Fast Flavored Breads in Your Bread Machine

I don’t think that many people think about flavored breads. I think most people make white, wheat, butter and egg based breads and maybe on occasions cinnamon raisin bread but by and large people I don’t think, think about flavoring their bread dough. Why? I don’t know. For me I have always looked for ways to make the breads I serve with a meal match the meal. Sometimes this means plain dinner rolls made from white bread, but a lot of times I am looking for ways to make the bread different and interesting. Why not, the bread to me is a very important part of the meal, especially when it is used for sandwiches, wraps, etc. Why shouldn’t the bread be tasty as well as attractive, fresh and chemical and preservative free?

About a month ago I was making some creamy tomato sauce and homemade pasta rags for dinner. When I decided I wanted some rolls to go with the pasta and the salad I would also make. But, I didn’t want just plain old white bread rolls or crusty Italian rolls. I wanted something different and unique. It was then that I started looking through my collection of Knorr pasta sauce mixes. While this night I was making the sauce from scratch using garden fresh tomatoes I do use pasta sauce mixes during the winter with canned tomatoes when I am in a hurry. I figured this time I would just use the mix to flavor my bread. After all the worst that could happen is we couldn’t have rolls with dinner.

It was about this time that it struck me with the wide variety of sauce mixes and the almost endless variety of things one can do with bread dough the door to the world of fast and easy flavored breads just flew open. This was of course after discovering that the addition of the dry mix to my dough had only one effect on it and that was make it very tasty.

Right now there are three sauce mixes that I use more than any others. These are the Parma Rosa, Garlic and Herb and Creamy Pesto. There are dozens of other Knorr sauce mixes too, but right now as I said these are the ones I use most. Does this mean the others are bad or don’t work well in bread? No, it just means this is my families and mines taste for now. Like many things this will change. I strongly suggest you find yourself a store that carries a wide variety of the Knorr sauce mixes and try what you think you will like.

Using the Knorr Mixes

How do you use the Knorr mixes in bread? Well that is simple. Take your favorite plain bread recipe like white bread, crusty Italian, whole wheat, etc. When you add the flour to your bread machine pan simply empty the contents of a package of Knorr sauce mix on top. Add the rest of your ingredients and either set the machine for the white or basic or in the case of wheat bread the grain or whole wheat cycle and press start. In just a few hours you will have a wonderfully flavored loaf of bread. Don’t let your imagination stop with loaf bread.

The Dough Cycle

The possibilities for flavored bread dough are just endless; it makes wonderful hamburger buns, hot dog buns, dinner rolls, sub sandwich rolls, bread sticks, etc. But, don’t stop there make a recipe of flour tortilla dough and add a package to that for wonderful flavored tortillas perfect for roll-ups and burritos, etc. Make a batch of white bread dough and roll it out in to a sheet, and then top it with drained and minced oil cured sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, fresh baby spinach leaves and thinly sliced fresh mushrooms; top with a sprinkling of grated mozzarella, provolone, jack or other favorite cheese. Then roll it up like a jelly roll. Cut it in to 1/2″ sections and place on a lightly greased baking sheet with about 1″ of space in between. Cover and allow to rise, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. These savory roll-up breads are perfect for serving with soup or salads or as a snack. Don’t stop with my suggestion for the filling, use your imagination and have fun. Try peanut butter and jelly for the kid’s lunches or after school snacks. Try oven roasted minced roma tomatoes, minced green onions and Swiss cheese.

How about turning your flavored dough in to stuffed pocket sandwiches; roll the dough out in to a 12 x 12″ square and cut that in to 9 – 4 x 4″ inch squares. Place your favorite fillings in the middle of the squares, a filling like pizza toppings, ground meat with mushrooms and cheese, etc. Then brush the edges with an egg wash (1 whole egg well beaten with 1/4 cup of water) fold over the dough corner to corner so you end up with a triangle, then press to seal the edges. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover and allow to rise for 30 minutes then bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Tags: bread, easy, fast, flavored

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