Allotments 4 All

Brought the Panasonic SD253 breadmaker this week as recommended by several members on A4A.  The first loaf we cooked/baked was a granary loaf, but the resultant loaf was a bit ' rubbery '. The ingredients were slightly passed their use by date, so I have redone it with all fresh bits. The result was pretty much the same, so does anyone have any ideas on how to make it a bit less rubbery, a more ' fluffier' loaf?

What kind of flours are you using? and is the yeast well within it's date?

My bread was always rubbish (rubbery/leaden/breezeblock) untill I got new yeast and started the learning curve using extra strong white flour.

Yeast was brought yesterday and is well within its use by date. Flour is ' Hovis granary malted brown bread flour ' Quote " Perfect for hand baking and bread machines "
So it's not the ingredients, more the ratio, should I add more yeast? use less water? etc give me a clue. ??? ???

Regards

Mike, perhaps try a different recipe? I have found the recipes that came with the bread machine were not as good as the ones I use from this book,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0716021544/202-9134754-1224644?v=glance&n=266239

I also never make granary with totally granary flour, but mix with strong white to stop it being too dense,
Sorry can't help you with a recipe, are in the middle of trying to move and my recipe books are in storage! :'(

Quote from: Doris_Pinks on August 12, 2006, 12:22:53
Sorry can't help you with a recipe, are in the middle of trying to move and my recipe books are in storage! :'(

Unpack them, this is more important, ;D ;D ;D

Thanks for the help will try the granary/strong white mix.

Mike

Hi mike, when my son got a breadmaker we experimented quite a bit to get to know its foibles. Our breadmaker recipes were good, but it took a bit of practice to make the loaves we enjoyed most.

The biggest variable seems to be the type of flour used - wholemeal flour absorbs loads more liquid than white flour, for example. And wholemeal flour from the old mill, stoneground, absorbs more than Dove's organic wholemeal ...

Why mention it? it's possible that slightly more liquid could give you the fluffier loaf you're after. If kneading by hand, it's easy to feel whether the dough needs more water or flour - not as easy when the machine is paffing it around. In our machine, the dough looks slightly softer than hand-kneaded when it's perfect. If you pinch a bit of dough, it should feel like pinching an earlobe, so have someone handy when you do the dough test ::)

We've also found that 1/3 strong white and 2/3 wholemeal gives better results than 100% wholemeal.

Be prepared for a tad of trial and error to start with, you've got a super machine! ;D

Hope this helps, happy baking :)

Quote from: supersprout on August 12, 2006, 13:50:27


We've also found that 1/3 strong white and 2/3 wholemeal gives better results than 100% wholemeal.

Thanks for the ratio

Mike

Mike, believe me if they were in the same county I would!!!!
I miss me recipe books!!! :'( :'( :'( ;D

Try  and get hold of a copy of 'The Ultimate Bread Machine Cook Book' by Jenny Shapter.  Takes you through all the stages plus has lots of good recipes for great veggie breads. (My grandkids love the mixed pepper one). Also good pizza dough recipe, and sweet stuff like Danish pastries, doughtnuts etc.  Great recipe for american pancakes.  Good for using up your soft fruits on.

Oooo i love making bread - not posh enough for a bread machine though. Though I think i would be disappointed all that faffing and experimenting.

I love making a wholemeal bread with sunflower seeds and carrot - yummmmm

Oh and just for reference. If you are making pastry - dont use ASDA plain flour - its makes a horrible shortcrust pastry!!!!!

Quote from: OliveOil on August 15, 2006, 21:37:38

I love making a wholemeal bread with sunflower seeds and carrot - yummmmm

What's the recipe O'O,

Mike

Ended up with a ratio of 100g strong white and 400g of ganary, stopped smoking last year and have put on 2 stone, so was really trying to reduce, result with this new machine? Up another 1/2 stone in 10 days, but it tastes so good.

well glad to hear the ratios are sorting themselves out mike, you must have had to do a lot of testing ;) glad you're on your way to a perfect loaf, the perfect figure can wait ::)

Yes, I've put on heaps of weight since we got the Panasonic. Bad news for figure-conscious folk!

Another thing that helps with not-quite-risen loaves is vitamin C; not all instant yeasts have it included and you have to hunt ones out that do.

I get little vacuum-packed ones from larger Tescos - can't remember make, Allinson's? Anyway, for about £1.30ish you get loads of yeast+vit c and kept in the fridge will last months. Much better value than the sachets which are never the right quantity and you're paying for the packaging.

I'd also suggest investing in some proper measuring spoons if you haven't already got some - the plastic thing supplied is pretty poor. And if you have weighing scales which are digital, and have an 'add and weigh' function, just pop the whole pan on top and add ingredients progressively! Including the water: 1ml=1g which makes it rather easy and more accurate than the plastic beaker.

Another suggestion - get a small wicker basket or a plastic storage box and keep all the bread kit in it - then when you're making a loaf, you just pick it up and you don't have to hunt for the dried milk etc, or discover you've no sugar.  We keep ours under the stairs, and the only thing not kept in it is the yeast (which is in the fridge). ;D

moonbells

Thanks for the tips moonbells

Hey moonbells we have a 'bread box' too! ;D
We get our vitamin C (neat ascorbic acid) from the health food shop, in tubs :D

Thanks for the tips - I have been making bread for a while and also mix the ratio.  Also use granary / strong white mix. 

About the absorbic acid (vitamin C) - not quite sure - is this an ingredient on its own - or do you get real 'live' yeast in block form.  If seperate ingredient - what measure to you add to the dry 7g yeast packets?

Sorry for the dumb question ?? senior moment...

Jitterbug

Vitamin C - useful for puffing up wholemeal in the machine (never use it for handmade)
1 tsp for the medium sized loaf - trial and error again :)

Thanks for that Supersprout

I will go and scout the health shop this week-end and see what I can find.  I noticed that the dry Hovis dry yeast for dual use says that it has absorbic acid in.  Suppose a little bit more won't hurt.

A nice recipe for a very light, soft, yeasty white 1.5lb loaf that I use is as follows :  1 + 1/8 cup tepid water, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 + 1/2 Tbs Sunflower Oil, 2 + 1/2 Tbs Dried Skimmed Milk, 3 cups white bread flour and 1 pkt dried yeast. Put into the bread machine in the order listed and then I use basic (1) setting,  l.5lb loaf size and medium crust.  Press start and you're off!!

This is yummy so give it a try


Kind regards

Jitterbug