Gift Idea for the Lunch Packer: Bread Baking

This is  a series of posts I'm going to do about good gift ideas for the lunch packer - or for the follower of my blog.

First things first, I want to disclose that I am an Amazon Affliliate, and the links I post are my affiliate links.

Ah, fresh bread.  Nothing nicer, in my humble opinion.

I love making bread, and it really doesn't take too much time if you have the right tools.

First and foremost, I love using my bread machine for making dough.  You can use a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, too, but I like the hands-off, throw-the-ingredients-in-and-come-back-an-hour-and-a-half-later approach of a bread machine.

You can even set a timer and have your dough ready for you when you get home from work, or when you get up in the morning.  Of course, you can also bake in your bread machine, but I prefer baking in the oven.  It seems to be more forgiving.

The king of all bread machines, and the "Oh, how I wish I had that" bread machine, is the Zojurushi.

They don't make the bread machine I have anymore, but the closet one I have is this Breadman - and this one is much nicer than mine!  Automatic fruit and nut dispenser?  Sweet!

Another wonderful tool for the baker is a food scale.  I have this Escali one, and it is wonderful.  It can measure in grams, ounces, or pounds (up to 11 lbs), and you can put a bowl or other container on it to zero out for measuring.    Plus, it comes in a variety of colors.

In case you haven't noticed, my favorite bread pan is the pain de mie, or pullman loaf pan.  It makes a denser crumbed bread, and you can get a perfectly square loaf, too - great for sandwiches.

And, if you want to make some of my rainbow pain de mie, don't forget to pick up some of these gel food colorings!

Also important, for rolling out dough?  A good rolling pin.  My favorite is a french style rolling pin.

Happy Holidays!