Bread gone wrong :(

Psykicpup

I would go with the flour explaination myself - I had this problem using 'cheap' bread flour or mixes but now I have some 'better/dearer' flour I'm getting bigger lovely even loaves from my BM - mind you I use slightly more water than they recommend to so that might be a factor...
Maybe try slightly more water & if no difference try changing flour again

Gingernutmeg

I used to work as a baker and it's amazing how different the flour blends can be - even different batches of the same brand can act in totally different ways. To me this does sound like a flour issue ... uneven rising is often linked to a lack of gluten in the flour. Like other people have suggested, I'd try some different flour and see what happens. It might also be worth getting some new yeast, and just measuring really accurately for a while.

kethry

Gingernutmeg wrote:

I used to work as a baker and it's amazing how different the flour blends can be - even different batches of the same brand can act in totally different ways.

i'd totally agree with this.. i make bread every other day or so (sometimes more, if i have visitors who take bread away with them lol), and i really notice the difference between brands of flour and even the times of year.. on average, i need 18 fl oz of water for the flour, but it can be a couple of fl oz less, it can be as much as 4 or 6 fl oz more.. At the moment 18 fl oz seems to be too much - i'm having to put quite a lot more flour into the bowl as the dough is too sticky.

I use bread flour from lidl, tescos, asda - anywhere i can find them - a combination of white strong bread flour and stoneground brown bread flour, and i also chuck in extra bran (from Holland and Barratts) and a selection of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy and linseed) to give a seeded loaf. I use dry yeast, add a little sugar, salt and pepper. I don't add the vit c or potato water, and i've not yet had a dough fail on me.

HTH

keth
xx

jrrowleyws

I wouldnt leave bread to rise in the fridge, yeast works best in warm damp conditions. Ive never seen anything reccomend letting dough rise in a fridge!

Gingernutmeg

jrrowleyws wrote: »

I wouldnt leave bread to rise in the fridge, yeast works best in warm damp conditions. Ive never seen anything reccomend letting dough rise in a fridge!

It's actually ok to let bread rise in the fridge - it's a common bakers technique called a 'cold rising', and it can produce very good bread because you get plenty of flavour developing with the long slow rise. The temperature of your fridge simply retards the action of the yeast and slows it down, it doesn't kill it. It can take a while for the dough to warm up again and for the yeast to start working quickly for the second rising, but it won't harm your bread at all. It's a great way of making bread if you want fresh in the morning but don't have a breadmaker

kethry

Gingernutmeg wrote: »

It's actually ok to let bread rise in the fridge - it's a common bakers technique called a 'cold rising', and it can produce very good bread because you get plenty of flavour developing with the long slow rise. The temperature of your fridge simply retards the action of the yeast and slows it down, it doesn't kill it. It can take a while for the dough to warm up again and for the yeast to start working quickly for the second rising, but it won't harm your bread at all. It's a great way of making bread if you want fresh in the morning but don't have a breadmaker

absolutely - i've seen it mentioned too (but never tried it - never needed it that urgently LOL). The place i saw it mentioned was somewhere on this wonderful site which is where i go when i need bread inspiration. LOL. Hope it helps someone!

thanks Gingernutmeg!

keth
xx

Mr_Proctalgia

Do you slash your dough before baking it (Put cuts across the top) if not it is very bad form indeed! You have to let the Yeast Faeries out - it is considered VERY bad form to bake the yeast faeries - They will leave and you will have bad bread forever.

On a serious note try changing one thing at a time, first try some new yeast to see what happens, then go back to the old yeast and change the flour, etc etc.

I don't know if its the weather but ATM I need loads less water to make a nice dough - The flour is the same stuff I have been using throughout winter.

juno

Me and my male parakeet made bread today. I'm a coeliac, although Muffin will eat anything as long as he shouldn't, so we used Glutafin bread mix.

275ml water
1 tbsp vehetable oil
350g bread mix
1.5 tsp yeast

Shove it in the breadmaker, and wait.

But it always comes out a stupid shape, where the middle has risen but the edges haven't. It's never "loaf sized". We've also tried using Dove's Farm bread mix, and that ends up the same but not as bad.



We also made jelly. Does anyone know how long that takes to set, as we forgot to read the instructions.

angelavdavis

I have used wheat free flour for some rolls for a coeliac friend. I used Dove's farm wheat free and although the texture was different - he said they were fab!

I must admit to having never had issues with bread mixes.

I have to say though, my breadmaker bakes rubbish loaves on the quickbake system so I tend to use it for dough only.

What machine do you have?

juno

It's "Team International". I can't find the model number though, and when I gooogled it I couldn't find one exactly the same as mine.

It was the normal setting which takes about 3 hours. We've tried the quick setting, which takes just over 2 hours, but that ends up actually worse.