bread query

Mrs_A.

Hello to all,
just joined so be gentle with me.
i recently bought a cookworks breadmaker, however, every loaf i have tried seems to over rise then shrink, help!!!!!!!!
sorry if this is in the wrong place
regards
Mrs A.

squeaky

It's usually a sign of too much yeast.

Are you using fresh yeast or the dried packet yeast?

Mrs_A.

dried packet yeast

comping_cat

In my BM, i always use dried yeast, and use a little less than the recipe says (they say 1 1/4, i use 1) and my bread always rises fine, i used to have the same problem as you, the top would rise, then collapse and i would have a funny, flappy crust!!!!! I havnt had that for a long time now. HTH
Catherine x

squeaky

Hm... it's difficult then to tell, really. Sorry to ask what might be silly questions but I can't see what you're doing...

..are you following the recipe exactly?

..not getting mixed up between teaspoons (tsp) and Tablespoons (tbsp)?

..have the right program selected for the right mix of ingredients?

..does the yeast PACKET say "suitable for breadmaking machines"

..is your kitchen (or the place the BM is in) quite warm?


Hm... we'll get there...

Mrs_A.

following recipe exactly
not mixing my spoonsizes up
3 hour programme for basic white bread
yes yeast is suitable
yeah kitchen is quite warm
thanks

Queenie

Couple of thoughts ...

The quantity of the dough is too big for the machine
Too much yeast (are you using the measuring spoons/cups that came with your machine and leveling the top?)
The mix may be too moist - different flours have different absorbsion rates, you may need to tweak the liquid level a bit - try reducing by 1/2 teasp
Are you using a salt substitute? Did you remember to add the salt?
Are all your ingredients room temp. before you add them? (Apart from the water, which needs to be tepid).
Is the machine in a draft?

Any of the above could be reasons as to why the loaf rose well but then collapsed.

Queenie

Mrs A. I forgot to say ...

... don't despair and don't give up. You'll soon be knocking out batches of bread worthy of selling!!!

Each make of machine is different; brands (even batches) of flour can have slight differences. You'll soon get to know *your* machine - where to site it to get the best performance (not to hot, not too cold, not drafty) and any little tweaks you may (or may not) need to do with a recipe to get the results you hope for.

Persevere - it's well worth it.

Best of luck with the next attempt.

[Deleted User]

Are you using the gadgets supplied with the machine to measure water and yeast? My husband used a pyrex jug the other day to measure the water and the results were interesting. I don't think he'll forget to use the correct plastic measuring jug and spoons that came with the machine after that!

Might also be worth checking out your weighing scales. Afterall it is accuracy that is called for with a bread machine. See if you can borrow some digital scales, if you haven't got any.

Also experiment with different bread flours to find one you like.

squeaky

Mrs_A. wrote:

following recipe exactly
not mixing my spoonsizes up
3 hour programme for basic white bread
yes yeast is suitable
yeah kitchen is quite warm
thanks

Well... if the kitchen is quite warm the bread will rise faster than perhaps it should.

Otherwise I can only suggest reducing the amount of the yeast you are using and see how it goes.

It's often difficult to pin down quite why a loaf fails, especially from long distance, sorry

Queenie

squeaky wrote:

...

It's often difficult to pin down quite why a loaf fails, especially from long distance, sorry

That's very true!! :rotfl:

Another thought - (ok, I know this may be obvious) - but which recipe are you following, is it the recipe which came with your particular brand of machine, or are you trying out one from another source?
If it's the recipe which came with your machine, are you using their recommended flours/yeast which they tested their recipes on?