French Bread in a 30 Year Old Bread Machine

I made a delicious loaf of French bread, from start to finish, in our 30 year old Welbilt bread machine. My husband bought this bread machine, reconditioned, at Big Lots in 1995. I asked him how much he paid for it, and he didn’t remember, but said it was probably around $50 or $60. If you don’t have a bread machine, I recommend hitting up thrift stores, estate sales, and yard sales, as these bread machines were quite popular back in the day. You can buy a new bread machine now, I looked online and prices range from $75 to over $300 US, but if you’re thrifty like me, shop for a pre-loved machine.

Equipment:

1. bread machine
2. liquid measuring cup
3. dry measuring cup
4. measuring spoons
5. spoon
6. knife
7. spatula
8. thermometer, helpful but not required
9. recipe booklet that came with the bread machine

French bread ingredients

1. 2 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
2. 3 cups all-purpose flour
3. 1 1/2 tsp. table salt
4. 1 1/2 tsp. melted butter
5. 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (ideal temperature is 105-115 degrees F)

Make sure you have the paddle in the bottom of the bread machine, then add yeast, flour, salt, sugar and butter* to the inner pan.

*I know butter is not a dry ingredient, but add it in this step.

Measure water, and take the temperature of the water using the thermometer to ensure it’s between 105-115 degrees F. This is important, too hot and it kills the yeast. Not warm enough, the yeast is slow to activate. If you don’t have a thermometer, the water should feel lukewarm, like a baby’s bath water.

Pour in the water over the dry ingredients.

Select the French Bread option, then press START.

Ok, you’ve done all the hard work! Watch The Bread Machine do its thing, it’s fully automatic!

Here’s an action shot of the bread mixing together.

The Bread Machine has mixed the dough, the dough has risen, and it’s baking. Right there in the machine. Meanwhile, I’m watching tv and snuggling with my dog on the couch.

I removed the bread from The Bread Machine and put it on a rack to cool. That little hole contains The Bread Machine paddle that mixes the dough. I used a butter knife to pull it out before cooling. It’s much easier to do that when the bread is hot.

I let the loaf of French bread cool, then sliced it up. Here’s a picture of it spread with butter. Enjoy!