Help with Bread Machine?

Question

for xmas my dad got a bread machine, and we made a loaf the next day and it was fantastic
but the next day it was too salty and very doughy but we used another recipie
we tried again and it was too doughy not airy and not risen
same again and not risen
and today we tried and used the exact same recipie as the first time and it doesnt look like it has worked too well but not finished

its a morphey richards fastbake

any ideas where we are goin wrong

Answer 1

So many things can affect a recipe, here are some that most beginners run into:



1) measuring flour -- flour can be "compacted" so if you spoon flour into a measuring cup and scrape flat the excess, you will have around 4.25-ounces of flour (this is the recommended procedure of most recipes); BUT, if you scoop your measuring cup into the flour and flatten the top by pressing down the flour, you may have a 6-ounce cup of flour, or nearly 30% more than a recipe calls for! This will make a very dense bread, even though it seems like you are following the exact same recipe.



2) water temperature -- most machines compensate for too cold of water, but cold water may not activate the yeast, and the bread may not rise as well by the final rise. On the other hand, too hot of water simply kills yeast. You don't need a thermometer, aim for warm to touch water, like warm baby-milk -- if it is too hot to you, it is definitely too hot for the yeast.



3) yeast and salt -- should be around 1/2 teaspoon each per cup of flour



4) oil and sweetener (not artificial sweeteners) -- around 1 tablespoon per cup of flour is a general rule of thumb. Artificial sweeteners should be less than that. Solid shortening and lard can be much more, but not butter (it melts at too low a temperature, so treat it as a liquid oil)



*****



Consider measuring by weight, especially if you already have a kitchen scale that is precise to 1g or 2g or 0.1-ounce. You have to find recipes written this way (lots on the internet) or convert them (also easy to do). This is much more consistent than using cups.



Also, a good idea is to perfect a basic bread recipe, so you know your bread machine, then venture out. Basic means flour, water, salt, yeast (often described as "french bread", but a loaf of this is nothing like a proper baguette) :-)



Hope this helps...

Answer 2

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/breadmachinemanual.htm



This lady has some fantastic ideas on breadmachines. Please read all her comments on using them. Her recipes work fantastically. I haven't had any failures using them.



I do not know that machine, but mine has settings for 1. 1.5, and 2 pound loaves, light, medium, and dark crust, and white, whole wheat, sweet and quick.



Getting these settings right is most of the problems with bread machines.



Please note: I do not use bread flour or the special extra gluten, nor do I buy the more expensive bread machine yeasts. My yeast is quite old, but has been stashed in the freezer in an airtight glass jar between usages. This will prolong the life of it.

Answer 3

Bread machines are finicky. They take practice and careful measuring. They need fresh yeast and fresh flour. (If your flour is old your bread won't work.)



My advice is to keep practicing. Make sure you have fresh ingredients and are spooning the flour into a dry measuring cup and leveling with a knife. (In other words, don't scoop it out to measure it.)



Put the ingredients in in the exact order listed by the manufacturer of the machine.



If your recipe calls for butter, cut it into small pieces before you put it in the pan. (and allow it to become soft before starting the machine...about 10 min if you started with refrigerated butter)



If your recipe calls for salt, put the salt in the corner of the machine (rather than in the center), and take care that your yeast doesn't directly touch the salt.



Whatever liquid your recipe calls for (water or milk usually), heat it up slightly before you put it in the pan. Just enough so it's warm. I nuke mine for about 1 minute per cup of liquid.



With mine, I add the liquid first then the dry ingredients. Then I make a well in the center of my dry ingredients and put the yeast in the well. I suggest this method if you also put liquid in first.



Watch your machine as it kneads the dough. If your dough looks too dry or wet, you can correct it while it's still going. Just add small corrections as needed. I often have to add more flour once I see how it looks once it starts mixing.



Keep practicing; it does get easier....and even once you master it you still can get failures sometimes.

Answer 4

If you are following the bread machine's recipes to the letter, then it could be a bad batch of yeast. I had this problem a few months ago, and all I did was buy some new yeast. Make sure it is the fast stuff specifically for bread machines

Answer 5

You need to make sure the yeast isn't too old and the ingredients are fresh. Also, watch the first knead cycle to make sure there's not too much water or flour in the dough. It should form a nice ball within a few minutes.



If all else fails, your heating elements are broken and you should contact the company.



I've never used a fastbake, but my bread maker is 15 years old.

Answer 6

Rule of thumb. For every 2 3/4 cups of flour, there is 1 tsp. salt and 2 tsp. sugar plus 2 tsp. dry yeast plus 1 cup liquid. If these are your proportions, you should be getting a good loaf of bread. If your yeast expired? Make sure it's liquids first, then dry, then yeast sprinkled on top.

Answer 7

make sure that you follow the directions exactly and only use recipes designed for bread machines. Also making bread is not a exact science, it takes practice to perfect due to environmental influence. keep trying and your bread will turn out great.

Answer 8

sounds like you need to add more yeast.