Think the bread maker has had it GRRRR

dbt3mummy

I have a 2 year old Panasonic bread maker - I know it cost about £140 when new so not a cheap one.

The last few months the quality has been getting steadily worse of the end product when it comes to loaf making.

I normally use Carrs flour and Dove Yeast as my main ingredients. The receipe just doesn't seem to rise. I tried using some of Coop's own strong bread flour which I normally reserve for just pizza making and it was even worse.

Even after 2 years of constant bread making I do still follow the instructions so I'm not missing anything out and doing it as per manufacturers guidelines.

Is there anything else I can try or test to see if it's definitely my machine? It still gets really hot etc. Just thought that investing in a decent machine would give us a good return.

Any help gratefully received!

honeythewitch

dbt3mummy wrote: »

I have a 2 year old Panasonic bread maker - I know it cost about £140 when new so not a cheap one.

The last few months the quality has been getting steadily worse of the end product when it comes to loaf making.

I normally use Carrs flour and Dove Yeast as my main ingredients. The receipe just doesn't seem to rise. I tried using some of Coop's own strong bread flour which I normally reserve for just pizza making and it was even worse.

Even after 2 years of constant bread making I do still follow the instructions so I'm not missing anything out and doing it as per manufacturers guidelines.

Is there anything else I can try or test to see if it's definitely my machine? It still gets really hot etc. Just thought that investing in a decent machine would give us a good return.

Any help gratefully received!

Apparently the poor harvest has affected the gluten content in flour this year so if you try it with a Canadian brand (assuming their weather was ok) it will let you know if this is the problem before splashing out on a new machine.

7_week_wonder

Could it be anything to do with the colder weather? When the dough is proving I think the machine only provides a very gentle heat which might not be enough to counteract the cold temperature in the room? I know this was a problem with some sourdough bread I made in my panny a few weeks back. I ended up taking the tin out of the machine, putting it on top of the boiler to prove and then shoving it (tin and risen dough) back into the machine to bake.

JulieM

Maybe try a different brand of yeast. I have the Panasonic machine and can't get on with Doves Farm yeast. I get best results from Lidl bread flour and Hovis yeast.

msb5262

Hello OP,
I'd start by contacting Panasonic and seeing what they say...it's worth asking if they have any ideas, and I think it's not an unreasonable expectation that something at that price should last 2 years or more.
HTH
MsB

[Deleted User]

mine lasted about 4 years, then developed a terrible burning smell. like burning electrics. We didn`t trust it any more so have got rid and bought a new one which cost £104. Prior to that the bread didn`t rise as well as previously, I think the panasonic was getting too hot, even then

boultdj

Try adding warm water insead of cold, that's what was stopping mine.

dbt3mummy

Thank you for all your replies!

I've fired off an email to Panasonic and will see if they come up with anything.

It's location has recently changed to a colder room so I may bring it back into the kitchen and see if it makes a difference.

I've been going off of Carrs flour anyway so will definitely give Lidl and Aldi ago - and if it saves on the pocket then the better!!

I love having freshly made bread but right now I couldn't afford to replace my machine if it's knackered.

foxgloves

We've had a similar thing with our Panasonic. It'd turn out a decent loaf then I'd get 3 bricks in a row or if I was making dough for breadrolls, it'd not be mixed properly by the time the programme had finished. I've since been experimenting with lots of suggestions from this forum including a little more water (does make a difference, but if you put in too much, it rises loads then plummets back down again), using warm water (improvement), etc. At the mixing stage, after the programme has done the 'resting' bit, I've also been opening the lid & having a look. Turns out that with the loaves high in wholemeal (I usually make at least 50% wholemeal), the dough seemed to be too heavy to churn properly. I don't know why this would suddenly start happening after 2 or 3 years of getting good loaves, so I put a bit of boiling water on the bottom of the empty pan in case there were any bits of dried on gunge in the works preventing the paddle from turning properly. It did spin a lot better after that. When I'd find a batch of dough sitting there on top of the paddle churning insufficiently to make a decent dough, I'd add in just a tiny bit more water at a time to see if this would free everything up. I am mostly getting decent loaves again, but still wouldn't be able to say it's 100% improvement. Agree about Lidl breadflour.....whatever sort of loaf I'm making, I use at least a quarter if Lidl white breadflour & it does seem to help give a lift. Good luck with it.....agree it's really frustrating when good results have been had in the past. At least the comment about the low gluten due to poor weather would help to explain this.

honeythewitch

JulieM wrote: »

Maybe try a different brand of yeast. I have the Panasonic machine and can't get on with Doves Farm yeast. I get best results from Lidl bread flour and Hovis yeast.

Having read this, I bought some Lidl flour yesterday and i notice it has added vitamin C.

foxgloves

Oh well that's probably it then, honeywitch, as I think Vitamin C acts as a flour improver. Lidl flour generally a good price too, I don't have a local Lidl so buy it in batches of 10+ bags when I do visit.