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.

Oh broccoli - whats to do I am sorry, it is so frustrating. i couldn't get mine to work and had friends that could do lovely bread in their machines, so I do know how you feel

Oh broccoli - whats to do I am sorry, it is so frustrating. i couldn't get mine to work and had friends that could do lovely bread in their machines, so I do know how you feel

Old yeast maybe, Broccoli?

My French loaf was pretty good, still not orgasmic-tasty-Tiger-Bread-style but the inside was soft and pillowy. Used real butter instead of oil, warm water and the tinned yeast granules with a lid that go in the fridge when opened.
Still too crusty for DD but that's her problem.

I find it much better than shop bread; so much so that I have given up buying bread and make it all in my breadmaker. It is much cheaper. I experiment with different types of flour and it has all been successful, except for the time I forgot to add the yeast!

oh I use this one in the picture in the orange tin am i supposed to pop in fridge]]

]]www.expats-shoppingarcade.co.uk/supermarket/baking/flour,-yeast-and-bread-mixes/?page=0]]

sorry link doesnt work above

www.expats-shoppingarcade.co.uk/supermarket/baking/flour,-yeast-and-bread-mixes/?page=0

right, i am ordering my ingredients.
ivykaty do you reactivate that yeast like it recommends?

I'm sad to say that I love my bread machine, but I'm not a domestic goddess...I'm more a bread machine chav.

I buy my bread in mix form, from Sainsbury's. 76p a packet (I think it's cheaper at Asdas, but I don't have a store near enough to home) for a Wrights sundried tomato and parmesan loaf. It makes 2 small loaves and they usually work out perfectly. Add water, bung everything in your machine and tada...great results every time. I don't have the same joy with Hovis mixes, though. They NEVER work for me.

Now I feel a bit shabby and dirty having admitted my guilty secret. But at least my bread tastes yummy!!! And it's a darned sight cheaper than Sainsbury's tiger loaf too!

Hmm, I see your point - orgasmic flavour probably is down to chemicals so something has to give but at least you save the pennies.
Did a gluten-free white loaf today, looks very strange (has a navel on the top and the blade got stuck) but was actually quite nice and DD ate a whole slice, crust and all.

The first time my dd had bought bread was in a hotel when she was 2 and she THREW it across the room which we tried to ignore and then she swept the whole toast rack off the table so she thinks bread maker bread is better!

squilly, i used to do that (cheese and onion bread here) but mine didn't compare to the tiger.

I ditched the bread maker some time ago, in favour of proper handmade stuff.

It takes such a short time to actually make the bread by hand and it tastes a squillion times better than the breadmaker.

So it is shop bought (nice) stuff during the week (but we don't eat bread much during the week) and lovely hand made bread at the weekends.

Hand made foods in Blackheath do a good sourdough bread as do the deli in Chislehurst. They are my standbys if the weekend is too busy to bake.

Soapbox - how long is 'such a short time' to handmake bread?

Another vote for the proper handmade, bread machine is too much faffing, seriously to make bread bung the ingredients in a bowl mix, tip out knead for 5/10 minutes (kiss goodbye to bingo wings whilst at it, leave to rise overnight in fridge, get out, bake. Nothing to it and it DOES taste much nicer.

Ranting - you can leave it to rise in a fridge? I thought it had to be somewhere warm like an airing cupboard or something. And then kneaded and risen again! Thought it took HOURS!!

Ranting - you can leave it to rise in a fridge? I thought it had to be somewhere warm like an airing cupboard or something. And then kneaded and risen again! Thought it took HOURS!!

Sorry - double post.

Well according to Delia, it does. But it actually doesn't, I use the divine mr hollywoods recipes and because I am lazy, I don't measure, I just put in the water until it feels right.

And it was his book that suggested putting it in the fridge overnight and it works.

The weighing, mixing and kneading takes about 10 mins for first rise and 5 minutes for second rise.

The rest of the time it is sitting in a basin with a cloth over it, while you get on with other things.

For much better wholemeal bread, use potato water ie water potatoes have been boiled in. It's full of vit c I think and acts as an "improver". Makes for a much lighter loaf. I do half and half white and wholemeal btw.

I love the flavour of the homemade. Complete pain in the arse though - how do you go back to shop bought. As a working mother I wish we weren't all hooked.

Now - just heard beep beep in kitchen and my loaf has a mottled top and not risen much does this mean (from lessons learned in v long thread) that its too much yeast, not enough salt and its collapsed ? help... as I feel doomed at the minute.

My fave is a 50:50 loaf with Allisons wholemeal and Doves malthouse. Yum yum

I love the bread from the breadmaker - although I'm incredibly lazy and often can't be bothered to weigh a bit of flour and chuck in a knob of butter.

Used the breadmaker for the first time in months yesterday and the smell was DIVINE...

I have the same panasonic as you and I find the rapid bake loaf is much nicer than the basic white. I follow the rapid bake white loaf recipe but use half extra strong white flour and half extra strong wholemeal, both Waitrose own brand, and Dove dried yeast. No milk or milk powder, just yeast, flour, salt, sugar, water and a knob of sunflower marg. Makes lovely bread.