To think these recipes should work? (Breadmaker)

[mummypleeeaaaasseeee]

I have a Panasonic bread maker and I'm trying out the recipes that came with it, but for the third time now the bread has collapsed in, sort of appears to have risen then sunk in. Why??
I followed the recipe exactly. Although I have to admit I didn't see anything about what temperature the water should be (used lukewarm and room temp second time , still same result) also not sure if butter should be melted first or just cut to cubes, again used both methods with the same sunken result.

It does taste great, but just such a shame about the look and clearly not supposed to happen.
Any mners here with breadmakers that have any advice please?

You are doing things in the right order (I have a Panasonic with yeast dispenser too). Are you keeping the pot of yeast in the fridge? I found that I always need to do that, or use sachets. However yours sounds as though it is rising & then collapsing, which suggests that there is not enough gluten to hold the loaf up. Maybe a duff batch of flour? Generally the bread flours with the highest protein content are the best (although it does depend on the quality of the protein as well as the amount). I use the Waitrose Canadian extra strong bread flour in the brown bag and have never had a poor loaf unless I have forgotten to put an ingredient in. I use olive oil instead of butter, but that should make no difference. My only other suggestion in that there is something wrong with the baking heat. I went through a phase of baig cakes at too low a temperature (in the regular oven) & they rose nicely & then collapsed!

Ditch the bread maker and get a copy of James Morton’s Brilliant Bread.

You can thank me later.

Ok out of the machine. I cooked it as a medium loaf. Should perhaps have done it as small.

I chucked all the ingredients in your recipe into my Panasonic and ran the quick bake programme. I don’t have any dispensers so it all went on together with dry ingredients first.

I used less water than the recipe does as my flour didn’t need all of it and I was a bit heavy handed with the apricots!

Thanks for poison
I will try extra strong flour !
I never knew dry yeast should be kept in fridge?

Elphame that looksgreat!
I haven't had a chance to try again, but will tomorrow. Would live to get as good looking loaf as yours

I don't want to ditch the breadmaker , i got it as a gift and really would like to get it to do what it should!

Haven't rtft Allinsons green yeast (tin), make sure water is room temp and bm isn't in a draft.

Flour can make a difference too, had good results with Lidl strong flour & Tesco finest very strong flour.

Do Panasonic still say dry ingredients first (yeast scattered in pan first) then water?

The only thing I can think of is I always use cold water from the tap rather than lukewarm or room temp as you say.
Maybe the warmer water is activating the yeast too early/ too much?

It shouldn't be an issue with yeast activation timing as the OP says her machine has a separate dispenser for yeast so that will e timed to the cycle. We use our breadmaker pretty much every day but almost always do half and half plain/wholewheat (my recipe book doesn't have a full wholewheat recipe). Sometimes we get the sinking thing, I usually put it down to getting the ingredients slightly wrong. I always use oil instead of butter as it's easier to measure.

I convinced my daughter to get a job in an artisan bakers - she brings home the bread, it is delicious. I rarely make bread now but use the pizza dough setting.

I have my yeast in the fridge and used the pots of Allison- I jyst keep a couple of sachets now just in case

I don’t keep my yeast in the fridge and this was from a tin I opened a few months ago. Flour was Waitrose strong bread flour. My measurements were not exact. I guesstimated the butter and sugar.

Water was a warm tepid.

The loaf was delicious! I will definitely do it again.

I also keep yeast in the fridge, use olive oil instead of butter (pour it in first over the paddle to help prevent it sticking. Room temp water. Don't open the lid at any time once it's started. I have a Panasonic now, previously Morphy Richards. I still add ingredients as for MR one, that is liquid first. Never have any problems like this.

Bread makers will never make bread as nice as “hand made”.

But bread makers will almost always make better bread than supermarket loaves

My handmade bread is rubbish. (I lose patience and never knead the dough long enough.) I can do pizza dough and rolls but that's about it. So the machine is a godsend...

If you leave the mixed dough for 30 minutes before you knead, you only need to knead it for 5 minutes......

Made a 50% wholemeal bread and it came out perfectly
I was totally unaware that yeast once opened should be kept in the fridge
It does say so on the tub!!

Can't a recruit annyone to my Campaign for Real Bread?

The answer would appear to be no...

To me real bread is made with decent flour, and not too much salt. There aren't additives or preservatives. So 'real' bread can be made with a machine. I can see that if you are really good at kneading and place a value on the activity, it may produce better results than a not-particularly good machine. (Also you won't get the whole were the paddle is.)

But the convenience of the machine is a real blessing for me.

“I can see that if you are really good at kneading and place a value on the activity,”

You don’t have to be really good at it, and I don’t have to place any value on an activity that takes 5 minutes!

Perhaps because I use wholemeal flour which may need particularly good kneading my loaves have always been flat, despite my best attempts. You are welcome to pop round and give a master class....

The appeal of the bread maker is that you put your ingredients in, press some buttons and come back 4 hours later to bread.

My dad makes bread by hand, in fact he gave me the bread maker because he didn’t like it. Horses for courses.

Mine does that if I mix flours - even if it’s the same type of flour!

Problems with bread makers are usually down to the yeast. Try a new pack and keep it in the fridge.

Although I cook a lot from scratch, bread making involves quite a few processes. Often there's a 'sponge' stage where you start the yeast off with sugar, liquid - some flour. Later on there's the kneading. Then the proving, then the baking. So there are one or two bowls and boards and floury hands, and you have to fit what you're doing around the various timings - essentially you need at least half a day at home, or only to be going out very locally.. (Bread will get burned and inedible if you don't take it out at the exact time.) The machine has a timer device so you can tip the ingredients in before you go to bed, and wake up to the smell of a loaf that is ready to take out.

OP I’ve had a couple of Panasonic bread makers.
I love them.
Yeast goes in the yeast dispenser as you’ve been doing.

I use any old strong flour and have never had a problem.

Butter can go in one lump and it still works (I normally replace with oil).

The only loaf that’s ever not worked is when I forgot to add any water (hardly the bread makers fault)

Try new yeast (kept in fridge) and if not I’d contact Panasonic for a replacement- they’re normally really forgiving with ingredient variations so it shouldn’t be going wrong.

I have arthritis, bread maker is essential for me as I cannot knead anymore.