Bread Machine Recipes: 7 Formulas in Grams

Bread-machine recipes are not conventional recipes dropped into a metal bucket. The machine controls the kneading time, fermentation temperature, number of rises, and baking profile. A formula has to fit both the pan and the schedule.

The seven formulas below are gram-based starting points, not documented kitchen-tested recipes. Their ingredient weights are retained here for careful adaptation; compatibility and results still need checking in your machine. For the most predictable first bake, use a recipe supplied for your exact model, then compare its flour amount, total load and program with these formulas.

The Cuisinart CBK-110 instruction booklet and Breville BBM800 US manual illustrate why the details matter: their ingredient sequences, batch guidance, program options and pause controls are model-specific. Neither manufacturer has validated the seven formulas on this page.

If you are still choosing an appliance, start with our best bread machine comparison. If the controls, pan, or paddle are unfamiliar, read how to use a bread machine before loading it.

A Basic Bread Machine Formula

For a basic sandwich loaf, flour is 100%. Water starts near 60%, then sugar, fat, dry milk, salt, and yeast supply softness and reliable browning.

Loaf-size labels describe nominal sizes, not a guarantee of the cooled loaf’s weight. Ingredients, add-ins and moisture loss change the result. The Cuisinart booklet explicitly notes that loaves with mix-ins may weigh more than their specified size. Match your formula to the manual’s batch and program guidance; weigh a cooled loaf if you need its actual yield.

The baker’s percentages are 60% water, 6% sugar, 6% butter, 4% dry milk, 2% salt, and 1.25% instant yeast. Three of those numbers are doing deliberate work.

60% added water is this formula’s starting point, not a limit for bread machines. Butter contributes a little additional water, while dry milk also absorbs moisture. Higher-hydration dough can work in a machine when the formula and cycle suit it; the pan provides support. King Arthur’s bread-machine guide specifically discusses machines handling slack doughs.

2% salt sits within a commonly used bread-making range. It contributes flavor, strengthens the gluten structure and slows yeast fermentation, as explained in King Arthur’s professional salt reference. Different formulas use different amounts; an automatic cycle makes the balance with yeast and timing especially useful.

1.25% instant yeast is the amount in the middle column, not a universal bread-machine dose. Required yeast depends on the program, dough temperature and enrichment. Longer fermentation can use less yeast, while a rapid program may require a different amount or type. Check the manual before switching cycles.

Treat all of it as a starting system rather than a law. Flour absorption shifts with brand, season, protein content, and whole-grain fraction — our guide to hydration in bread explains why one number can produce two different doughs.

How to Scale Without Overfilling

Scale every ingredient from flour weight, not from the finished loaf label. If a manual caps a program at 400 grams of flour, a 520-gram formula does not fit even if the machine is marketed as “up to two pounds” elsewhere.

Proportional scaling is a useful first calculation, including for yeast. It does not prove that a new batch fits the same fermentation and baking schedule. The table above is arithmetic scaling with rounding, not a set of bake-tested machine sizes. Stay within every stated capacity limit and prefer a manufacturer formula when the required program or batch size differs. If the manual gives cups, use its own ingredient conversion guidance; flour cups do not have one universal weight.

Ingredient Order: Your Manual Wins

The Cuisinart CBK-110 and Breville BBM800 manuals both put liquids and fats before dry ingredients and yeast. The exact sequence matters: Cuisinart places salt and sugar before flour, then yeast on top. Follow the model’s listed order rather than relocating salt and sugar by habit.

That sequence is not universal. Some machines and programs specify dry ingredients first or use a yeast dispenser. Always follow the manual for the exact model number on the data label.

Ingredient separation matters most with delayed start. The yeast should remain dry and apart from salt and liquid until the machine begins. Use delay only with a formula the manual permits. The linked manufacturer manuals warn against delaying recipes with perishable ingredients such as eggs, liquid milk, cheese, yogurt, or fresh produce. Dry milk is often used precisely because it can stay dry until mixing, but the model manual still controls.

