Home made bread from a machine - HELP!!!!!!!!

[munz]

ok, so i'm on mat leave in 2 weeks, have dusted my bread machine off brought all the stuff and am ready to go - but my bread comes out either

a) like a breeze block
b) rises then goes flat
c) tastes horrid and is really heavy.

we have the murphy richards old one- big silver rectangle thing.

what am I doing wrong???

What flour do you use? Stoneground flour makes my bread hard and doesn't rise much so I mix half and half with white. The rises then goes flat thing is typical in wholemeal bread but in white bread means there's too much yeast.

My recipe book also suggests adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to the water if you live in a hard water area as the alkaline water causes problem in the dough rising.

ermm no idea munz..is yje kneader working properly?
are you leaving it in too long after it has finished? are you adding yeast

lol yes nemo adding yeast - i'm using hovis yeast and hovis/allisons bread machine flour.

the 2lb loaf comes out spongey but ediable, the 1.5lb loaf comes out worse as it's really heavy and falls.

we have soft water. I normally do a white loaf. but this time have wholemeal flour as well.

needer should be working - I got a new arm thingy for it (must have thrown the origional one out ), I normally take the bread out within 10 mins of it bleeping more often it's sooner thou.

lol yes nemo adding yeast - i'm using hovis yeast and hovis/allisons bread machine flour.

the 2lb loaf comes out spongey but ediable, the 1.5lb loaf comes out worse as it's really heavy and falls.

we have soft water. I normally do a white loaf. but this time have wholemeal flour as well.

needer should be working - I got a new arm thingy for it, I normally take the bread out within 10 mins of it bleeping more often it's sooner thou.

bump any more ideas?? really would prefer home made bread as I love the smell.

do you follow precisely your recipe book ? I religiously do. Also, if it's not included in the programmes you use, do you leave the ingredients to sit in order to be at room temp ? I have the panasonic and never had any problems with it (not that I'm suggesting you should ditch yours of course!)

this is what i use for my machine, my mum has a morphey richcards old style and is trying it out today. i use setting 6 (rapid rise)
1 1/8 cups of warm water
2 tablespoons skimmed milk powder
2 tablespoon butter
2 1/2 table spoon brown suger
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups strong wholemeal flour
1 cup strong white flour
1 1/4 teaspoon dried yeast.

Are you putting the ingredients in in the right order? The water should be luke warm and all ingredients except flour and yeast added to water and stirred in. Then put the flour in, the put the yeast on top of the flour (I always make a little dint with the back of the spoon to put it in)

Are you following the recipes that came with the machine?

No other ideas, sorry.

if it collapses after rising try reducing the amount of water by 10ml or so. Also, make sure the water never enters in contact with the yeast. EVER !

check your instructions to make sure you're putting things in the right order.

The panasonic you put the yeast in first, then the dry ingredients then the water on top.

I have a MR so think you will ahve to put it in in the order below, but worth checking. If you have lost the instructions you will be able to download them on their website

if the flour or yeast is old it will not work so well, were they fresh?

thanks girls, i've brought some fresh yeast and flour to see if that makes any differnce. I don't normamly wait till it's room temp just use it straight from the tap/cupboard so possibly the water's too cold??

I put the stuff in the machine in the order it says on the recipe. perhaps some of the yeast is getting to the water? or perhaps too much yeast as I normally measure that over the little pot wiht the flour/water already in there.

are you using the recipe book that came with the machine??

yep and the measuring cup/spoon thingy. it's just the bog standard bread I want to make.

DH would rather I buy warbertons but on principal I want to keep doing my own. (and it'sa a bit cheaper I think - well is when the flours bogof in tescos!)

i have the morphy richards compact and at the back it suggests that the yeast may be out of date??

i will dig out the book to have aproper look for you if u like, do u have the instructions that came with it?

could be that ur yeast is reacting with the water b4 its mixed.

why not try another basic loaf with the new flour and yeast and see what happens?

I think i'll have to on the w/e tbh, we do still have the instructiuon booklet - somewhere. it's jsut when I told DH his first words were OMG do u have to lol. was after some advanced tips! lol.

sound really weird but potatoe bread is delic. will look recipie out for you if you fancy. Doesn't tast of potatoes, is just alot lighter, make it in my breadmaker all the time, its fantastic!

I have just recently started making my own bread and it's lovely. Have to put the yeast in first then all the dry ingredients then butter then cold water. Use basic bake programme (4hrs) with dark crust option. This makes the bread crustier but not burnt. If I use the rapid programme the bread is soft and not very nice.
Don't know if this is any help.

yes groat that happens with mine if I do the 1.5 hrs instead of 3. we've got the rapid cook one.

would love the potato recipe if u don't mind - anything for a change!

don't know if it helps but the little measuring thing that came with mine wasn't a very good emasure so I use my measuring spoons to get the tablespoons and teaspoons right.