Panasonic bread maker suddenly not working well

[Titsalinabumsquash]

Does anyone have any advice?

I have a Panasonic bread maker that I've used every single day with great success.

I use the packets of bread mix in the week to make a loaf foe the morning, always the same brand (Tesco own wholemeal)

Anyway this past week although I've changed nothing at all the bread is coming out white and flaky on top and not cooked very well inside.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is my machine had it? It's a year and a half old.

Doesn't the instruction manual have a 'FAQ' section? With symptoms. I recall seeing this, sounds like a mixing issue - maybe the paddle is not turning properly? Or too little water used? Can you watch it do the mixing and see what happens? You should after a while have a homogeneous ball being batted round the pan before baking.

Have you checked the best before date on the packet of yeast? DH kept buying new sachets, but using the old ones up first

The mixing seems fine, I quite like watching it turn into a ball and whizz around the pan

There isn't anything in the troubleshooting section that describes the problem in full but for a doughy, uncooked inside it says not enough yeast.

The packet bread mixes already have yeast in them (which is why I use them in the week when I'm rushing to get a loaf on before bed) and I've never had this issue before. I really hope it isn't a thermostat problem, it's getting hot and baking the outside and some of the inside just not enough or not all the way through.
I think I'll try a loaf using ingredients from scratch and see if I have the same problem.
Although the last 3/4 bread mixes I have tried have all been the same so I don't think it's them I think it's the machine.
I will be quite miffed if it is, they're not cheap and It's out of warranty.

It does sound like a damp mixture, how long have you stored the bread mix? Or do you use it as soon as you buy it? Just wondering if a change in the weather as it a bit damper here, might affect the storage.

Also have you cleaned the blades thoroughly? DH got bored and stopped washing them properly, so got flaky bits in the mix as it was old crumbs falling off the blade.

The bread maker is now on top of the freezer, unused

I usually buy a weeks worth of mixes at a time so they never sit for more than 7 days.

I've cleaned it all thoroughly and put on a loaf from scratch (without a mix) fresh yeast and fresh flour.
I usually use the sandwich loaf setting so I'm trying the wholemeal setting to see how I get on. Wish me luck!

Mmmh fresh bread

Are the duff loaves all from the same batch of bread mixes?

mine's suddenly gone crap on the gluten free cycle

it sinks in the middle so it looks like it has ears

that's the yeast, tho, I think

Well it's either the bread mixes or the sandwich programme because I now have the most glorious specimen of a honey and sunflower wholemeal loaf sitting on my kitchen side.

Every cloud has a silver lining then... :)