Jellies and Jams Recipes from Your Bread Machine (2024)

Some people don’t know they can make jelly, jams and preserves in their bread machine. Here are some of the most popular recipes.

You may have noticed that your bread machine has a setting referred to as “Jam or Jelly.” This isn’t about making jelly rolls, it’s about making jams, jellies and preserves that you will ultimately pour into a jar for storage in your refrigerator or pantry.

The difference between a jelly, jam and preserve is simple. A jelly is usually made from the juice of a fruit with gelatin or pectin added along with sugar. A jam is made from whole fruit pureed to a juicy texture. A preserve is a jam that has also been made from the whole fruit, chopped and blended – but tends to have chunks of the fruit in the jam.

Storing Your Jams and Jellies

Storage in the refrigerator is the preferred way to store these homemade jellies because the low temperature gives the jam or jelly a firmer consistency. That’s one of the things you’ll notice about many jams and jellies made in your bread machine. They don’t always have the viscosity or thickness that jams made on the stovetop often have. This is because stovetop preparation causes some of the liquid to evaporate which thickens the consistency of the jam or jelly. Bread machines reach a high heat but little evaporation takes place, so you may find it to be a touch runny unless you refrigerate it.

If you intend to store your jams, jellies or preserves in a pantry make sure you process the jars first. You can do a basic processing by immersing the jars in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. This is important because the sugar in jams and jellies can encourage the growth of bacteria unless it has been processed in the boiling water bath.

Pay Attention to the Details

Jellies and Jams Recipes from Your Bread Machine (2)

Like many recipes related to baking, accurate and precise measurements are critical to success. One thing to keep in mind is that all measures for fruit are for coarsely chopped or diced fruit. Eventually you’ll mash the fruit a bit with a potato masher or in a food processor. This will reduce the total cups but that’s okay. Just make sure you stay true to the cup measures with chunks of fruit before you mash or process them.

All of the recipes call for the addition of sugar and some call for the addition of pectin or gelatin as well. Pectin is a thickening agent used for many jams, jellies and preserves. It’s best to find a low sugar or no sugar pectin. You’ll be adding sugar as part of the recipe and you don’t want too much sugar when making bread machine jellies.

Before You Start

It’s very important that you only make jam or jelly in a bread machine that has the specific and unique “Jam or Jelly” setting. The operation of the paddle and the temperature settings are unique for jams and jellies and it’s difficult to improvise with any other setting.

Equally important is the integrity of the bread pan. Bread machines with the jam and jelly feature have bread pans that have a unique bearing under the kneading paddle. This prevents any liquids from leaking through the paddle bearing and into the machine. You can ruin your machine or at least face an imposing cleanup task if a pan full of fruit juice and sugar leak into the bottom of your bread machine. You also could short it out if the liquids encounter any electrical connections.

Even if your bread machine has the “Jam and Jelly” setting you might want to test your bread pan. Simply pour a couple of cups of water in the pan and let it sit on the kitchen counter. After about 20 minutes lift the pan and see if any water has leaked onto the countertop. This can happen with older machines. We often get away with it because the kneading process usually starts within seconds after we put the pan into the machine, and the incorporation of the dry ingredients prevent any leakage.

This Stuff Can Be Hot, Hot, Hot!

A note of caution. Be very careful when handling the finished jam or jelly. In fact, you should probably let it rest in the machine for about 30 minutes with the lid open when the cycle is complete. If you’re nervous about any leakage remove the pan while wearing heavy duty kitchen gloves or pot-holders. Heated sugar is extremely hot and can cause 3rd degree burns. Generally, making jam or jelly in a bread machines is safer than making it on the stovetop, but always exercise caution when handling any hot, sugar liquid or syrup.

If you find your jam or jelly is still a bit runny after refrigeration you can try adding a little more pectin or reducing the amount of fruit or juice. You can also think of it as a unique syrup for waffles or pancakes.

Selecting the Right Fruit or Juice

The ripeness of any fruit is very important. You don’t want fruits that are not ripe or too ripe. They need to be “just right”. This is fairly simple with strawberries and other berries, but can be a challenge with mangoes, kiwi fruit and peaches. If the fruit you have on hand doesn’t feel ripe, consider making a different flavor or wait a few days and bake a loaf of bread instead. You also should only use fruit juice that is 100% juice. Too many fruit juices have added water and sugar. This can compromise your result so stick with 100% juice. Pectin or gelatin is also important when juice is the main ingredient. Pectin or gelatin are optional with many of the recipes listed below, but it’s typically required when you’re only using juice.

Preserve Your Jam or Jelly

Without sterilizing the jar – it will last up to 4 weeks in your fridge.
There are two ways to process canned or “jarred” foods in a hot water bath. One is simply immersing the jars in boiling water for a minimum of 10 minutes. The other involves immersing the jars in boiling water in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes or more. In the vernacular of food processing this is referred to as a “hot water bath.” This assumes the jars and lids are also sterilized in boiling water.

The reason there are two processing approaches has to do with the PH of the food. Fruits, tomatoes and other acidic foods can be processed in boiling water. Alkaline foods like meats, beans or potatoes require the added heat and pressure of a pressure cooker. I’ve processed canned foods for years and could easily write an article about it to accompany the jams and jelly recipes and articles if you’d like.

Want More?

You may look at the recipes that follow and think “I’d like to make more than just a jar of jelly.” Be careful out there. Typically you don’t want to exceed 3 to 4 cups of jam or jelly at a time when you’re using a bread machine for preparation. If you want to make a lot of jelly you should probably consider some traditional, stovetop methods. However, many of the bread machine recipes for jams, jellies and preserves are so simple you could certainly make multiple batches over the course of a day. Just don’t succumb to the temptation to overfill your pan and risk a spill into your machine, or a bad burn.

