DIY Bread Machine Bread Mix in a Mason Jar

I recently learned how easy it is to make bread in a bread machine and haven't bought bread since!

Making bread is simple and makes my apartment smell amazing. As a routine, making my own bread is great except in the middle of the week, measuring out all the ingredients is just a bit cumbersome. I decided to pre-measure all the ingredients and put them away in mason jars. Now, starting a loaf of bread takes all of 2 minutes and then the machine takes care of the rest.

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients

There's a grocery store near me, Rainbow Grocery, that carries most of these ingredients in their bulk food section. I have small mason jars for each and just refill them when their supplies are low.

2 1/8 cups (10 oz) whole wheat bread flour*

2 tablespoons soy flour

2 tablespoons triticale flour**

1 tablespoon oats

2 tablespoons toasted bran

1 tablespoon cracked wheat cereal

1 teaspoon millet flour

1 teaspoon flax seeds

1 teaspoon cornmeal

1 tablespoon dry milk

1 teaspoon salt
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The ingredients below should be added to the machine, not the mason jar:
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1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon molasses

1 cup (8 fl. Oz.) water

1 teaspoon dry yeast


* If whole wheat bread flour isn't available, try this instead:

1 1/8 cups (5 ¼ oz.) whole wheat flour
1 cup (4 7/10 oz.) bread flour

**You can substitute one tablespoon all purpose and one tablespoon rye if triticale isn't available

Step 2: Measure Out Your Ingredients

I use a simple kitchen scale to measure out my flour and then drop in the teaspoons and tablespoons of the other ingredients. Make sure to zero out the scale, especially if you add a funnel like I did here.

Step 3: Label Your Jar

Put a note on the mason jar with the other ingredients you want to include. I made several jars at once and just reference the one label.

Step 4: Add the Mix and Your Liquid and Perishable Ingredients

Pour the dry ingredients into the bread machine.

Add the last few ingredients that aren't shelf stable (butter, molasses, water, and the dry yeast in the yeast dispenser) and start the machine.

Step 5: Take the Bread Out and Enjoy!

My bread machine takes four hours to make delicious, homemade bread. Wait the 4 hours for your home to smell delicious and then enjoy!

Comments

[KathleenM1]

I've been neglecting my bread machine...shame on me...seeing this will get me using it again.

One of the best things of having the machine is how you can set it and forget it for overnight bread making...wake up to that wonderful smell and you're ready for brekkie!

[counterillusion]

What a great idea! I can't believe I didn't think of doing this before. I love making fresh bread, but with my RA I rarely have the energy (and ability to hold things) on the same day I need to make more, and end up just buying it instead. I'm going to start making a couple of these jars whenever I'm up to it, so even on bad days I can just dump and go!

[acoens]

Oh wow, I can definitely see the benefit for someone with RA of being able to put in the time when you're feeling well! I made a loaf yesterday and it took me under two minutes from deciding to make the loaf until I was walking away from the machine.

Hats off to you for your positive attitude, counterillusion, and thanks for the kind words!

[HollyMann]

Great job! I love how organized the whole process is. Fresh bread is amazing...too bad I can't have much of it...due to a gluten problem....but great Instructable!!!

[counterillusion]

America's Test Kitchen has a really great cookbook I love to use, "How Can It Be Gluten Free". It has very good bread recipes (among other things) that actually taste like bread! I think the key is the mix of rice flours, the flavor is mild enough that it disappears into the other flavors of the bread. It wasn't too hard to adapt the bread recipes to work in a bread machine, either.

[acoens]

Thanks, HollyMann!

I suppose gluten free bread isn't the same when you're craving the real deal. I know my grocery store carries several varieties of gluten free flour but I'm not sure how a whole loaf of it would taste or react.

[Mielameri]

Brilliant! And, homemade bread FTW

[acoens]

Mmmhm!