It’s a bit like a 1970’s revival, the slow cooker, the breadmaker, the kenwood chef..... But it’s great to see these things being dragged out from the back of the cupboard. If you donated yours to the charity shop years ago don’t worry. You can pick these things up from car boot sales or - local charity shops. If you want to splash out on a new one you can pick up a new bread machine for as little as £29.99. At the other end of the scale you can pay well over £100 for a more sophisticated machine.
We have been trying out the
Kenwood BM250.
It’s a smart good looking machine that once you have mastered the controls makes breadmaking a doddle. It really takes no time at all. The clever measuring jug and spoon cuts the preparation time to a minimum, and the machine not only bakes the bread – it makes the jam as well.
Yes, a very versatile machine for the price of £49.99. For everyday baking you can’t go wrong with this machine, it makes tea breads, cakes, dough, with no real effort and more cheaply and healthily than commercialy produced products.
If you want something a little smarter, for £129.99 the later Kenwood BM450 model offers more options and a dispenser which cleverly adds fruit, nuts and other additions to your breads or tea loaves.
The bread featured here is a ‘Wholemeal Seed Bread’, which is amazing!
Have a go at this simple and tasty Banana and Cinnamon Tea Bread.
Butter 115g
Golden Syrup 200g
Light soft brown sugar 50g
Plain white flour 280g
Baking powder 2 tsp
Bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp
Ground cinnamon ½ tsp
Peeled ripe bananas 200g
Eggs 2
Crème fraiche 85g
Milk 60ml
If your using a Kenwood BM250 Use program 7. Place the butter, syrup and sugar in a small saucepan and heat gently until melted, stirring occasionally. Leave to cool slightly then pour into the bread pan. Mash the bananas and add to the bread pan with the eggs, crème fraiche and milk. Finally, sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon together and add to the pan - delicious!
