Bread Maker Jam

Did you know that a lot of bread makers have a jam setting?  No, really, they do.  And guess what?  It's amazing and awesome and oh so easy.  I've made two batches of jam in my bread maker now, and both times it turned out fantastic, with hardly any work on my part at all.

Bread Maker Berry Jam

• 3 c. strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc. (can use a single type of berry or a mixture)
• 1 c. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 pkg. (2 oz.) powdered fruit pectin 

1. Remove stems and crush berries. (I just use my handy dandy Magic Bullet to blend the berries.  However, if you like chunkier jam, you may want to crush the berries by hand.)
2. Place berries, sugar, lemon juice, and pectin in bread maker baking pan.  Stir to mix.
3. Insert baking pan into bread maker and close the lid.
4. Select the JAM setting and push START.
5. Once the cycle is complete, use hot pads to remove the pan from the unit.
6. Pour mixture into a refrigerator or freezer container or a canning jar.  Leave a 1/2 in. head space.
7. If canning, boil jars for 10 min. or pressure can for 5 min.  Allow to cool and tighten lids.

 And you're done!  Delicious homemade jam with hardly any effort and all the rewards. :)

Just a note: For my first batch of jam I used the Real Lemon lemon juice and 3 Tbsp. was the right amount.  However, for the second batch I used the Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Juice that is not from concentrate, and 3 Tbsp. of this was a little over kill.  My jam actually tastes more like strawberry lemonade jam, which is still delicious, but not quite what I was expecting.  I think that 1 1/2 Tbsp. probably would have been the perfect amount for this type of lemon juice.