Breadmakers???

shown73

People on this forum have said that the fastbake isn't all that good, that the time element is important. Makes sense really, the mixture has to rise, etc. We have a compact MR, and it's great for us two, just needs a wee bit of tweaking the quantities, but we've never had a bad one. We always use half the recommended sugar, and less salt, otherwise can taste like cake, but its all down to personal preference.

bloomoonlight

Hope to hear from you about how useful the BM was.

Penelope_Penguin

Curv wrote: »

I've got the Panasonic too and I can also vouch for the cinnammon and raisin bread. I sometimes make it with orange juice instead of water - it's just like Warburtons orange and fruit loaf. Yum.

This mix is now in my BM overnight. Looking forward to orange raisin bread for breakfast.

Penny. x

skinnygirlnot

Hello, I've also got the Panasonic but my recipe book doesn't have the cinnamon and raisin bread. Can you post the recipe please.

angela6834

Well I put my first loaf on the timer overnight.....I was a bit dubious about not staying with it the first time i used it but by the time I'd got started last night I would have been sat up too late....

anyway....I woke up this morning and the house smelt lovely.....had about 5 mins to wait till it was finished....I was soooo excited.

When it was ready I was really pleased. A perfect loaf...It really looked as tho I'd bought it.

Let it cool for 5 mins and then cut into it....it was lovely and crusty on the outside and soft on the inside....and the best bit.....it tasted delicious!!!

Think I'm a convert now!!!!!! I'm so pleased with myself....

squeaky

skinnygirlnot wrote: »

Hello, I've also got the Panasonic but my recipe book doesn't have the cinnamon and raisin bread. Can you post the recipe please.

It's normally just a basic white loaf mix.

Add:-

3 teaspoons of cinnamon with the dry ingredients


Add:-

2 to 3 oz (50 to 75g) sultans (or raisins) at the beep.


Personally I think sultanas work much better

squeaky

marybishop wrote: »

Hi Curv - Racking my brains now to remember, think it's the MR Fastbake. I know it is a shame but it's so disheartening when the loaf is looking really lovely until right near the end and then at the last minute it ends up with a big dip in the top. What with that and the hole from the paddle on the bottom, I just found it soooo frustrating! And I was doing the recipes to the letter, just started tweaking them according to the tips in the recipe book for when things go wrong. I got so confused with what I had and hadn't done I just gave up. Plus I now have much more space on my worktop again!! But thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

My fastbake is brilliant. I haven't had a failure yet - though I have had a loaf or two sink at the top.

The cause for that is normally too high a water to flour ratio - so a touch less water or a touch more flour will easily sort that out for a next loaf.


An alternative is to just use the BM on a dough setting and then make bread rolls (which only need fifteen minutes in the oven) and can be varied quite a lot.


The problem with BM's is that they work on a time based program - and any variations in any of the ingredients will throw the timing out of whack and so give you a loaf that ain't quite perfect Even being meticulous on measuring will get you slightly different results with a different flour or a different yeast. It just takes a bit of time and patience to get the hang of things and then you'll never look back. (Only change one thing at a time, instead of several, so that you can see what difference it makes). And, as I say, making bread rolls is an easy winner. The advice above about checking the dough when it is well into its first kneading stage is good too. It should only need doing once and it's surprising how much difference a single spoonfull of water or flour can make.

If you do still get failures - no need to bin them. Unless they are like rocks they'll still taste nice; otherwise they'll work perfectly well in a bread pudding or can be used to make a batch of breadcrumbs.

Clutterfree

I have been tempted to buy a breadmaker in the past but the thing that puts me off is the paddle!
Doesn't it leave a great hole in the middle of the loaf where the paddle was? I always think that renders quite a large proportion of the loaf useless for sandwiches, etc.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

nell2

The MR Fastbake has a drop down paddle (which works well most of the time) to minimise the hole. In any case, the shape of the loaf is such that it's only at one end, so almost all is usable for slicing and sarnies. I often use the end where the blade was to make bread crumbs!

angela6834

Mine did have a hole in one side.....( once I'd turned it on its side!!) but it was not very big.....after reading about BM's with drop down paddles, the holes they leave etc....I was unsure of what to expect.....but it really was not very big!!

I really would recommend buying one if anyone is unsure....im hardly a domestic goddess but I certinally felt like one this morning with my freshly baked bread on the go!!!!