Bread Maker problems

[Farmer Jon]

So I got this bread maker from my brother. Hes moving and they dont use it.

I follow the directions to the letter. I do have to add a little bit of water during the kneading process. As it says I may need to.

The loaves come out short and rock hard. I use that exact same flour and yeast that I use when I bake bread in the oven and that comes out fine. If anything it raises too much and ends up like a mushroom in the bread pan.

The only thing I can think of is I keep my flour (sams club brand) in the freezer. Does it matter that the flour is so cold? I cant figure out what Im doing wrong.

 

[Mad Cook]

So I got this bread maker from my brother. Hes moving and they dont use it.

I follow the directions to the letter. I do have to add a little bit of water during the kneading process. As it says I may need to.

The loaves come out short and rock hard. I use that exact same flour and yeast that I use when I bake bread in the oven and that comes out fine. If anything it raises too much and ends up like a mushroom in the bread pan.

The only thing I can think of is I keep my flour (sams club brand) in the freezer. Does it matter that the flour is so cold? I cant figure out what Im doing wrong.

Bread makers are the invention of the devil. Mine went to the charity shop! I've been making bread by hand since I was a bored 15 year old and experimented with Mother's cookery book during the school holidays. A few years back I thought I'd treat myself to a bread maker - Consistent results - consistently dire - made better house bricks than loaves. WHAT a waste of money!

As for very cold flour, I think it would only slow down the rise if the flour came straight from the freezer. Some books suggest warming flour in a low oven when you've weighed it out into your bowl but I don't usually bother unless it's very cold in the kitchen.

 

[GotGarlic]

I love my bread machine. However, I just use it to make the dough and then bake in the oven.

Since the bread machine does everything on a specific time cycle, and your flour is from the freezer, it's possible that it's beginning to bake before the dough is fully risen. I would try either warming the flour first or just using the dough program so you can judge when it's ready to bake and then putting it in the oven.

 

[Katie H]

I don't know if the cold flour would make such a marked difference in your results. By the time you've measured it and added it to the machine, I would guess it would warm up adequately.

I've had my bread machine since 1999 and I've never used it through a full cycle. As someone else already mentioned, I use it strictly for the kneading feature and the first rise process.

I am plagued with horrible arthritis in both my hands (have for years) and let the machine do the "heavy lifting" part of bread making.

To further explain, for nearly all of my life I've made ALL of our bread products, so I have done my share of kneading the old-fashioned way.

Plus, I much prefer the traditional shape one gets with a hand-formed loaf than the ones the machines produce that come with a belly button created by the kneading paddle.

 

[medtran49]

Check your yeast too to make sure it isn't expired and/or just dead. Waste a packet or a couple of teaspoons by putting it in some warm water with a pinch of sugar to see if it blooms. I've been using the yeast in a jar that you keep in the fridge after opening and it does take a bit longer to bloom than that kept at room temp.

I do keep some flours (those I don't use as often) in the freezer but I do let them warm up before using. Just measure or weigh out what you are using and put the rest back into the freezer immediately.

When our last bread machine died, we never replaced it. I had always used it pretty much just to mix and knead like a couple of others. The Kitchen Aid does a perfectly fine job of doing that now if I don't feel like doing it myself.

 

[medtran49]

Oh, make sure the water/liquid you use isn't too hot as well. It will kill the yeast if it is.

You didn't say. Are you using the time feature for the bread or starting it immediately after putting in the ingredients?

 

[Farmer Jon]

Well the yeast is a couple years old. I will will try warming the flour a little. If it don't work then big deal I'm not out much.

 

[jennyema]

Your yeast is probably dead...

Have you tried the NYT no knead bread recipe?

 

[Mad Cook]

I don't know if the cold flour would make such a marked difference in your results. By the time you've measured it and added it to the machine, I would guess it would warm up adequately.

I've had my bread machine since 1999 and I've never used it through a full cycle. As someone else already mentioned, I use it strictly for the kneading feature and the first rise process.

I am plagued with horrible arthritis in both my hands (have for years) and let the machine do the "heavy lifting" part of bread making.

To further explain, for nearly all of my life I've made ALL of our bread products, so I have done my share of kneading the old-fashioned way.

Plus, I much prefer the traditional shape one gets with a hand-formed loaf than the ones the machines produce that come with a belly button created by the kneading paddle.

I have a large food processor which will take abought a pound and a half of flour when making bread and a large stand mixer similar to a Kitchenaid which takes more flour. I find both are excellent and quick at kneading.

When I was teaching I used to turn to breadmaking as a stress-buster. All that kneading by hand sure cleared a lot of the agression in my soul!

 

[Farmer Jon]

I got new yeast and let the flour sit to room temperature. came out near perfect. its still no substitute for regular home made bread.

 

[medtran49]

Glad you got things working right. What recipe are you using? I have a recipe from the book that came with my long gone bread machine that uses powdered milk (due to time baking) that makes a country white loaf that's very similar to the mountain bread that Publix makes, not sure if you have Publix in your part of the country. It's got a bit more body and flavor than just the regular white bread recipe in the bread maker book.

 

[Farmer Jon]

Im jsut using the regular white bread recipi that came with it. Im going to try some wheat. I played with it a couple times. I need to make more. Once I got it figured out it does a nice job.