By Robin OBrien

If you've tried all the recipes that came in your bread machine recipe book you may want to be a little adventurous and try out some new ones. To avoid baking disasters its best you start off with recipes that are simple and straightforward. But this doesn't mean you have to bake bland bread; far from it.

If you've just been baking bread maybe you should be a little more adventurous and try making dough for bagels, brioche and other delicious pastries. As well as the bread maker recipes that follow, there's some dough ones too, that will, hopefully, whet your appetite enough to try them out.

Autumn Seed Bread

For me fall and the approach of winter signal the start of the home baking year. It's a time when the harvest is in and most ingredients that are used in baking are produced; things like wheat, seeds and preserves.

Ingredients - this will make a 1.5 to 2lb loaf

1 cup warm water
1 (.25 ounce) package yeast
1/4 cup honey
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat bran (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup shelled, toasted, chopped pumpkin seeds

Directions

Apart from the seeds, put all the other ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the whole wheat cycle and press start. If your machine has a signal for fruit or nuts, add the sunflower and pumpkin seeds at the beep. Just before the bake part of the cycle you can brush on some beaten eggs on top of the dough loaf and sprinkle on some of the seeds.

Blue Cheese And Port Bread

This is delicious bread that I bake around Christmas time. I love to eat it while still warm in front of the fire with a glass of rich red wine.

Ingredients - this will make a 1lb loaf

2/3 cup warm water
2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons butter
2 tablespoons port red wine
1/4 cup Danish blue cheese
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 1/2 tablespoons applesauce
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Directions

Apart from the cheese and walnuts, put all the other ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the basic bread cycle and press start. If your machine has a signal for fruit or nuts, add the cheese and walnuts at the beep.

Brioche Dough

Brioche is a sweet, eggy bread that is almost a cake. It's perfect to eat first thing in the morning along with a cup of strong French coffee. The loaf is baked in the oven but the dough is prepared in the bread machine.

Ingredients - this will make a 1.5lb loaf

1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup softened butter
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

Directions

Put all the other ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the dough cycle. While the dough is being nixed and kneaded you can preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Turn finished dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead 5 to 10 times. Separate into 2 or 3 pieces. Roll with hands into strips. Braid or twist strips together. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and brush the top with egg wash. Bake for about 20 minutes or until medium browned.

Perfect Bagels

Bagels make great sandwiches. The heavy, dense dough makes a bagel sandwich a meal in itself.

Ingredients

4-4 1/2 cups flour
2 x (.25 ounce) package yeast
1-1 /12 cups warm water
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 additional teaspoon sugar
1 beaten egg white

Directions

Put all the ingredients into the bread pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the dough cycle. After the first kneading is finished, turn the machine off and allow dough to rise in pan for about an hour. Then bring a large pot of water to boil and add additional sugar; simmer, maintaining a slow steady boil. Turn on oven to 350°F. Prepare baking sheet with non stick spray and cornmeal. Turn out dough on a floured surface. Divide into 12 pieces. Shape bagels by making balls and punching a hole in the center. Put bagels, 3 or 4 at a time into water and cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Transfer to baking sheet with slotted spoon and brush with egg white. Add any toppings you wish to use. When all the bagels are on the baking sheet, bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

The above bread machine recipes are just a few of my favorites. They're all delicious and easy to make. Experimenting with different recipes has not only been rewarding for me but also great fun and I hope you'll soon discover more recipes that you can call your own.

Follow the links for more delicious bread machine recipes as well as bread machine reviews on leading brands like Oster, Cuisinart and the Breadman bread machine.