Baking Via Machine

...is on the list of Things I Don't Do. It's too precise, and it also requires a lot of time, and I'm married to a guy who hates sweets.

However, I also know someone who got sick of her bread machine, and now it's mine. And the resulting experiments?

Well...thank God for the bread machine.

First I attempted "basic bread" -- but it was simply not working out. And as it turns out, while my husband hates sweets, I hate yeasty-tasting stuff. Luckily, we have these wonderful creatures to help me dispose of the projects that don't go so well.

Next I tried french bread -- this actually turned out to be doable, though the recipes seem to consistently ask for less water than is actually necessary.

Now I've gotten to the point with the bread machine where I am with everything else that I cook -- the free-for-all stage. Since the french bread, I have been innovating with all kinds of additives to varying degrees.

Projects that went great: mustard/cheddar bread, blue cheese and walnut bread, whole wheat sunflower bread with cream cheese.

Projects that went not so great: a cornmeal bread that was, um, well, awfully bricklike once it cooled.

This is what I'll make over the weekend. Wish me luck!