I need some help and ideas for making herbed Italian and/or French Bread in
my bread maker machine!

We just bought a loaf of, I think it was italian bread which was flavored
with garlic and rosemary and we liked it so much we want to make our own.

First, what is the difference between french and italian bread? All I know,
or think I know is that they are similar but italian is tougher?

Second, Can anyone suggest a recipe or two or three of herbed breads that
can be made in a machine? Also, we like the idea of cheese in bread too!


--
Mike Willsey (Piedmont)
The Practical Bar B Q'r at,
http://groups.msn.com/ThePracticalBarBQr/_whatsnew.msnw

Piedmont wrote:
> I need some help and ideas for making herbed Italian and/or French Bread in
> my bread maker machine!
>
> We just bought a loaf of, I think it was italian bread which was flavored
> with garlic and rosemary and we liked it so much we want to make our own.
>
> First, what is the difference between french and italian bread?

That's easy... eyetalians are oily... french contains no oil.. well,
this is not true, many, many french breads contain oil, didjoose really
tink there's only one kinda french bread...

>All I know, or think I know is that they are similar but italian is tougher?

O yes, tuffa guyz... specially those siciliano shadrools... they breaka
yoose kneecaps and fitta yoose fer da c-menta chooze... very tuffa, and
that's only da goils... they cracka da gum in yoose ear yoose goes
deaf!

> Second, Can anyone suggest a recipe or two or three of herbed breads that
> can be made in a machine? Also, we like the idea of cheese in bread too!

I would strongly suggest you get yourself a couple-three ABM recipe
books... there are also tons of ABM recipes on the net... dintcha
machine come with a book... no... calla Giuseppe Butafucco, he a gonna
fixa tings widda da bigga wrench.

Sheldon

The book that came with your machine
should have a recipe for a basic French bread.
( flour, water, salt, sugar, yeast )

I DO think results are better if you use a ( hi-gluten ) bread flour.

You can add some olive oil, ( 1 > 2 tbs )
but it makes a softer crust.

Add the herbs of your choice when you experiment.
( usually a tsp )

Be careful adding garlic or cinnamon. They tend to inhibit the yeast.

enjoy !


On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 14:46:45 -0500, "Piedmont" > wrote:

>I need some help and ideas for making herbed Italian and/or French Bread in
>my bread maker machine!
>
>We just bought a loaf of, I think it was italian bread which was flavored
>with garlic and rosemary and we liked it so much we want to make our own.
>
>First, what is the difference between french and italian bread? All I know,
>or think I know is that they are similar but italian is tougher?
>
>Second, Can anyone suggest a recipe or two or three of herbed breads that
>can be made in a machine? Also, we like the idea of cheese in bread too!

<rj>

Piedmont at wrote on 8/26/05 3:46 PM:

> I need some help and ideas for making herbed Italian and/or French Bread in
> my bread maker machine!
>
> We just bought a loaf of, I think it was italian bread which was flavored
> with garlic and rosemary and we liked it so much we want to make our own.
>
> First, what is the difference between french and italian bread? All I know,
> or think I know is that they are similar but italian is tougher?

You got that backwards.
French bread by French law, can only have 4 ingredients: Flour, yeast, salt
and water. The crust on a French loaf is typically harder (crustier) than
an Italian loaf, and the crumb is denser. And generally, a French loaf is
shaped into a baguette, which is a thin loaf, about 2 feet long and maybe 2
inches diameter, tapered at the ends. Another typical shape for a French
loaf is the batard, which uses the same amount of dough but is shaped into a
shorter (maybe 18 inches long) loaf that has a wider diameter. Of course,
you can make French-type bread in the bread machine, it will be loaf-shaped,
that's all.

Italian bread often adds some type of fat, usually oil, to the dough to make
a softer crust and an airier crumb. You sometimes find sugar in an Italian
bread recipe, too.
>
> Second, Can anyone suggest a recipe or two or three of herbed breads that
> can be made in a machine? Also, we like the idea of cheese in bread too!
>
check out the manual that came with the machine, those recipes are usually
great places to start. You need to learn what measurements your machine can
handle before you start experimenting. Once you get used to your machine,
pick up Bread Machine Magic....it's a great recipe book for the bread
machine. I like the Better Homes and Gardens Bread Machine Cookbook too.

--
---
Love like you've never been hurt
Live like there's no tomorrow
And dance like there's nobody watching

You might like to try this loaf

ITALIAN HERB BREAD

Breads - Two Loaf

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 tb Yeast
4 c Flour, bread
2 ts Salt
4 ts Sugar
1/2 ts Basil leaves
1/2 ts Oregano leaves
6 tb Buttermilk, powdered
1 cup Cheese, Parmesan, grated
2 tb Olive Oil
1 3/4 c Water

Select dough cycle press start - Remove from Bread Maching, make two
long loaves, place in French Bread Pans - Slash Loaves with sharp knife
- Let rise in warm place for 45 minutes. Bake (cold start) at 400 F for
30 minutes or until internal temp. reaches 190 F. Spray Oven with water
every 10 minutes during baking cycle.