Use the ingredient temperatures specified in your manual or its recipe. Heat can alter the fermentation schedule, while some programs include a rest or preheat stage. Count the first knead inspection from actual paddle movement, not simply from pressing Start.

For all seven formulas, observe through the window or open the lid only when permitted. Before handling dough or scraping a corner, use the manual’s pause procedure and confirm the paddle has stopped. Pauses may restart automatically: the Cuisinart CBK-110 resumes after its 10-minute pause limit. Do not put hands or utensils near moving parts; unplug before inspecting a jam or fault.

The size and crust choices below apply only when your selected program offers them. A fixed-size machine or preset Sweet cycle cannot necessarily reproduce those settings. The listed cycle ranges exclude preparation and cooling; use the machine display for its actual duration.

1. Basic Sandwich Bread

Machine size: 1, 1.5, or 2 pounds using the scaling table above
Cycle: Basic or White
Crust: Medium
Typical machine cycle (plus preparation and cooling): 3 to 4 hours

Ingredients

Use one complete column from the scaling table. Do not mix the two-pound flour amount with the 1.5-pound water amount.

Method

1. With the machine unplugged, remove the pan and fit the paddle.
2. Add ingredients to the removed pan in the manual’s required order. Wipe exterior spills, then return and lock it into place.
3. Select the matching loaf size, Basic or White cycle, and medium crust.
4. Check after 5 to 10 minutes of active kneading. The dough should be soft, slightly tacky, and gathered around the paddle rather than smearing across the bottom.
5. Add water or bread flour 5 grams at a time only if needed, waiting about a minute between additions.
6. When the cycle ends, use oven mitts to remove the pan and turn out the loaf. Check for a paddle embedded in the base and remove it safely before slicing. Let the bread cool fully on a rack for clean slices; 60 to 90 minutes is a planning estimate, and a larger loaf may need longer. Warm crumb is easier to compress, but persistent gumminess can also indicate underbaking or a formula/program mismatch.

For a softer hand-shaped version baked in a conventional pan, compare our sandwich bread recipe.

2. 50% Whole-Wheat Bread

Machine size: 1.5 pounds
Cycle: Whole Wheat
Crust: Medium
Typical machine cycle (plus preparation and cooling): 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

Method

1. Add ingredients in the order required by your manual.
2. Select the 1.5-pound Whole Wheat program and medium crust.
3. Inspect during the first active knead. Whole-wheat dough should form a cohesive, soft ball but may look slightly rougher than white dough.
4. If it is stiff enough to thump the machine or leaves dry flour in the corners, add water 5 grams at a time. If it pools beneath the paddle, add bread flour 5 grams at a time.
5. Let the cycle finish. Remove promptly and cool completely before slicing.

The 50/50 flour split gives bran flavor without asking the machine to support a fully whole-grain loaf on the same water and timing. For 100% whole wheat, use a formula designed for that goal and read the whole-wheat bread guide first.

3. Cinnamon-Raisin Breakfast Bread

Machine size: 1.5 pounds
Cycle: Sweet, Fruit, or Basic; use the manual’s recommendation
Crust: Light
Typical machine cycle (plus preparation and cooling): 3 to 4 hours
Add-ins: Raisins at the dispenser release or add-in signal

Ingredients

Method

1. Separate any raisins stuck in clumps. If they are unusually dry and hard, rinse briefly and dry them thoroughly before loading the dispenser.
2. Add everything except the raisins in the order required by the manual.
3. Select a 1.5-pound Sweet, Fruit, or Basic program and light crust.
4. Inspect the dough during early kneading and correct in 5-gram flour or water increments.
5. Add raisins only at the machine’s add-in signal or through its dispenser. Adding them at the beginning can shred the fruit and interfere with gluten development.
6. Remove the loaf promptly and cool before slicing.

This formula uses 3 grams of cinnamon, or 0.75% of flour weight. Its effect still depends on the cinnamon and the dough; do not treat that amount as a guaranteed fermentation threshold. This is a cinnamon-raisin loaf, not a hand-rolled cinnamon swirl; use the Dough cycle and shape by hand if a defined spiral is the goal.

