How I fell in love with bread machine loaves again

I've used only my bread machine's dough cycle for about 6 years. It's an original model (donated when Willie and Julie transferred to Denmark in '97) and the bread was great but I didn't care for the vertical shape with a hole in the bottom and a bulb on top.
I use a baking sheet or a restaurant supply loaf pan. Boy, I defy you to burn bread in one of those things. I've slept an hour past "done time" and the top was really brown but the insides were perfect. Guess it's because the sides and bottom are two layers with air(?) in between.

There honestly have been a few times - with overnight guests and all - that I've used the delay timer so fresh bread is ready at 7am without waking the entire house. A couple of weeks ago I was so busy I didn't want the distraction of setting an alarm to take the dough out before the second rising, form it, and set another alarm for when it was baked. So I went full force with the machine.

It smelled so good the last half hour of cooking that I took butter out to be ready when it was. This looks a little under-done but it wasn't when cooled and sure was good slathered in butter.

The big discovery was when I split the bread in half vertically (I did start letting it sit a half hour before this step). I had two loaves, the bottom hole/slash was not so much a problem, and they were the perfect size for a half sandwich for lunch. Add the fact I pour in all ingredients then Set It And Forget It and it's how I've baked my bread the last two weeks. This will probably change when daily temps get down in the 30s... or maybe not.