It was Sunday night, and I was taking my bread machine out for its inaugural run. I’d been cooking a lot over the past year, but I had yet to actually create a loaf of bread. So I ordered a Hamilton Beach state of the art bread maker, and when it arrived I was ready to go.
I had struggled for several days with the question of what type of bread to make. I’d considered a classic white, a rye, sourdough, cranberry walnut, cheese bread, and Irish soda bread. But I ultimately decided on a luxurious banana nut bread. Somehow it seemed particularly festive and rich, and I wanted this first experience to be a good one.
I added eggs, mashed bananas, butter and milk to the bread pan. I then mixed walnuts, baking powder, baking soda, flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. I added this to the bread pan, put the pan inside the bread machine, got it locked and loaded, closed the top, and set the machine to “Sweet.” The manual assured me that this setting was for fruit, nuts, and other add-ins, and it would yield the lightest and fluffiest bread.
Then I sat back, and waited. If all went well, in exactly 2 hours and 55 minutes I would be chowing down on some delicious freshly made banana nut bread. Yum!
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Fast forward a couple hours, and it was now midnight. The bread machine indicated there were 21 minutes to go. Peering through the bread window, it looked absolutely incredible. Medium brown, pocked with nuts, and buttery golden. It also smelled like freaking heaven. Just ridiculously good. My whole apartment had a smell of sweet nuts and honey wafting from room to room.
OK! I was ready to eat this thing. I would accompany it with butter, Bonne Maman Four Fruits Preserves, Bonne Maman Wild Blueberry Preserves, and Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter. I would also have applesauce with it.
At 12:20 a.m., the machine beeped. I let it sit for 5 minutes. At 12:25 a.m. I pulled the bread pan out. I teased the loaf out of the bread pan with a spatula and placed it on a plate. I cut myself two hearty slices and headed to the living room to sit on the couch. It was time to eat.
I cut a big chunk off of a slice and popped it in my mouth. Dang! This thing was crazy. It was super rich, and super sweet, and super buttery, and super fruity, and super nutty, and just all-around super delicious. What else can I say? It rocked.
Over the next 10 minutes I ate my two slices, alternating between Bonne Maman Four Fruit Preserve and butter spread out on the on the bread. I was in a major food coma, a kind of semi Zen spiritual state, a food-induced state of bliss. That’s how good it was.
I finished the bread, cleared the dishes, and lay back on the couch. I was in heaven. What an incredible first experience making you bread. I knew right then and there that I’d be making a lot more bread over the coming days. And I was super psyched that I’d discovered something new that I could enjoy, and that was also creative and productive.
Let’s hear it for the bread machine. It made my night, and I know it’ll make many more nights to come.
Glad it worked out for you! Bonne Maman jam rocks!
Yes! Bonne Maman is the best!