Breadmaker

We got a bread machine. We've been wanting one for a while, but the cost of the nice ones kept us in thinking mode. Finally I saw one on GILT, and we went for it. It's a Cuisinart Convection Bread Maker, and it has many many features.

So far, I've made 3 loaves of bread: 1 challah loaf and 2 whole wheat loaves. The challah bread was ok...the texture was there, but I was not wow-ed by the taste. I think I'm a bit biased when it comes to challah bread because I grew up in Brookline and my mom bought fresh challah bread every week. (Brookline has many many Jewish residents.) The first whole wheat loaf was a bit dry and I think it was because I accidentally used too much honey. For the size loaf I was making, the recipe called for 1.5 T honey, but I looked in the wrong column, i.e., the column for the larger loaf, and added 2 T. So, that made me want to try the whole wheat loaf again. This time I went for the large loaf because the first loaf was eaten up pretty quickly. I followed the recipe exactly and the loaf came out terrible. It didn't rise. And it was really dense.

I thought using a bread maker would be easier than what it has turned out. Anyone with advice or recipes, please share!