Strawberry Bread for toast (Bread machine recipe)

I'm still on a quest to use up the packets of Strawberry Oatmeal my grandson won't eat. (I don't care for flavored oatmeals). Waste not, want not. So today I tried my hand at some Strawberry Bread, which made absolutely excellent toast. I think it would also make an excellent French Toast.

This bread has a very light smell and taste of strawberries, but it's not a sweet bread. If you want more strawberry flavor, I would add either 1/2 cup diced strawberries or 1/4 cup strawberry jam. I prefer just the "suggestion" of strawberry aroma and flavor for toast.

I have no photos to step you through the mixing process, but have had some folks request the recipe, so here it is. My bread machine is one of the larger ones -- I cut this loaf of bread in half from the top, then flip each half on it's side and slice evenly for toast. So I actually get TWO loaves of bread from this recipe! If your bread machine is smaller, I don't see why you couldn't just cut the recipe in half.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup very warm water
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 8oz cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup ground flax seed (optional)3 cups white flour (extra if dough sticks to side of pan)
2 packets Strawberry Instant oatmeal
1/4 cup ground flax seed (optional)
2 tsp Fleishmann's Yeast

DIRECTIONS:
Place ingredients in your bread machine in the order given in the list above. Set your machine for a standard, light loaf of bread, following your bread machine's instructions.

As your dough mixes, watch it closely and add a tablespoon of flour at a time IF your dough is sticking to the edges of the bread machine pan. When you touch the dough with your fingers, it should not feel wet, but soft and moist. If it feels dry and makes a bumping noise in your bread machine, add a tablespoon of warm water.

It is very rare that I simply throw the ingredients in the bread machine and walk away. I normally have to add either flour or water to make sure the dough has that beautiful, elastic, moist feel. Often I will add one or the other five or six times until I'm satisfied the dough has the correct consistency!


HELPFUL HINT:
Once your loaf of bread is cool, cut it with an electric knife. The serrated knife cuts smooth, even slices and you can cut the bread in much thinner slices than when using a standard sharp knife.

Don't have a bread machine? Simply use your favorite white bread recipe, substituting the vanilla yogurt for 1/2 of the oil, adding the 2 packets of flavored oatmeal for about 1/4 cup of your flour, adding the nutmeg, cutting down on salt and sugar if necessary.

Enjoy!