, pulling together 600 recipes from the series in a massive 360 pages.

The bread machine cookbook 1991

The bread machine cookbook 2005

Donna Rathmell German’s bread machine cookbooks were best sellers in the 1990s when she sold about three million copies of them.  The current reprint of the first volume is replacing many old dog-eared copies after years of faithful service in the kitchen, as people who loved the first edition are buying the new ed

ition too.

Bristol Publishing boasts that in 1991 this was the first bread machine cookbook on the market, and so far I haven’t been able to find one published before then to refute that claim. (Let me know if you find one!)  It has certainly become a classic that many bread machine users simply do not want to be without.

There are 160 pages in the 2005 revised edition, and 176 in the first edition.  Both have more than 130 recipes for white, wholegrain, cheese, fruit, vegetable, herb and spice breads, sourdough loaves, rolls, croissants and breadsticks.  The new edition adds a section on allergy baking.  There is plenty of interest for the health conscious, with whole grains, buckwheat, amaranth and barley in several recipes, plus delicious versions of crusty white and rye loaves for those who prefer the basics.  Like all excellent bread machine books, recipes appear in the three standard sizes for bread machines: 1 pound, 1.5 pound and 2 pound loaves.

The new edition is updated with information on newer bread machine models, with testing on a wide range of machines to help ensure recipes work well. As German counsels in her introductory section, however, it is always wise to check the dough during the first kneading cycle. If the consistency is too dry, then add small amounts of water at a time. If too wet, add small amounts of flour. Breadmaking, whether by hand or machine, is affected by multiple factors: flour quality, humidity and altitude to name a few. The same ingredients can actually produce different results on different days even in the same kitchen, so a quick check of the bread pan and some minor additions are quite reasonable when consistently good results are desired.

Recipes are kept to one page for easy reference, each being introduced with a review of the bread’s best qualities.  Some particularly good recipes include Christmas anise bread, crusty Cuban bread, peasant bread (great with soup), as well as other personal favorites like cream of wheat bread and jalapeno cheese bread.  With so many recipes there are bound to be some new family favorites here – and presumably also some that do not appeal, which is to be expected given the diverse range of flavors represented across all the recipes.  Once you start on the more unusual recipes it may be surprising which ones are repeatedly requested, and it can be a great adventure along the way.

German is thorough and easy to understand. The recipes are clear and easy to follow, using ingredients readily found on supermarket shelves. The trouble shooting guide is straightforward and helpful, covering all the significant problems found with bread machine baking. For example, if a recipe doesn’t ‘work’ the first time, double-check how ingredients are measured. Flour must never be scooped or packed, and can create serious problems for the resulting loaf. This is one of the more common causes of a poor loaf.

Of all in the series, this first one has the most thorough grounding in the basics plus the bread recipes most likely to be used frequently.  Beginners just starting out with a brand new bread machine would be well-served by the new edition, while old hands at bread machine baking would probably find a second-hand copy of the original just as satisfying.  If you have a bread machine in your cupboard but haven’t used it very much, getting this book may well turn you into a bread machine junkie!