Jam is one of the primary features of a bread machine. If you’re wondering how it’s done, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create delicious and juicy bread jam. One of the most common jams is strawberry jam, so this will be an example for this post.
Ingredients to make jam:
To start off, you will need the following:
- 3 cups of diced strawberries
- ¾ granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of pectin
The pectin is optional, and if you want to try other jams, just replace the strawberries with the same amount of fruit of your choice.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Cut the fruits in half, or into smaller pieces. Mash them using a potato masher or just your utensils if you don’t have the latter. You can leave a few small pieces of fruit to add a little texture to your jam.
Step 2: Set the small pieces of fruit aside and gather the other mashed fruits. Placed the mashed fruits, sugar, lemon juice, and pectin in the bread maker. If you have your own recipe for fruit jam, simply put all of them in the bread machine.
There’s no need to mix as the machine will do it for you; however, some prefer to mix it with a blender before pouring it onto the bread machine. If you decide to use a blender, just do 2-3 brief pulses enough to mix and mash everything.
Step 3: Press the jam setting. Depending on your bread machine, you might need to take additional steps. But usually, most bread machines just ask you to pick the jam option. Then, just wait for the jam cycle to finish.
Step 4: Once the cycles are done, hold your bread maker (don’t forget to use oven mitts!) and pour the jam to a jar. This is also the time where you add the chunks of fruits you’ve set aside earlier. Cover the jars with lids to make sure they’re airtight.
Step 5: Let the jam cool. Letting it cool overnight will make the jam thicker but it will still be a bit watery. Once you’re satisfied with the consistency, you can take it out and enjoy your juicy fruit jam.
Here’s a tip, pectin makes jams thick, so if you want your jam to be thicker and more solid, place 2-3 tablespoons and mix it with the finished product.
What’s the Best Bread Machine for Jams?
The Oster 2-Pound Expressbake Bread Machine is one of the most versatile and easy-to-use bread machines. Besides making healthy bread, it’s also very good at maintaining the consistency of fruit jams. The bread maker has plenty of capacity and it can make a 2-pound loaf in less than an hour. We can conclude that it’s definitely big enough for making jams. And, because extra feautures are also important, we think this is the best product you can buy.
Too bad it doesn’t have a fruit and nut compartment, but it does let you know when to place these additional ingredients. Alternatively, you can look through its large window to check how your food is being baked.
In the video below, you see the Oster bread machine (to make homemade jam).
Conclusion
It’s clear to us that bread machines are very versatile and can be used to prepare different food, including jams. Making jam with the Oster bread makers is very easy. The flavor possibilities are endless and you can try out lots of unique fruit flavors with this method.
Regardless of the type of jam you make, with a bread maker it is as simple as adding the right ingredients and choosing the right settings.