Recipes:

(All recipes make about 3 to 4 cups of finished jam, jelly or preserves)

Jellies and Jams Recipes from Your Bread Machine (2024)

FAQs

How to make jams and jellies? ›

To make jelly
  1. Measure juice into a kettle.
  2. Add pectin and stir well.
  3. Place on high heat, stirring constantly. ...
  4. Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full rolling boil.
  5. Boil hard for 1 minute; remove from heat; skim off foam quickly.
  6. Follow standard canning and processing directions.

Why do you put butter in a bread machine? ›

It makes bread soft, and it gives it a wonderful flavour and aroma. The mouthfeel of bread made with butter is smooth and pleasant.

What can I put jelly on besides bread? ›

10 Uses for Jams and Jellies
  1. Yogurt. Stir jams and jellies into plain yogurt to create a delicious and easy dessert. ...
  2. Salad Dressings. Sometimes you might add a little sugar or honey to a salad dressing for sweetness. ...
  3. Grilled Cheese. ...
  4. Barbecue. ...
  5. Cocktails. ...
  6. Pancakes. ...
  7. Oatmeal. ...
  8. Biscuits.

What raw materials are used to make jams and jellies? ›

Jams and jellies are spreads typically made from fruit, sugar, and pectin. Jelly is made with the juice of the fruit while jam uses the meat of the fruit as well. Jams and jellies are prepared to preserve fruits by using sugar and pectin either added from outside or which is with the fruits.

What are the 4 main ingredients in making jam jellies? ›

Ingredients. Substances essential for fruit jelly making are fruit flavor, pectin, sugar, acid and water. A pectin gel or jelly forms when a suitable concentration of pectin, sugar, acid, and water is achieved.

What are the 3 main ingredients in jam and jelly? ›

Ingredients in Jellied Products
  • Acid/Fruit: The fruit gives each spread its unique flavor and color. ...
  • Pectin: Jams, jellies, and preserves get their smooth, semisolid consistency from pectin. ...
  • Sugar: Sugar serves as a preserving agent, contributes flavor, and aids in gelling.

What does adding an egg to bread dough do? ›

besides the nutritional benefits there are a few other good reasons to use egg in breadmaking. It makes the bread lighter and fluffier. The reason for that is the fat in the yolk that inhibits gluten formation just as any other fat would. This results in a looser dough that can expand and puff up more.

What is the best oil to use in a bread maker? ›

Canola Oil. One of the major reasons canola oil is so popular in baking and cooking is its neutral flavor. This helps bring out the original flavors of the baked goods and prevents the oil from affecting the taste negatively.

Should I use melted butter in bread machine? ›

Melted butter would need to be added to the dough along with water at the beginning of the dough mix, and could result in an unnecessarily sticky or greasy dough (especially if the dough also contains other fat like milk and egg).

What is the difference between jam and jelly on bread? ›

The main difference between jam and jelly is that jam is made with fruit whereas jelly is made with fruit juice. As a result, jam and jelly have different characteristics: Texture: jam has a semi-firm consistency, and the cooked-down fruit lends it a chunkier texture.

What kind of bread goes with jam? ›

Bread. Let's start with the most obvious choice and certainly one of the favorites: jam on bread. Literally, any kind of bread becomes delicious with a touch of jam. Make your jam sandwich with white bread but also try challah or French brioche.

Is jelly better with or without pectin? ›

The use of commercial pectin simplifies the process, but jelly made without added pectin contains less sugar and tastes fruitier. Follow the manufacturer's directions for using commercial pectin and do not interchange liquid and powdered pectins. Acid: The proper level of acid is critical to gel formation.

What is the difference between jam and preserves and jelly? ›

Jelly: Jelly is made with strained fruit juice. There are no pieces of fruit in jelly. Jam: Jam is made with mashed fruit. Preserves: Preserves have whole fruit or large pieces of fruit.

What are the problems with making jelly? ›

Jam and Jelly Problems and Solutions
CAUSEPREVENTION
Insufficient acidLemon juice may need to be added
Making too large of a batchMake only one recipe at a time
Moving finished jars too soonAllow finished jars to sit at least 12 hours
Insufficient time before usingSome fruits take up to 2 weeks to set completely
4 more rows
Jul 17, 2023

What is used to thicken jams and jellies? ›

Commercial pectin helps thicken jam made with low-pectin fruits, like blackberry jam, or vegetable jelly recipes, like pepper jelly. It comes in powder or liquid form, but the former is the most common. Add powdered pectin to the fruit juice, chopped fruit, or strained purée before heating the jam mixture.

How to make your own jam preserves? ›

To make the jam:
  1. Add 2 cups of prepared fruit to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the sugar and mix well.
  3. Let the mixture stand for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Dissolve powdered pectin in 1 cup cold water in a saucepan.
  5. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.
  6. Add pectin solution to the fruit and sugar mixture.

What is the secret to making jam? ›

Use fresh, dry, slightly under-ripe fruit. Strawberries and raspberries are best layered with the sugar and left for a couple of hours before cooking. Plums, currants, gooseberries, cherries etc need to be lightly poached before sugar is added. Pectin, naturally found in fruit is vital to make your jam set.

How do you make jar jam at home? ›

5 Steps to Easy Canning and Preserving Fruit
  1. Wash and cut fruit.
  2. Sanitize jars (leave lids face up on a clean surface).
  3. Cook fruit until it sets.
  4. Fill warm jars with hot jam.
  5. Close the jars and process them in a water bath.
Mar 29, 2016

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