Bread machine buttery bread

Got a bread machine? Tired of the few recipes that came with the book? Want to try something new?

This recipe is one of the best that has come from my bread machine. The butter adds its own ... butteryness ... and the buttermilk adds the tang that's missing from short-fermented breads. Sure, it's a bit of a cheat to add a flavor that normally comes from long, slow, cold rising.  But some days you just want to get the job done and move along.

Of course, you don't have to use this formula in a bread machine - these ingredients would happily combine into a standard dough, kneaded by hand or by machine.

But in the infamous words of someone I know, "why bother?" Well, unless you don't have a bread machine. But if you have one, throw these ingredients in and walk away.

The downside to any bread machine loaf is that the loaf itself is never pretty. It's usually a little lumpy here or there or crooked or uneven. This isn't a loaf you present at the table and people say "wow." But once you slice it, that pretty shape doesn't matter any more.

The two tablespoons of rye flour are just for flavor. If you don't have rye flour on hand, don't worry about it. Omit the rye and carry on.

Buttery Bread Machine Loaf

1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 cups (11 1/4 ounces) bread flour
2 tablespoons rye flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Add all the ingredients to your bread machine in the order specified by the manufacturer (some want the liquid added first, some suggest liquid last. Some want yeast on the bottom, some want it on top.

To be honest, I've tried messing up a loaf by adding the ingredients in the wrong order, and so far I haven't had any problems. But your machine might be more particular.

If your machine has several settings, set it for a small/medium loaf, light crust, regular loaf.

Press the buttons to start it (beep-beep. boop boop.) When the bread is done, remove it from the bread machine and let it cool completely on a rack before slicing.

This has been submitted to Yeastspotting.

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