Give us this day our daily bread...

Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread, especially when you've just woken up from the annoying buzz of that damn alarm clock. But unless you live above a bakery you need to seek other alternatives. I found mine in the "Bread Factory Plus".

Purists might balk at the notion of using a bread machine to make bread but hey I'm a big fan of modernisation in some ways and if this does the job almost as good, that's good enough for me. Look at the options on the top: pizza dough, rye, whole wheat, the list goes on. Besides, I'm a simple person with simple needs, I leave the complicated baking and pretty decorating stuff to C haha.

The model I chose has this little nifty window at the top so you can have a little bread-making peepshow to satisfy that voyeur in you. Great viewing pleasure. The bread maker does EVERYTHING, it's almost like magic, you put your ingredients in, walk away (unless you like to watch) and come back later for pure unadulterated bread, simply magic. Well I do use breadmix which I buy in bulk from overseas but I'm sure you can get it here as well. I can even set it to start making bread a few hours before I wake up so by the time I do, it's hot and steaming fresh but more importantly, smelling awesome to make my start to the day just that little bit better.

Look at that. Crusty on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, excellent for spreading on some of that lemon curd C makes. Cleaning the machine is a breeze as well as the non-stick metal box is removable and fits easily into any dishwasher. If you really enjoy the smell (and taste) of freshly baked bread but find it too troublesome to make it from scratch everyday, seriously do consider investing in one of these babies, you won't regret it.

D