Peanut Butter Bread (breadmaker)

I know what you must be thinking... Peanut butter bread... HUH!? Well, yeah. I thought it would be nice to have bread nice and warm when my kids got up this morning for school. I made this in my bread maker. I set the delay function and it cooked while I slept. Cool huh? I think so. :) Well, It was hard to sleep when it was baking, the smell woke me up a couple of times. But oh did it may my morning so much easier. EASIER... yes that is what I said. I got up at 7am which is 30 minutes later than normal. I woke the boys up and said I had breakfast ready, all they needed to do was get dressed quickly and come down stairs for some hot fresh peanut butter bread. That did it. No yelling, no screaming, no fighting. The boys came down stairs, and I had slices of bread waiting for them. They said it didn't taste like peanut butter, so they wanted peanut butter on top, a few wanted jelly. But, I was so happy. It was such a nicer morning getting everyone ready for school. Especially since it's so close to the end of the school year, no one wants to get out of bed. (not even me). I also felt like a "Wonder MOM" because my kids had a high protein breakfast with not a lot of mess or clean up. I just hope after school goes as smoothly as before school.

I got this recipe from West Bend (which is the brand of bread maker I have). I could not find my bread maker recipe book (i've had it for 13 years). I was disappointed because I have used it so often, that I really wanted to find a yummy breakfast bread to make for the morning. So, I was so grateful that they have recipes on their website. It saved me from having a heart attack and tearing the house apart at 11pm at night.

When I make bread in my bread maker (where it cooks the bread), the bread comes out knotty. However, if I just have it make the dough, it's fabulous. Even though my dough is knotty, it's really good. It has a nice crust on top, and soft center. I recommend caution cutting the bread if it's knotty, as I sliced my finger a little when the knife slipped from the bread to my finger. Other than that.. Delicious. I just added some homemade jelly to it and it was like eating a pb&j sandwich with no slathering of peanut butter. (my kids are Peanut Butter Junkies) if it doesn't have a strong peanut butter taste, then they need more peanut butter. It smelled like peanut butter, and with jelly it tasted like peanut butter. For those of you who have children with peanut allergies... Try the sunflower butter and let me know how it works.  I still haven't bought sunflower butter, but I heard its good.

Ingredients:
8 oz (1 cup) water, 80 degrees F
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy, crunchy or sunflower
1 Tbsp honey
2 3/4 cup bread flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast or 1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

1. Add liquid ingredients and butter to pan.

2. Add all dry ingredients, except yeast to pan. Tap pan to settle dry ingredients, then level ingredients, pushing some of the mixture into the corners. Lock pan into bread maker.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add yeast. close the bread maker door.

Program for recommended select setting BASIC WHITE (1, 2, 3). Program timer if being used. Turn bread maker on. When done, turn off, unlock pan, and remove with oven mitts. Shake bread out of pan and cool on rack before slicing.

I set mine with a 3 hour delay since I was up at 11pm putting the ingredients in the pan. This would make great bread for sandwiches for the kids school lunches, or even for french toast. I ate mine with jelly and not toasted. This is a great addition to my families bread recipes. Enjoy!