breadmaker users - I need your tips

[kitkat9]

My last few attempts have not workied out very well - they're heavy, doughy loaves which aren't rising properly....

Am following instructions as per recipe booklet so don't know what I'm doing wrong!

Does anyone have any great tips to get a lovely fluffy loaf? Secret ingredients?

Help!

A few times this has happened to me i have never really found out why, it just seemed to happen sometimes for no reason!!!! not much help to you I know but just wanted you to know you where not alone in this.

I then made sure the next time that the ingredients went in in the exact order, water was tepid, and the yeast did not mix with the liquid ingredients but sat on top of the flour until the breadmaker started..apparantly it should not come into contact with the water until then....for some reason. Also I was fastidious (sp) about the measurements. Hope this helps and sorry for stating the obvious.

I am having this problem with every loaf-have started buying bread again as it is awful!

thanks...read on a recipe website yesterday to mix the yeast straight into the tepid water and let it froth and dissolve for ten minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients...so I did this with no success!

Just remembered I used to use milk and water instead of just water and everything was fine, might try this again.

Try Dove's Farm Yeast - you need to use a yeast that is a "quick" or "easy blend" yeast. Some breadmakers stipulate that liquids go in first, others (such as Panasonic) stipulate that the dry ingredients go in first, so for a loaf made in a Panasonic you would put yeast in first, then flour,salt, sugar and milk powder (if used) then water (always cold) and oil or fat.

Is your yeast, or your flour, stale or old? Perhaps try a new pack.

Also, the yeast and the salt mustn't come into contact until the bread mixes - this is why you must put the ingredients into the machine in the correct order - yeast, then flour, then other ingredients, finally water. The flour forms a barrier between the yeast and the salt, particularly important during the initial "rest" period (which I can't quite see the point of but seems to be built in to most of my programmes)

Make sure the yeast doen't touch the water/liquid unless you are going to start the bread maker straight away.

Water normally goes in first.

Ingredients should be at room temp.

If your loaves are heavy and doughy, try using a little more water ( a couple of tablespoons).

When I used a breadmaker, I had the opposite problem - it would rise out of the machine and be too fluffy. Cutting back a little on the water seemed to keep it under control.