The other day, I baked a white loaf in my Zojirushi—the crust browned beautifully on three sides, though the top stayed a bit pale, which was expected. I loved just tossing it in and letting the machine do its thing. That got me thinking: why not try my everyday whole rye in it? So I did—and wow, the results are surprisingly good!
After owning my Zojirushi bread machine (model BBCC-X20) for over sixteen years, I finally baked the basic white bread recipe from its manual—for the very first time—in the bread machine! I converted the recipe from cups to metric, then went with the basic setting and a dark crust.
Making these cakes feels like taking an intensive crash course in baking. With so many techniques to learn, it can feel overwhelming at times, yet it’s incredibly gratifying to watch each cake take shape. The joy of creating something both cute and delicious, and imagining the smiles of the people who get to enjoy it, excites me. For someone who rarely has patience for tedious tasks, I find myself surprisingly enamored with the process.
I’ve always envied bakers who can effortlessly throw together a rye loaf—no weighing, no measuring—just by feel, like their moms and grandmas did. I’ll probably never be that type, but I love having a simple rye bread template I can grab anytime—something I can whip up with whatever’s on hand or tweak with different add-ins when I’m in the mood for a change.
Made everything from scratch—the turntable, the box, the ingredients… even the frosting and piping were my own.
This is only my second cake (the first was mango!), and while there’s still so much to learn, I’m thrilled to be baking again. Something new, something fun, something pretty.
Best part? I get to pack in as much fruit as I want. Honestly, that beats any fancy design on the outside.
I'm in awe of this baker's creativity and skills—she can make amazing cakes with hardly any tools. Inspired by her makeshift cake turntable, I made one too！
Hi friends!
Last time, I shared how I bake lean bread in my beloved Walmart toaster oven. Today, I will show you how I use it to bake enriched bread. The loaves you see are sesame milk bread, made with 60% milk, 8% butter, and 8% sugar. I bake them "naked" — without the graniteware roaster — in a black tin and a light-colored tin, respectively. Each dough weighs around 500g for the 9x4x4 tin.
Here’s my process:
