Honey Buttermilk Bread

Philip and I celebrated 5 years of marriage this weekend. It got me thinking about our wonderful wedding day and all the fun we had. It really was the wedding of my dreams...

You might be wondering what honey buttermilk bread has to do with our wedding!??!?! Let me tell you. One of our wedding gifts was a bread machine. My dear friend Jenny got it for us. When we lived in Portland we only used it a few times. Such a shame! Once we moved to our little lake house here in Georgia, we decided it was time to make bread on a regular basis. We busted out the bread machine and got to it. We were thrilled! We had forgotten how EASY it was to make and how GOOD the bread tasted. Sadly, the bread machine died shortly after we started using it again. Mr. research king went straight to the Internet to find a new one.

Now, I make bread once a week. No more store bought bread for this couple. I decided on honey buttermilk this week. It turned out REALLY well. We are noticing some of our favorite bread recipes have buttermilk. It makes the bread taste so delicious!

Honey Buttermilk Bread
Source: adapted from the Bread Machine Recipe Web Site. Click here for original recipe.
Yield: 1 loaf

1/2 cup water (80-90 degrees)
3/4 cup buttermilk (80-90 degrees)
3 teaspoons butter (room temp)
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons flax seed
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Place all ingredients, in the order listed, in bread pan. Be sure the yeast doesn't touch any of the liquids. Place bread pan in bread machine and close. For bread cycle setting use basic or white. For loaf size setting use 2.0 lbs. For crust color setting use medium. Push start.

As you can tell from the pictures below, making bread in a bread machine is pretty simple......

I have started adding 2 tablespoons of flax seed and 1/2 cup of wheat germ to all the breads I make. They are loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals and are uber good for you! Quick note about wheat germ: typically you can replace 1/2 cup to 1 cup of flour with wheat germ. BUT - you will need to add 1-2 tsp of water for every 1/4 cup of wheat germ added (it absorbs moisture more than flour does).

Bob's Red Mill is my favorite brand for products like flax seed and wheat germ. They are based in Portland, Oregon and offer a wide variety of whole grain items (flour, baking mixes, cereals, etc). They have organic and gluten free items as well. Even though I am in Georgia now, I have found good old Bob's at Publix and Fresh Market. THANK GOODNESS!!!