My 2nd Favorite Kitchen Appliance

I love a good kitchen appliance. I'm not talking fridges and stoves here, I'm talking about the appliances that make something just a tad bit easier. Top on my list is my Kitchen Aid stand-up mixer. My husband got it for me for Christmas a few years back and I think after my engagement ring....it was the best present he ever got me. Coming in a close 2nd is my Cuisinart Bread Machine.

Does anyone else have a bread machine they use? We had one growing up, and I remember my mom usually putting in a mix on the weekends so we could enjoy homemade bread with our meals. I think it may have died, and I'm pretty sure she hasn't replaced it, but I do remember it fondly.

Yesterday I decided I really needed to smell that wonderful aroma of homemade bread baking, so I got ours out. I flipped through the recipes that came with the bread machine (genius!) and came across one....Three Cheese. I happened to have all the ingredients (shocking), so I dumped them all in, walked away and within the hour my house smelled like a bakery.

Three-Cheese Bread (makes a small 1 lb. loaf)

7 T. water (80-90 degrees F)

1/4 c. part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1 T. sugar

3/4 t. salt

1/2 t. tabasco sauce

2 c. + 2 T. bread flour (I used regular flour and it worked just fine)

1 t. yeast, active dry, instant or bread machine

1 t. wheat gluten (I've found this makes it rise better)

Place all ingredients, in the order listed, in the bread pan, fitted with the kneading paddle. For my bread machine, I selected the small loaf size, medium crust, and the "white bread" cycle. Depending on your bread machine you may have different settings. This loaf took close to 2 hours, start to finish.

Walk away, enjoy the aroma, and devour the bread later!

What is your FAVE kitchen appliance?

Blogger Alert: I'm doing some shopping today, so check back later to see my great finds!