Calling all breadmaker pro's!

Curry_Queen

paul_h wrote:

Adding more salt will also affect the action of the yeast - the more salt you add, the less it will rise.

This could well explain why my last few loaves have been much better than usual, even out of the Panasonic BM!!!

I'd noticed several people mention they reduced the salt in their recipes so I did the same, cutting it by around half - a loaf using 500g flour usually asks for 1.5 tsp salt so I put just under a tsp in - and the results have been fantastic! I hadn't realised until reading your post though that this was the reason why LOL! :doh:

The yeast I use is Dove's Farm Quick Yeast in the orange pack, and it says to keep it in the fridge making sure the pack is airtight, if that helps anyone. It should last for up to 3 mths like that.

jellyhead80

Wow Thanks to everybody who has posted. The recipes and tips are well worth trying, and it may rescue the breadmaker from a life in the garage!!
The breadmaker i have is a 'Prima' one, i don't think it is top of the range but it's not a 'budget' one. I remember it being quite expensive. And the recipe book must be way off as the recipes for a plain loaf on here are somewhat massively different! in my recipe it calls for about 500ml of water and almost a Kilo of flour for a 3lb loaf, to me when i was making it this seemed a bit too much and in comparrison to some of the recipes posted on here this may be why my bread is so heavy!
Another tip i cant wait to try is the vitamin C, i remeber we used to add this to the bread we made at school. This may also help my breads weight problem! Although the bread seems to double in size during the rising stage the inside of the bread never looks nice and airy, its always like a brick!:)
So thanks again for everybodies post, trying out all these i'll hopefully be eating nice homemade bread for the next week non-stop!! Anymore tips very welcome.

Jelly x

cheaptokeep

I use Allinson easy yeast in a 125g bag thing. I keep it in the fridge and it lasts me a few months using the BM 2-4 times a week. V economical, about half the price of the sachets. It has always made lovely light bread.

I do freeze my bread occasionally. I slice it first and freeze it and then use it for toast. It is a little drier than fresh but still tastes much better than shop bought.

frosty

I always use Doves farm quick yeast from lakeland, £1.00 for 125g its a lot cheaper than the sachets .when I measure the flour into the measuring cup I use a spoon ,I used to scoop the flour into the cup out of the bag but my bread never seemed to turn out right.........................thanks curry queen I didnt read the back of the packet of yeast,so mine has been kept in the cupboard, I will go and put it in the fridge.

MATH

I always keep a plain loaf (unsliced), a fruited loaf and a garlic 'n' herb loaf in the freezer on standby so that we never have to resort to the dreaded shop bought muck which my kidz won't eat now anyway!
I use Tesco or Hovis yeast sachets depending which is on special offer. I think they cost between 50 - 60p a box and I can make 16 loaves out of that.
I use regular plain flour omit all milk powder from the recipes because I find it makes the bread a bit cakey and have drastically cut the sugar from 2tbsp (I'm sure my bread book must have printed that wrong) down to 1 tsp and the salt from 1 1/2 tsp to just under 1 tsp since reducing the salt I have also been able to drop 1/2 tsp of yeast too.
If you are not getting decent bread using the machine manual I would recomend using a recipe from a bread machine book or from this thread. My machine manual recipes are way to heavy handed on salt, sugar, and yeast and the bread is horrid but using a bread machine book I make all kinds of stuff including croissants, naans, pittas and rolls.

frugalfairy_3

I use the Dove Farm yeast too and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, my latest pack has lasted about a month with no problems with the bread rising etc.

I have a fairly ancient Russell Hobbs Classic breadmaker which since starting to read this board, I have started to use almost every day. My OH is a fusspot though and doesn't like the shape of the bread :rolleyes: so at the moment I'm just making the dough in the BM and then shaping and baking it in the oven. I did lose the original cup to measure out of the ingredients though and have now worked out, through trial and error, that 500g flour (half white, half wholemeal if I want a wholemeal loaf), 1tsp sugar (brown or white depending on the colour of the loaf); 1tsp salt, a sloosh of oil and 1tsp yeast together with 350ml water works perfectly for me. That makes a loaf in a 2lb loaf tin (sorry about mixing my measurements!) which I bake for 35 mins in a hot oven. When it's really cold, I slice it thinly and freeze it as we don't eat bread every day (or at least I would but I'm supposed to be dieting...)

paul_h

MATH wrote:

omit all milk powder from the recipes because I find it makes the bread a bit cakey and have drastically cut the sugar from 2tbsp (I'm sure my bread book must have printed that wrong) down to 1 tsp and the salt from 1 1/2 tsp to just under 1 tsp since reducing the salt I have also been able to drop 1/2 tsp of yeast too.

I think it's too much sugar which make bread taste cakey... some of the milk loaves taste great, and with no hint of cakeyness (is that a word, or did I just make it up?)

MATH

Who has the oldest breadmaker? Bread machines I mean. Please don't nominate wives, husbands, co-habiters:p Mine is a five year old Mellerware.

Curry_Queen

Not sure how old my Breville one is as I bought it second hand on Ebay about a year or so ago. I should really get it stuck back on Ebay and sell it, along with the other piles of stuff I've been meaning to sell. Will get a round tuit one day I s'pose

apprentice_tycoon

paul_h wrote:

I think it's too much sugar which make bread taste cakey... some of the milk loaves taste great, and with no hint of cakeyness (is that a word, or did I just make it up?)

I think that these sugary loaves are designed for the American user, any traditional UK recipe has a little sugar but not spoonfuls like the recipes I've seen quoted here