Sheryl Rosen wrote:

> Piedmont at wrote on 8/26/05 3:46 PM:
>
>
>>I need some help and ideas for making herbed Italian and/or French Bread in
>>my bread maker machine!
>>
>>We just bought a loaf of, I think it was italian bread which was flavored
>>with garlic and rosemary and we liked it so much we want to make our own.
>>
>>First, what is the difference between french and italian bread? All I know,
>>or think I know is that they are similar but italian is tougher?
>
>
> You got that backwards.
> French bread by French law, can only have 4 ingredients: Flour, yeast, salt
> and water. The crust on a French loaf is typically harder (crustier) than
> an Italian loaf, and the crumb is denser. And generally, a French loaf is
> shaped into a baguette, which is a thin loaf, about 2 feet long and maybe 2
> inches diameter, tapered at the ends. Another typical shape for a French
> loaf is the batard, which uses the same amount of dough but is shaped into a
> shorter (maybe 18 inches long) loaf that has a wider diameter. Of course,
> you can make French-type bread in the bread machine, it will be loaf-shaped,
> that's all.
>
> Italian bread often adds some type of fat, usually oil, to the dough to make
> a softer crust and an airier crumb. You sometimes find sugar in an Italian
> bread recipe, too.
>
>>Second, Can anyone suggest a recipe or two or three of herbed breads that
>>can be made in a machine? Also, we like the idea of cheese in bread too!
>>
>
> check out the manual that came with the machine, those recipes are usually
> great places to start. You need to learn what measurements your machine can
> handle before you start experimenting. Once you get used to your machine,
> pick up Bread Machine Magic....it's a great recipe book for the bread
> machine. I like the Better Homes and Gardens Bread Machine Cookbook too.
>

Piedmont wrote:

> I need some help and ideas for making herbed Italian and/or French Bread in
> my bread maker machine!
>
> We just bought a loaf of, I think it was italian bread which was flavored
> with garlic and rosemary and we liked it so much we want to make our own.
>
> First, what is the difference between french and italian bread? All I know,
> or think I know is that they are similar but italian is tougher?
>
> Second, Can anyone suggest a recipe or two or three of herbed breads that
> can be made in a machine? Also, we like the idea of cheese in bread too!
>
>
Did you machine come with a recipe book? I use a white bread recipe
with whole egg to make my herbed bread. Our favourite herbed bread
consists of tossing 5 - 6 cherry tomatoes, fresh basil or italian
seasoning into the white bread recipe. You can use just about any herb
you want. Fresh herbs will give a little more delicate flavour. You
can do the same with whatever cheese you like. I make cheese bread by
toss shredded cheese into the dough or I make cheese sticks by using the
dough setting then cutting the dough into strips. The strips are then
rolled in shredded cheddar cheese and baked in the oven. Your recipe
book should have a recipe for French bread. I make the dough in the
breadmaker then bake the bread in the oven. I like the results better.
If I get a little extra time, I'll post a couple of recipes for you.

Possibly of less interest to those who've already got a machine, but here is
something from when they were just becoming known. They were much more
expensive at the time.


--
Re-post from rec.food.cooking, 1988 . Edited down a bit.


In article >, Ellen Keyne Seebacher writes:

| In article > writes:
|
| | Has anyone tried one of those new machines that make bread?
|
| This was discussed at length on misc.consumers a couple
| of months ago ...


Automatic bread makers were also discussed at length recently here on
rec.food.cooking. One obvious question that doesn't come up much in these
discussions is why?

With the five minutes it takes me to assemble ingredients and the five
minutes to work the dough [by hand], for a modest batch of dough (which,
usually, becomes pizzas later, rather than loaves, but considerations are
similar), I'm puzzled to understand why it would occur to anyone to automate
the process, unless they have never done it much and the whole thing seems
mysterious.

Unless these machines self-measure and self-clean, the savings of real time
seems negligible when compared honestly to hand assembly with a little
experience. Therefore other than gimmick value, I gather that the big
advantage is to wake up with the smell, as with self-timed coffee makers.
Put pay hundreds of US dollars for this?? For that I can pay a local bakery
to deliver fresh breads in the morning, aroma and all, dozens of times --
and they'll have brioche and croissants, too. Besides, working dough with
the hands is an earthy experience -- and it lives, and evokes (to me anyway)
merry memories of 1950s horror movies like _The Blob._

-- Max

"Adam and Eve sold themselves for an apple. What would they have done for a
truffled fowl?" -- Brillat-Savarin


2005 addendum: "Qu'ils mangent des brioches." -- Marie Antoinette