Kenwood Breadmaker questions tips etc

schrodie

nykied wrote: »

I'm still saving up for my BM, but I browsed through the reviews for the BM450 on Amazon yesterday and they shocked me. Half were saying that it is an excellent machine but the other half were saying it was total rubbish and warning people against buying it.

What say you Kenwood-lovers?

I've had mine now for a few weeks and it's great, simplicity itself. I would like though to learn how to program in my own recipes, I can't work that bit out also find a recipe for ciabatta bread that will work in it so if anyone has a recipe for ciabatta bread for a Kenwood BM450 I'd be very grateful

cooking-mama

nykied wrote: »

I'm still saving up for my BM, but I browsed through the reviews for the BM450 on Amazon yesterday and they shocked me. Half were saying that it is an excellent machine but the other half were saying it was total rubbish and warning people against buying it.

What say you Kenwood-lovers?

Maybe the ones saying it was rubbish were using poor quality ingredients,or not following the instructions properly..I have read of people complaining it is difficult to understand because it uses symbols...but i think its simplicity itself,and makes a lovely loaf in under 3hrs....very stylish to look at too.
I had a trail of a panasonic last year,but for me the Kenwood beats it hands down in looks,loaf size,and time wise(the programable timer is also easier to calculate than most other BM's)

skyelark

nykied wrote: »

I'm still saving up for my BM, but I browsed through the reviews for the BM450 on Amazon yesterday and they shocked me. Half were saying that it is an excellent machine but the other half were saying it was total rubbish and warning people against buying it.

What say you Kenwood-lovers?

cooking-mama wrote: »

Maybe the ones saying it was rubbish were using poor quality ingredients,or not following the instructions properly..I have read of people complaining it is difficult to understand because it uses symbols...but i think its simplicity itself,and makes a lovely loaf in under 3hrs....very stylish to look at too.
I had a trail of a panasonic last year,but for me the Kenwood beats it hands down in looks,loaf size,and time wise(the programable timer is also easier to calculate than most other BM's)

I can't imagine why that would be, nykied. Perhaps, as cooking mama has suggested, people don't use it with any real effort and then blame the machine for terrible results. I am really gald I picked mine! I love it!:D Loving the french bread prog 5 still!:)

schrodie

With respect to the Kenwood BM450 breadmaker I've read and re-read the instruction booklet that came with it but cannot find any reference to the 'Program Button 19' on the control panel. Does anyone know what this does and how to use it?

Thanks

Swan_2

schrodie wrote: »

With respect to the Kenwood BM450 breadmaker I've read and re-read the instruction booklet that came with it but cannot find any reference to the 'Program Button 19' on the control panel. Does anyone know what this does and how to use it?

Thanks

it's mentioned on page 8 of the manual, in step 3 of the Favourite Program instructions
it's part of the process of setting up custom programmes

the manual is one most confusing & poorly set out I've ever come across, particularly considering it comes from a high profile manufacturer like Kenwood

schrodie

Nicely concealed! Not too sure if I'll use it but at least I know what it's for now.

Thanks.

schrodie

If I can ask another question and apologies if this sounds silly but I just cannot understand the meaning of it.

If I want to use a packet bread mix (the ones I have are 500g ones) the instructions for 'Programme 2' states "Ready prepared bread mixes can be mixed and baked in the bread maker. Check that the total weight of the mix doesn't exceed the maximum amount your bread maker can handle."


What the the bold & underlined part mean?

Thanks

Swan_2

schrodie wrote: »

Nicely concealed! Not too sure if I'll use it but at least I know what it's for now.

Thanks.

I know! if they'd numbered it like some of the others it would have been easier to spot
I only knew where it was because I had to do an emergency re-programme when I accidentally turned the machine of with a batch of dough in it

schrodie wrote: »

If I can ask another question and apologies if this sounds silly but I just cannot understand the meaning of it.

If I want to use a packet bread mix (the ones I have are 500g ones) the instructions for 'Programme 2' states "Ready prepared bread mixes can be mixed and baked in the bread maker. Check that the total weight of the mix doesn't exceed the maximum amount your bread maker can handle."


What the the bold & underlined part mean?

Thanks

it's not silly, this is the Kenwood manual we're talking about


I've looked, & can't see a specific maximum quantity mentioned (doesn't mean it's not there though!)

so I'm guessing it means don't put in ingredients that would total more than those needed for the 1Kg loaf
ie ... total 600g flour + liquid + any extras

so your 500g mixes should be fine

schrodie

May I ask a question regarding ready made bread mixes?

I've got a 'Wright's Garlic & Rosemary Focaccia' Bread Mix where you just add water and olive oil.


With regard to the olive oil it says use half of olive oil at the beginning then "Use the balance of the olive oil when the dough is half risen in the final stage. Dimple the dough 2cm(3/4") deep with the handle of a wooden spoon, then pour the olive oil over the top of the dough"

My question is from experience if I open the lid it does something to the timer and it reverts to the beginning of the baking cycle so how do I add the remaining quantity of olive oil if I cannot open the lid or is this particular bread mix unsuitable for this type of breadmaker?

Thanks

Swan_2

schrodie wrote: »

May I ask a question regarding ready made bread mixes?

I've got a 'Wright's Garlic & Rosemary Focaccia' Bread Mix where you just add water and olive oil.


With regard to the olive oil it says use half of olive oil at the beginning then "Use the balance of the olive oil when the dough is half risen in the final stage. Dimple the dough 2cm(3/4") deep with the handle of a wooden spoon, then pour the olive oil over the top of the dough"

My question is from experience if I open the lid it does something to the timer and it reverts to the beginning of the baking cycle so how do I add the remaining quantity of olive oil if I cannot open the lid or is this particular bread mix unsuitable for this type of breadmaker?

Thanks

hi schrodie,
that's a very interesting question & it raises a few issues

1) I've never had the cycle reset by opening the lid, & I do open it, but it's usually during the initial kneading to check the dough's texture is ok
so there's probably a 'point of no return' that I've not come across yet myself

2) do the bread mixes have specific BM instructions that are different from handmade?*
I make Focaccia, but only by hand, I can't see how it would work properly in the BM (same with Ciabatta) you won't get the correct shape or crumb to crust ratio ... but that's just my preference/opinion
the text you've bolded (is that word? ) is what I do with mine, except I use my fingertips to poke it, but that woudn't be very practical in a BM

3) supposing you're going ahead with the Focaccia in the BM, I wonder if it would be possible to make a custom programme to finish baking the loaf? :think:


I think I've raised more questions than I've answered, but there might be someone else who has experience of using those mixes who can help



*OK, I've just had a look on the Wright's site, & from what I can see, I think this mix is not suited to BMs & should at least be finished by hand, but I'll be happy to be corrected :A


PS ... that mix sounds lovely :drool: & if you're going to oven bake it, I can give you a simple tip to get a great finish on your crust




EDIT ... I found this on the Wright's site, the mystery deepens ... not a lot of help sorry

'Will Wright's bread & cake mixes work in my bread making machine? Yes - except Scofa soda bread and Naan bread mix - all our bread and cake mixes work wonderfully in bread making machines. Use the whole 500g pack in your 2lb bread making machine - except Ciabatta - use only half a pack. Select a programme of no more than 3 hours.'