This recipe comes from the book “Bread Machine Magic” by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway (revised edition). Each recipe in this book has an ingredient list for small to large loaves, as well as minute adjustments to the fluid to compensate for various machines. Once you know what adjustments are required for your particular machine you can pretty much use any recipe from this book with ease. I give the adjustments in the same manner a crochet pattern would be written: Small (Medium, Large).  Small is 1 pound. Medium is 1.5 pounds; Large is 2 pounds. Keep in mind if your bread machine requires the dry ingredients to be added first, just reverse the order.

Anyway, this is the recipe for Anita’s Italian Herb Bread.

  • 7/8 to 1 cup (1-1/8 to 1-1/4 cups, 1-1/2 to 1-5/8 cups) buttermilk
  • 1 Tablespoon (1-1/2 Tablespoons, 2 Tablespoons) olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon, 4 teaspoons) sugar
  • 2 cups (3 cups, 4 cups) bread flour
  • 1/3 cup (1/2 cup, 2/3 cup) freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp (1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp) dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoons) dried oregano
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons (1-1/2 teaspoons, 2 teaspoons) Red Star Active Dry Yeast (Babs: I’ve used both Fleischmann’s Active Dry, and Bread Machine, Yeasts, with no problems)

Place all ingredients in bread pan, using the least amount of liquid listed in the recipe (Babs: for your given size loaf). Select Medium Crust setting and press Start.

Observe the dough as it kneads. After 5 to 10 minutes, if it appears dry and stiff, or if your machine sounds as if it’s straining to knead it, add more liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms a smooth, soft, pliable ball that is slightly tacky to the touch.

After the baking cycle ends, remove bread from pan, place on cake rack, and allow to cool 1 hour before slicing.

Crust: Medium
Bake Cycle: Standard
Optional Bake Cycles: Sweet Bread; Rapid Bake