Herbed Tomato Bread

As soon as the weather gets a slight chill, I go into full-gear baking-mode. This year it started with my beau's amazing ability to manifest material things. He's always wanted a Zojirushi Mini, and expresses it every time we see a bread machine in a thrift store. I did a little research and started swooning as well. 

And the next day...

he came home with this:

A thrifted Zoji-mini for ten bucks! 

What?? Isn't he amazing? I don't know how he does it, but we found a second one a few days later (gifted to his brother).

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This is the first bread I made to accompany homemade tomato + veggie stew.

Herbed Tomato Bread

Ingredients (for 1-lb. breadmaker):
from the Zojirushi website

• 3/4 cups tomato juice
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2-1/4 cups bread flour
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. dry milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1-2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. active dry yeast

I'll be honest, I used to scoff at bread-machine-users (in my days of kneading the dough by hand, "real" bread, as I thought) Gosh was I ever naive! This thing is awesome! Add the ingredients in order, hit "start" and voila, perfect bread a few hours later. I've even used the Dough setting, where it kneads and rises in the machine, then I can bake in the oven to have more control over the shape and crust (Also used it to make the dough for green chili rolls - yum!)

Okay, I'll admit, I'm in awe of this new-fangled machinery, and I might be a little obsessed. But seriously, I can see this being super helpful in a year when I'll have a babe attached to my breast most of the day, or a while later when the little one is running around, curiously getting into my yarn stash. 

Alright, I'm done. Stay tuned for more pictures of yummy bread that's long been eaten and the recipe I used!