calling all breadmaker owners....

[seeker]

....how often do you make a brick instead of a loaf? And is there anything useful you can do with the brick? It seems so wasteful to throw it away!

i don't own one, but could you do a bread and butter pudding?

I put mine on the bird table when it comes out like that - the birds seem bemused but grateful!

I got one recently and have only made bricks. I thought they were meant to be foolproof.

Are you using the right kind of yeast for your programme cornsilk? If you use the rapid bake stuff in sachets, you should only use the fast bake option on your breadmaker, as the yeast only needs to rise once. If you use the normal programme and the dough gets "knocked back", it won't be able to rise again which is why you get bricks.
Does that make sense?

I've got a Panasonic breadmaker and this happens to me extremely occasionally . When it does I open a new packet of yeast and the next loaf is then OK. I use the Doves Farm yeast, which is designed for breadmakers and never use the "fast bake" - i.e. my loaves always take 4-5 hours.
I put the "brick" out for the birds, though it isn't too bad as toast on the first day.

i have a panasonic and have never made bricks

Thanks scootergirl - think that's where I'm going wrong.

Have only made one brick - the yeast packet had been open while we were away on hol and I should have chucked it out. I have a Panasonic too, fantastic, use it every other day and haven't bought a loaf of bread since I had it (about 3 years I think)

I have a Panasonic too, and I make quite a few bricks. Dp doesn't - we have a theory that breadmaker bread is "boy bread" because it involves a gadget and accuracy and measuring stuff, and make-in-a-bowl-covered-in-a-teatowel bread is "girl bread" because it involves getting it to feel right and putting a bit more of this or that in because it's a Thursday and keeping an eye on it in case it gets temperamental...

we have a panasonic too. we've found that the french bread recipe makes a nice light loaf

We have the panasonic - only make bricks when the yeast or breadmix is old... have found that the use-by dates are bollocks, and they need to be quite fresh. maybe this is just me

DH made a spectacular brick at the weekend - it was a rye bread and he thinks he didn't put the right amount of water in.

I seem to always make nice loaves (think there may be an opposite male/female thing in our house)

I have had the Panasonic for 18 months or so now. I have made 4 brick, every time because I did not put enough flour in (doh) Oh yes, and once I had not cleaned it properly, so the paddle had gunk round it's 'post' (if that makes sense) and got stuck during the mixing process. The result was a brick in which all the individual ingredients could be identified in distinct areas. Made for great bread art, but not edible!