We finally found something better than sliced bread: this sweet bread machine recipe from Joanna Gaines!
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The cold weather has me longing for simple, satisfying foods—the kind my nana’s nana made for her family to stave off the bone-chilling Russian winters. Since old-world soups like Russian borscht and cabbage soup are practically in my DNA, they’re frequently simmering on my stove.
Unfortunately, what’s not in my DNA is the home-baked bread those soups demand, and this winter, I decided it was time for a change. So I set about searching for a great recipe for home-baked bread that wouldn’t take all day to make. Fortunately, Joanna Gaines—a shortcut queen—shared one of her sweet bread machine recipes.
Why Does Joanna Use a Bread Maker?
“The thought of homemade fresh bread used to overwhelm me,” Joanna wrote in a Magnolia blog post. Same, Joanna! Proofing the yeast, kneading the bread, letting it rise—it all seems pretty daunting. But Joanna reminded me of the kitchen gadget that was so popular a decade ago: the bread maker.
If a bread machine can deliver homemade bread with only a few minutes of hands-on time, it’s worth the investment. So, take a look at our Test Kitchen’s recommended bread machines, if you don’t already have one!
How to Make Joanna’s 3-Minute Bread Recipe
glebchik/Shutterstock, Brian Ach/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
This has be one of the best sweet bread machine recipes out there. It takes 3 minutes to prep and pop in the bread machine.
Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 package (1/4 ounce) bread machine yeast
Tools You’ll Need
- Bread Machine: This model is similar to the bread machine the Taste of Home Test Kitchen uses to test recipes.
- Kitchen Scale: Use a kitchen scale to weigh flour for best results. Just reference this ingredient weight chart.
- Measuring Cup: Keep a Pyrex like this on hand for measuring liquids.
Directions
To make this bread, simply add all the ingredients to the bread machine, set the machine to “basic” and push start. It’s honestly that easy.
Editor’s Tip: Many bread machine manufacturers recommend adding all the liquids first, then salt and the flour, and finally sugar and yeast (which you don’t have to proof for this recipe).
Here’s What I Thought
After three hours, my house smelled like a bakery. I removed my bread from the machine and cut into a softly crusted loaf of sweet bread. It was tasty, definitely one of the best sweet bread machine recipes I’ve ever made. This loaf was great for breakfast and would be amazing as French toast.
How to Make This Recipe Your Own
For a non-sweet bread, Joanna recommends reducing the sugar to a quarter cup. This makes for one heck of a tuna melt. Thank you, Joanna Gaines, for your infinite kitchen wisdom!
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