Does anyone really think that breadmaker bread is as nice as bought?

[BroccoliSpears]

Now that the novelty is starting to wear off, I can't help but notice that breadmaker bread is dry and heavy and samey and a bit like chewing a brick.

Oh for a Sainsburys tiger loaf.

I gave up on wholemeal and switched to the wholegrain recipe - delicious and foolproof

We get all of our bread from our panasonic, have done since about 2002.

If it's too dense, one of two things may have happened:

1. Is the bottom half really dense and the top so open it falls to bit? If so, your yeast is rising too fast and then the loaf's collapsing. Up your salt and drop the yeast.
2. If it's just a solid brick: not enough rising. Up your sugar and yeast, drop the salt. Put in less brown flour, replace it with white.

Panasonic SD-254. I'd recommend it.

And use organic flour if you can. It always seems to taste that bit nicer IMO.

Well, there's shop bread and shop bread.
I would say that breadmaker bread is a bit hard work on the whole but it's nicer than sliced whatever. Not as nice as cholla or a baguette or a Cranks wholemeal or flat Greek bread.

we have a panasonic - the french bread recipe amkes a nice light loaf

and the pizza dough is great - decant it and make lovley home-made pizza

Yes - when I say "bought" bread, I didn't really mean plastic bags of Mothers Pride. That barely qualifies as bread.

I like the idea of chewy ivyJkaty44.

Will try warm water, and will ditch the wholemeal flour.

My own bread is lovely and light and even fluffy . The DC's prefer it and so do I, when I can get any crumbs that the children leave

OK, I'm experimenting with the French white recipe in the Panasonic instructions, using warm water. Will feedback results tonight (6hrs!!!) Will be interesting as had been adding milk and egg to the Basic to try and liven up the taste a bit and this loaf doesn't even have sugar in it.

No white flour to play with french bread recipe, but have just put on an oat and bran loaf with brown flour and warm water. Haven't skimped on the salt. Will see how it goes.

When it says to use oil rather than butter, which oil do you all use?

I use much less sugar than recipe states. Have selection of flours in the cupboard - no two loaves are the same. Some are plain, some get stuff added. Marmite bread is especially lovely (well you either love it or hate it!!). Beer and mustard bread - yummmmmy especially as a sarnie with cold roast gammon in.

And to be honest, kids prefer plastic bread. Their loss ! We prefer (and our guests prefer) bread-maker bread.

I find very strong flour works better than just strong.

I think you are all mad, why complicate a very basic process by using a machine?
Strong flour, a bit of salt, a bit of sugar, some yeast and some warm liquid. Knead it until it feels springy, leave it to rise, bake it.
If you can't be bothered to knead, just make soda bread.

I prefer breadmaker bread to the stuff you buy in bags but still miss the lovely fresh doughy yeasty fresh bread you get from the shop.

I hate the white bread maker bread - just cant bear the sweetness of the sugar.

I have started using 50/50 wholemeal to white...the better the flour the better the bread (the hovis flour probably my least favourite) carrs flour is lovely at the moment we have Doves farm organic flour.

Quarter of a teaspoon more salt and a little more warm water makes it doughier which is how we like it. May have to try olive oil as this hadnt ocurred to me.

You have to try making pizza bases they are just delicious!!

Ive never made hand made bread that doesnt come out like a brick

Much nicer, and since reading this I've made all my own bread in a bread maker, at least you know what goes in!

I find olive oil makes for a slightly radioactive-looking green tinge to white bread.

Carmenere, you're a woman after my own heart!

Having tried breadmakers, they're almost more work than doing it all by hand. At least my own bread doesn't invariably have the paddle stuck in it after baking!

As to time, unless I'm doing a longer-rise bread (sourdough or whatever), I make my standard batch of 4-5 loaves in the same time (or less) than a breadmaker makes a very inferior one loaf.

It's just another example of how we've been convinced that something is so difficult we need a machine to do it.

Buckets - I read your post all wrong and thought you were making french white wine bread silly me. Must find the corkscrew and get a glass.....

my 9 yr old can make bread in the breadmaker, but I couldn't get him to make it by hand

I had a problem with the large packets of yeast and my bread was dense. (same machine)

MIL suggested smaller sachets (can get multipacks and will make several loafs) and problem was solved. I think the yeast maybe gets damp or something.

The ploughmans loaf is lovely made into cheese sandwiches.

I use omega oil, slightly sweet taste, but not unpleasant.

I do generally just use the machine to make the dough, then knock it back, let it stand a bit longer and chuck it in the oven in a proper loaf tin though.

What is it they use on top of 'tiger' bread (assuming Asda tiger rolls same thing). DDs fave... apart from my homemade 'ciabatta' using Italian setting of panasonic. Very light,lovely crisp crust, made with olive oil.

I also make 'bricks' for DH - stoneground wholemeal (with added gluten from Lakeland), olive oil, lots of seeds but no salt as his blood pressure was the whole reason for getting breadmaker. Same breadmaker, totally different result.

Oh dear. I have taken all your tips on board and made by far the worst bread to date. It hasn't risen at all and looks barely edible.