bread from breadmaker is stodgy

[MerlinsBeard]

How can i make sure my bread from the bread maker is nice and soft? it always comes out with a thick hard cryust(Even on lowest setting) and after i have sliced it it goes stodgy and filling.

What make is your breadmaker?

What are you putting in it?

hmm i dunno what make it is, will go look in a sec

i am following the instructions to the letter and in teh right order too! (water,sunflower oil,yeast,salt,sugar,SR flour,skimmed milk powder.....)

everything is within its 'use by dates' too

I don't use SR flour or milk powder

I use Fulfat milk & olive oil & wrap it in a teatowel to cool down

its morphy richards

I don't put that much "stuff" in my bread - when I did, it used to be stodgier - more like cake than bread.

I use yeast, 500g flour, 1oz butter, 1tsp salt and 350ml water (or 360ml for a brown loaf).

Self-raising flour?

Use strong bread flour - not self-raising!

how does it rise without flour kaymac?

Will give ur recipe a go nxt time HM, i did think the first time i used it taht there were a lot of "things" going in but just got on with it. Its measured in cups usally but will dig out the scales

thats what i meant bread flour lol not SR! (made a cake this morning so had SR on teh brain!)

our results are always stodgier than bread made by hand. but its much better with the wholemeal and rye flours

I ment I use bread flour not sr

i haven't the time (or inclination if i am honest!) to do it by hand, hence the maker

In my Morphy richards, I use (for a 1lb loaf)

3/4 cup of water
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp skimmed milk powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups of strong bread flour
1 tsp yeast

Works every time!

ditto, but i think its just how breadmaker bread comes out a bit.

will also try that as sounds similar to mine TGW (like the name btw )

Have to take the boys to a group now but thank you for replies. iw ill give stodgy bread to the birds onmy out

Do the dough in the machine and then bake it in the oven.

This is quite a nice light recipe which might help:

1 tsp dried breadmaker yeast
500g flour (I use a mix of 100g granary and 400g strong white)
1.25 tsp salt (that's one and a quarter)
1 tbsp olive oil
12 fl oz water

Really really easy to bung together, cheap and tasty (and is fab as toast 24hrs later too). I have an italian setting on my breadmaker and I usually put it under that but is just as nice on basic white setting.

I really dislike the taste and smell of my breadmaker bread. I use mine to make the dough for a wholemeal loaf ( St Delia of Smiths recipe) and then I bake it in the oven (it's an AGA dontcha'know). It defeats the baking - it -overnight- so -you -have -a- fresh -loaf -for -brekkie concept but it tastes a darn sight better.

I think it takes some experimenting with ingredients - most of the recipes in the books you get with them are overly faffy and have way too many ingredients in them. A basic loaf is just yeast, flour, salt and water and tastes lovely. I can really recommend the book Fresh Bread In The Morning for much more sensible recipes and it gave me the confidence to experiment a bit more too...

Which recipe are you using MoM? I liked the fastbake recipe when I had the MorphyRichards (also because I am (a) disorganised, and (b) impatient). I found all the MR recipes (in the book that comes with the breadmaker) massively too sweet. They suggest putting in huge quantities of sugar. One tablespoon is enough to make it rise. Any more, and the bread tasted 'cake-y' IMO. I like to mix a bit of rye flour in with my strong white flour. I mix it in a big tin, so I put in a bag of strong white to about 2 cups of rye flour. Tastes lovely and the bran (or whatever it is... someone will enlighten me in a bit...) in the rye flour seems to make it less stodgy. Agree that you don't need the skimmed milk powder. Used it for ages, ran out... tried without and couldn't tell the difference. What yeast are you using? I use the individual sachets, as I found that the other sort (you know the little square vacuum packed packet) went off quite quickly.

Good luck

Ellbell - keep the square packet in the fridge once opened - lasts ages then

Tried that and also tried decanting it into an airtight container, but I still kept getting non-risers.

How bizarre! I've never had that problem!

BUY it
BUY bread
they sell t in shops oyu know

Piss orf, codders

oooh wow ! I didn't think a bread thread would have so many replies!

I am just using the recipe "book" that came with the maker, i do have another but not got round to using it yet, maybe thats the key.

I use Allinson (or Allison?) breadmaker yeast. comes in a box with a few sachets in it.

Cod, (not taht i should have to explain myself) i make bread because its cheaper and atm i just can't afford to keep on buying bread even if it is only 97p a loaf (boys won't eat 'basic' bread)