PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.

Stodgy HM Bread Why??

bootman
bootman Posts: 1,985 Forumite
I've been Money Tipped!
in Old style MoneySaving
Why is my home made bread alway too stodgy?

I use 500g flour
1 sachet yeast
2 tsp of sugar and salt
1tablespoon olive oil
300ml water

I make it in my food mixer and the textute before it cooks looks great and even when cooked looks great. But it is alway too doughy in the middle even the next day.

Please tell me what I am doing wrong :confused:

Comments

  • squeaky
    squeaky Posts: 14,129 Forumite
    First Post Combo Breaker
    Not enough sugar to feed the yeast...? My recipe has two tablespoons for sugar.

    Not enough proving time before baking...? The bread normally needs to double in size. Did you knock it back and let it rise a second time?

    Too much liquid, maybe reduce to 260mil...?

    There are loads of possible reasons. In our main breadmaking index there are a number of troubleshooting posts you could browse - plus a number of threads...


    The Complete Breadmaking Collection
    Hi, I'm a Board Guide on the Old Style and the Consumer Rights boards which means I'm a volunteer to help the boards run smoothly and can move and merge posts there. Board guides are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an inappropriate or illegal post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. It is not part of my role to deal with reportable posts. Any views are mine and are not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
    Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.
    DTFAC: Y.T.D = £5.20 Apr £0.50
  • jenniferpa
    jenniferpa Posts: 1,036 Forumite
    What kind of flour are you using? Also how large are your loaves? Insufficient gluten or too large loaves can cause this sort of problem.

    Jennifer
  • comping_cat
    comping_cat Posts: 24,006 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker Mortgage-free Glee!
    That seems a lot of yeast, i use a bread machine, but i only have to use a whole sachet of yeast if im using the 'fastbake' facility, and although it only takes an hour, and it still tastes lovely, it does come out very stodgy, which i put down to the extra yeast!!! If i cook the bread on the normal function, its a lot less yeast (1 1/2 teaspoons) and a lot lighter loaf.
  • culpepper
    culpepper Posts: 4,076 Forumite
    yes I think too much yeast.Mine uses 1 and 1/3 teaspoons of yeast.I measure my flour in a jug and put in 900ml worth .300ml of luke warm water and 1 teasp of salt,1 teasp of sugar.I dont put any oil in. You can add 1 tablespoon of dried milk powder to give it a slightly more cake like texture but I dont bother.
  • Prudent
    Prudent Posts: 11,448 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    bootman wrote:
    Why is my home made bread alway too stodgy?

    I use 500g flour
    1 sachet yeast
    2 tsp of sugar and salt
    1tablespoon olive oil
    300ml water

    I make it in my food mixer and the textute before it cooks looks great and even when cooked looks great. But it is alway too doughy in the middle even the next day.

    Please tell me what I am doing wrong :confused:

    I used to use the same recipe in my mixer and it always came out stodgy. I would suggest you use another recipe. I now have a bread maker and the bread turns out fine.
    Frugal Living Challenge 2024 CROFT Crafting: £80/300, R (visiting daughter): £145/£500 Outside activities: £103/244 (Allotment), Outside 2 (Mud monsters et al) £127 F(Family visits): £50/500 Tummy (food budget): Aiming to use full budget monthly of £200
  • rosy
    rosy Posts: 642 Forumite
    I knead mine by hand and I often used to get stodgy bread too. However, I tried making a loaf using sparkling mineral water ( warmed up a bit ) instead of tap water - I can't remember where I got the recipe from but it worked really well. It makes a lighter, more open textured bread and I haven't had a stodgy loaf since.
  • montycarlo2
    montycarlo2 Posts: 2 Newbie
    I also think it is too much liquid - you need to reduce the amount of water to allow for oil (about 285 ml water, but try experimenting).

    Another problem might be too much salt - salt regulates the action of the yeast as well as adding flavour, and too much salt can actually kill the yeast altogether. I would suggest about 1.25 to 1.5 tsp salt is ok.

    Rosy: I'm going to try the sparkling water anyway though!
  • Bexstars
    Bexstars Posts: 365 Forumite
    I use the same recipie for bread using my bm but I use a tbsp of butter rather than oil and just 1 tbsp of sugar and salt. The bread has so far always come out perfect
  • dannahaz
    dannahaz Posts: 1,068 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    I think it is too much yeast to start with. Yeast sachets usually contain about 7g, and you only need about 5g for 500g of flour.

    I would use:
    500g strong flour
    1 teaspoon yeat
    1.5 teaspoon salt
    1 tablespoon sugar
    1.5 tablespoons milk powder
    1 oz (25-30g) butter
    325ml water
  • Addiscomber
    Addiscomber Posts: 1,004 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Do you tap it on the base to see if it is cooked? If so, does it sound hollow?
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.1K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173K Life & Family
  • 247.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards