Bread Machine Onion Bread

One thing which I really like doing is to make my own homemade bread. I am not that great of a bread maker when it comes to making bread by hand, but I have a bread machine that I love to use and I use t often.
I made the nicest loaf of bread in my bread machine at the weekend. Bread Machine Onion Bread. It was different than my usual every day loaf of bread that I make. I adapted it from a recipe which I found on Spruce Eats.

The recipe sounded quite different than my usual loaf. I loved the fact that it was flavored with onion and in a very simple way. A packet of Onion Soup Mix. It sounded lovely and savory, and right up my alley! I also loved that by adding something as simple as a packet of Onion Soup Mix I could have a delicious different and savory loaf of bread!
I love savory breads. They are delicious on their own or with soups, salads, stews, chilies, etc. With the cooling temperatures we are in Soup Season now so I knew that I would be able to enjoy this type of a bread!
Bread Machine Onion Bread

It smelled fabulous while it was baking. My taste buds were tingling overtime in anticipation of the end result. Admittedly it was not the most attractive loaf of bread. It came out all kind of lumpy and misshapen. I would call it rustic!
It was a lovely sturdy loaf and cut really easily. I am not the best when it comes to slicing bread. I always cut loaves crooked. I really need to buy myself a bread bow so that I don't have to rely on site to rely on my own guess work.
A bread bow knife looks quite similar to the bow which is used to play a fiddle or violin. That's where it gets it's name. A bread bow knife has a wooden bow shape (which is the handle) as well as a slicing guide and a serrated edge. Maybe I need to put one of these on my Christmas list for Santa!
Bread Machine Onion Bread

I really enjoy using my bread machine. It makes beautiful bread. I have been using the same model of bread machine for over 20 years now. It is the Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker, Model #SDRD250. I first learned about it from my friend Jo in the U.K. She had one and recommended it.
I purchased one and never looked back. As I said I have been using this same type of bread machine for over 20 years and have been very happy with the bread that it makes!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BREAD MACHINE ONION BREAD
The usual culprits!

1 1/2 cups (360ml) water
2 TBS + 2tsp softened butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 TBS sugar
4 cups (397g) bread flour
1 TBS vital wheat gluten
2 TBS + 2 tsp dry milk powder
2 tsp bread machine yeast
1 package dry onion soup mix (3 to 4 TBS)

I just use regular lukewarm tap water. No need to use special water. This recipe specified bread flour. Bread flour is a type of flour which contains more protein than regular flour. More protein in flour means that more gluten can develop, which is what you want when you are making bread.
You can get around this if you do not have any bread flour however. Simply measure out your all purpose plain flour and remove 1 1/2 tablespoons for each cup of flour used. Replace it with an equal amount of vital wheat gluten. (1 1/2 TBS per cup of flour.)
Bread Machine Onion Bread

Vital Wheat Gluten is not the same as Vital Wheat Gluten Flour. Vital Wheat Gluten is much more concentrated and not to be confused with the flour. I use at least a tablespoon of it every time I bake bread in my bread machine anyway. I find that it helps to produce a much nicer loaf with a beautiful even texture.

The original recipe suggested low fat milk powder. I only have full fat milk powder, which is what I used with no problem whatsoever.

True confessions here, I totally forgot to put in the butter. I saw it sitting on the counter top long after my bread machine was already working on the bread and it was too late to add it. I crossed my fingers.
As you can see, my bread still had a lovely texture. I guess I just got lucky! Whew!! I had a nice loaf of bread with a beautiful crumb, speckled throughout with bits of onion and the smell when it was baking was amazing!

HOW TO MAKE BREAD MACHINE ONION BREAD
Making bread in your bread machine is really quite easy to do. You must follow the directions as dictated by your own particular model however. Some models want you to add the wet ingredients first and some require that you add the dry ingredients first. Mine is a "dry ingredient first" machine.
You can also use the dough setting on your particular bread machine and then shape the bread manually, pop it into a regular loaf tin, let it rise and then bake it as you would any loaf of bread. This will give you a more conventional shaped loaf.
Some people prefer this. I am not really bothered with the shape of my loaf. For me it is all about taste and this is one great tasting loaf!
Bread Machine Onion Bread

HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST BREAD IN A BREAD MACHINE

Really if you follow the directions on your particular bread machine your bread should work out perfectly, but there are a few things you can do that will give you an even better loaf of bread.
1. Measure by weight and not volume. Weight is a much more precise way to measure. You can't go wrong. I have a set of digital scales that I use. I just pop the bread pan onto them and measure away. My scales measure in grams, Kg, pounds and ounces, milliliters, etc. I started baking by weight when I lived in the UK and I would now never bake any other way.

2. Bread machine loaves work best with bread flour. Bread flour can also be labeled "Best for Bread" or "High Gluten flour." 3. You can use regular flour, but if you do I recommend adding Vital Wheat Gluten to the recipe. This helps to boost the protein content of the bread.4. Measure very carefully. If you don't add enough flour, no matter the type of flour you use, the bread will collapse and often ends up uncooked in the center. If you add too much flour, you will end up with a dense, hard heavy ball.

5. I add Vital Wheat Gluten to all of my recipes for bread making in a bread machine. You can purchase it online. It helps to yield a much better loaf, helping the loaf to rise higher with a nicer texture than without. I buy mine on Amazon.

Vital wheat gluten is best stored in the refrigerator (for up to one year), but you can store it on the counter if you think you will use it up within two months (highly unlikely for the home baker.)6. Yeast is a vital component in making yeasted breads! Duh. It can come in many forms. I recommend using yeast which is prepared specifically for use in the bread machine. I store my yeast in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.7. Salt is another important component in bread making. Do not however, let the salt touch the yeast. Salt is important in bread making, not only as a flavor enhancer, but also in controlling the level of yeast fermentation.8. Follow the recommendations when it comes to the order of adding ingredients to your machine. There are reasons why some machines put the dry ingredients first and the wet last. Others might recommend putting in the wet first and the dry last. YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THE EXACT ORDER AS RECOMMENDED BY YOUR PARTICULAR MODEL!!Most of the time when a recipe fails it is because the baker fails to follow the correct directions as per the machine they are using.

This really is a lovely loaf of bread. I enjoyed some of it as a grilled cheese sandwich along with a cup of hot tomato soup. This was one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I have ever eaten! I kid you not! I highly recommend!
Some other bread machine recipes that I have baked and loved that I think you might also enjoy are;
FRENCH SANDWICH PAIN AU LAIT - Golden brown on the outside with a beautiful tight texture. When made conventionally, this is a slow rising bread which rises dramatically when baking. Traditionally this type of bread would be baked in a lidded loaf pan to make perfectly square loaves. Baking this in the bread machine provides almost the same result. It is a beautiful loaf and is perfect for sandwiches of any kind.

CHEDDAR CHEESE BREAD - This is my all time favorite bread machine loaf of bread. What you have here is a delicious, soft, beautiful textured loaf of Cheddar Cheese Bread. I declare it even better than the one we had been buying at the local farm market. Its fabulous! It has a beautiful cheesy flavor.

Yield: One medium loaf (12 servings)Author: Marie Rayner