Breadmaker help needed please

[nappyzonecantrunfortoffee]

I have inheritaed a bread maker - never made any kindof bread in my life. Sooo 3rd week i am attempting it - first week i forgot the strong flour, 2 nd week i forgot the powdered milk so this week i have all the goodies and set of and my powdery yeast has gone like mush - anyhow frustrated i have chucked it all in anyway - will it be ok? secondly the machine has a pathetic little turny mixer thign at bottom and seems to go into a noisy mixy cycle then stop then goes again but still the top is a deep layer of flour - is it kerputted? Thanks

If the yeast has gone to mush then I doubt that your bread will rise! i had some yeast in a cupboard for about a year and used it and my bread was flat as a pancake.
The mixer bade/ noisey cycle thing sounds fine though. Make sure you add the ingredients in the order they say to though.

ok thanks - i will let it run its cause to see ....

Doesn't sound too hopeful, TBH.

If you've now got all the ingredients and it does turn out the machine is kerput, its actually not too hard to make bread without one. I have a machine but recently have been making rolls by hand - just following instructions off bread flour packet

Good luck!

ok were an hr in and it still looks the same but is now hot - i have picked up the lot and re homed it at the bottom of the wheelie bin.

The pathetic little turny mixer thing is normal. Stopping and starting also normal.
It should still allow the ingredients to mix into a ball of dough though. Sometimes I do check mine while it's mixing and scrape down any dry ingredients that have got stuck in the corners.

nah it was like a massive mass of ingredients hardly moved , how long does that process of turning into dough take though?

Hmm. Did you definitely have the right amount of liquid as that would be a reason for so much dry flour? My standard loaf is 8.5 fl oz I think. Can't remember the equivilent mls.

It mixes for quite a long time. Starts and stops to begin with to combine the ingredients and then continual mixing for, say 15/20 mins?, to form the ball of dough.

nah i had it all in - think thats why my dad was keen to get rid - it now resides in the bin - my breadmaking days are over