4. Cranberry-Walnut Fruit-and-Nut Bread

Machine size: 1.5 pounds
Cycle: Fruit/Nut, Sweet, or Basic
Crust: Light or medium
Typical machine cycle (plus preparation and cooling): 3 to 4 hours
Add-ins: Cranberries and walnuts at the dispenser release or add-in signal

Ingredients

Method

1. Chop the walnuts into pieces small enough to distribute without jamming the dispenser. Keep the cranberries and walnuts separate from the base dough.
2. Load water, flours, honey, oil, salt, yeast, and optional zest in the order specified by the manual.
3. Select the 1.5-pound Fruit/Nut, Sweet, or Basic program.
4. Check the dough during the first knead. Honey and flour absorption vary, so adjust with water or bread flour 5 grams at a time.
5. Add the fruit and nuts at the signal. If the machine has no signal, use the timing chart in its manual rather than guessing from clock time.
6. Remove promptly and cool completely.

The cranberries and walnuts total 125 g, or about 29.8% of the 420 g flour weight. Check both the pan and dispenser limits; the entire mixture may not fit a small dispenser. Use the manual’s procedure for additions that exceed its dispenser capacity. Heavy clusters can interfere with an even crumb.

5. Holiday-Spice Cranberry-Pecan Bread

Machine size: 1.5 pounds
Cycle: Sweet
Crust: Light
Typical machine cycle (plus preparation and cooling): 3 to 4 hours
Add-ins: Cranberries and pecans at the dispenser release or add-in signal
Delayed start: Do not use; this formula contains milk and egg

Ingredients

Method

1. Weigh the egg without its shell. Add milk, egg, flour, sugar, butter, salt, spices, and yeast in the machine’s required order.
2. Select the 1.5-pound Sweet program and light crust. Do not use delayed start.
3. Inspect the dough during the first knead. Enriched dough is softer than lean dough but should still gather into one mass.
4. Add cranberries and pecans at the dispenser release or add-in signal.
5. Let the full Sweet cycle finish. Remove with oven mitts and cool before slicing.

Milk, egg and sugar can promote browning, while fat contributes tenderness. Start with a light crust if that option is available on the selected program; some Sweet programs have a fixed crust setting.

6. Pumpkin-Spice Yeast Bread

Machine size: 1.5 pounds
Cycle: Sweet or Basic
Crust: Light
Typical machine cycle (plus preparation and cooling): 3 to 4 hours
Delayed start: Do not use; this formula contains pumpkin puree

Ingredients

Method

1. Use plain pumpkin puree, not sweetened pie filling.
2. Load all ingredients in the order required by the manual. Do not use delayed start.
3. Select a 1.5-pound Sweet or Basic program and light crust.
4. Inspect after 5 to 10 minutes of active kneading. Pumpkin brands vary in water content. The dough should be soft and cohesive, not pourable.
5. If it smears like thick batter, add bread flour 5 grams at a time. If it remains crumbly, add water 5 grams at a time.
6. Let the cycle finish, remove promptly, and cool completely.

This is a yeast bread flavored with pumpkin, not a cake-program quick bread. Do not switch to a Cake or Quick Bread program unless using a formula specifically leavened with baking powder or baking soda.

7. Dough-Cycle Pizza or Dinner-Roll Dough

Machine size: A machine rated for at least 1.5 pounds
Cycle: Pizza Dough or Dough
Crust: Not applicable
Typical machine time: 45 minutes on some pizza programs; 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours on full Dough programs
Yield: About 696.5 grams raw dough; two thin 12-inch pizza bases or 12 small dinner rolls

Ingredients

Method

1. Load the ingredients in the manual’s required order.
2. Select Pizza Dough if your machine has it; otherwise use the standard Dough program.
3. Inspect during kneading. The dough should be smooth and slightly tacky, not wet enough to pool under the paddle.
4. When the program ends, remove the dough. Do not leave it in a warm machine indefinitely after the final signal.
5. For pizza, divide in two, cover, and rest 20 to 30 minutes before stretching. For more flavor, refrigerate the covered dough after the machine cycle and use the timing principles in our cold-fermentation guide.
6. For rolls, divide into 12 pieces of about 58 grams, shape, place in a greased pan, cover, and proof until visibly expanded and slowly springing back when gently pressed. Finish in a conventional oven using baking guidance appropriate to the roll size and pan. This is a dough formula: the machine program does not bake the pizza or rolls. Choose that finishing recipe before starting.

