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01 / The comfort-food collectionA gloriously golden, rosemary-and-thyme oat loaf. Built for butter. Born for chicken soup. Quite possibly the best thing to happen to a Monday leftover.
There are loaves for sandwiches. Loaves for toast. Fancy little rolls that look magnificent but barely survive a meeting with a butter knife.
And then there is the Chicken Soup Dunker: the little farmhouse-inspired loaf with a tender, substantial middle, a golden outside and just enough rosemary, thyme and garlic to make a steaming bowl of chicken soup feel like a proper occasion.
This is a practical, small-batch recipe developed for the Panasonic SD-PN100. The oats bring gentle body, the strong white flour holds the structure, and a splash of olive oil helps keep the crumb tender.
“A good loaf should not surrender the moment it meets the soup.”
Everything is measured for a small PN100 loaf. No enormous dough ball, no elaborate pre-cooked porridge, no need for a second machine. Just real ingredients and the reassuring smell of proper bread.
The NIX size rule: 225 g bread flour + 25 g oats = 250 g total grain ingredients. Keep the oats dry and uncooked. The oats do not supply the gluten of bread flour, so expect a slightly more rustic rise than a plain white loaf.
Programme and crust options checked against Panasonic's SD-PN100 guidance. This particular savoury ingredient combination is a proposed NIX variation, not a Panasonic-published or independently test-baked formula.
One pan. One programme. A little patience. Loading ingredients liquids-first is the NIX Kitchen house preference; Panasonic's published instructions specify a different order, so follow the manufacturer's sequence if you prefer.
Make sure the bread pan and kneading blade are clean and correctly fitted. Measure everything first, especially the flour and oats.
Pour in 170 ml water, followed by 10 g olive oil. This is our house loading method; avoid using the delayed timer if you're changing ingredients in future.
Add 225 g strong white flour and 25 g dry porridge oats. Sprinkle the salt, sugar and finely crushed herbs evenly over the surface.
Add ¾ tsp Fermipan Red on top of the dry ingredients, keeping it separate from the water and salt until mixing starts.
Select Menu 1 — Basic, choose Dark Crust and press Start. No extra-ingredient beep is needed for these finely ground herbs and oats.
During early kneading, if practical, look for a cohesive, soft dough ball. If it is plainly dry and crumbly, add water just 1 tsp at a time. If soupy, add a small dusting of flour, keeping total flour within the machine's limit.
Allow the programme to finish, usually 4 hours to 4 hours 10 minutes. Remove the hot pan with oven gloves; tip out the loaf and check that the paddle is not inside it.
Cool for at least 45–60 minutes on a rack. Cut generous 1.5–2 cm slices. For maximum dunk-resistance, give them a light toasting just before serving.
Hold a thick, lightly toasted corner in your chicken soup. Let it drink in the flavour, then lift. The soft inner crumb welcomes the soup while the toasted outside buys you a little structural integrity.
One warm, thick slice; a little salted butter; a big bowl of chicken soup. Nothing complicated. Nothing wasted.
Toast finger-thick slices, add a modest shower of mature Cheddar, then grill until bubbling. Excellent with a creamy soup.
Cut day-old bread into batons. Brush lightly with oil and air fry at around 180°C for 4–6 minutes, checking and turning until golden.
Cooked porridge adds an unpredictable amount of absorbed water. Dry oats are easier to measure accurately in a small breadmaker. A cooked-porridge version would need its own tested liquid balance.
Some added oats can reduce the height compared with a full-white loaf. Check the yeast freshness, measure accurately and examine the dough during the first knead. Do not increase the total flour/oats to chase height.
Yes, but mince it very finely and use a modest amount; fresh herbs introduce a little additional moisture. For the first bake, the measured dried-herb version is the more predictable option.
Cool fully. Keep in a bread bag at room temperature for around 1–2 days for best texture, or slice, wrap and freeze promptly. Toast slices from frozen. Do not refrigerate the loaf routinely, as that can make bread stale faster.
Use the Dark Crust option and cool on a rack. For an extra crisp slice, toast just before serving. Breadmaker loaves are naturally softer than a hand-shaped loaf baked on a hot stone.
Chicken simmering. A bowl warming your hands. That first spoonful. Then a fat slice of herb-scented bread, dipped deep and lifted out dripping with goodness.
That's the NIX Chicken Soup Dunker. Small loaf. Big comfort.
A small-loaf original for the Panasonic SD-PN100. Recipe developed as an untested adaptation; adjust conservatively on first bake. All featured food photography is AI-generated illustration of the intended result.
Programme reference: Panasonic SD-PN100 Operating Instructions and Recipes · Menu 1, Basic, 4–4 h 10 min; adjustable crust. Never exceed your machine's recommended ingredient quantities.