The Dough cycle is where a bread machine becomes more than a square-loaf appliance. It handles mixing and first fermentation while you control final shape and oven heat.

Gluten-Free Adaptation Is Not a Flour Swap

None of the seven formulas above converts by swapping the bread flour gram-for-gram for a gluten-free blend. Every one of them is built around an extensible gluten network doing structural work — trapping gas, holding shape against a programmed rise. Take the gluten out and there is nothing left to do that job. Gluten-free bread needs a formulation designed for its structure: often a balance of starches and flours, binders such as psyllium or other hydrocolloids, and its own hydration and rise schedule.

Many gluten-free machine formulas resemble a thick batter, while others form a more dough-like mass. Follow the consistency specified by that recipe rather than adding flour until it matches a wheat dough. Use a complete formula developed for the blend and machine capacity, and select the program it calls for. Follow the same manual-specific pause precautions if the mixture needs scraping.

Recipe performance and safety are separate questions, and a formula that bakes beautifully settles only the first. Start with how gluten-free bread works, which breads are gluten-free, and whether sourdough is gluten-free.

Bread Machine Troubleshooting

The Top Collapsed

The dough produced more gas than its structure could hold. Common causes are too much water, too much yeast, an overfilled pan, a warm kitchen combined with a long rise, or a formula too weak for the programmed schedule. On the next loaf, change one variable. Start by checking that every weight was correct, then reduce water by 5 to 10 grams or yeast by about 10% if the dough looked excessively loose or rose into the lid.

The Loaf Is Dense and Short

Check yeast freshness, program choice, and dough consistency. A dry, tight ball cannot expand well; neither can a whole-grain formula run on a short rapid cycle. If the paddle turned but the dough stayed crumbly, add water in 5-gram increments during kneading. If the machine did not knead, confirm the pan and blade were fully seated before blaming the formula.

The Loaf Is Dry

Too much flour is the first suspect, especially when measuring by cups. A long keep-warm period also drives moisture from the crust and can create condensation later. Weigh flour, inspect the dough, remove the loaf promptly, and let it cool before bagging.

Flour Stayed in the Corners

The dough may be too dry, the pan may not be locked, or the paddle may be missing or installed incorrectly. During a permitted inspection window, pause using the manual’s controls and confirm the paddle has stopped before using a flexible spatula. Resume promptly according to the manual; some pauses time out automatically. Stop and unplug the machine before investigating a paddle that is not turning.

The Paddle Left a Large Hole

A paddle cavity is normal. Some manuals identify a safe pause before the final rise when the paddle can be removed; many do not. Never reach into a running machine or improvise timing around a moving shaft. If hole size is decisive, use the Dough cycle, shape by hand, and bake in a conventional pan.

Dough Reached the Lid

The formula exceeded the practical capacity or fermented too aggressively. Do not press hot or moving dough down by hand. Follow the manual’s stop and cool-down procedure, then reduce the batch. The correct long-term fix is a smaller formula, not repeated intervention during a powered cycle.

The Crust Is Too Dark

Sugar, milk, egg, and fruit all accelerate browning. Choose light crust for enriched and sweet formulas. If the sides are dark while the center remains underdone, do not simply shorten baking; first verify that the loaf size and cycle match the recipe.

A Better First Loaf

Start with the basic sandwich formula in the exact size your machine supports. Weigh it, watch the first knead, and write down any 5-gram correction. That note is more useful than collecting fifty random recipes because it calibrates the formula to your flour, climate, and machine.

Once the basic loaf is predictable, change one axis at a time: half whole wheat, then fruit and nuts, then a sweet enriched formula. For cycle-by-cycle setup and cleaning, keep the bread machine operating guide nearby.