bread maker

[chappie]

does anyone have any tips on baking bread successfully using a bread making machine? my loaves come out very dense and within one day the loaf is as hard as a brick and inedible! I follow the instructions exactly, putting the ingredients in the tin in the correct order. sometimes i think the machine has a mind of its own and it doesnt like me, as my husband's results are so much better than mine, and we both do exactly the same thing!

thanks.

[Jules001]

the loaves I make in mine are never around the next day, they are so yummy! The only thing I can suggest is that when making wholemeal loaves use half wholemeal flour and half white that way it is not so heavy (I found out the hard way even the birds wouldn't touch mine for fear of losing the power of flight) also I don't know why but my manual says that the room temperature can make a difference, so maybe that's why yours is different to your husbands

[celiabedelia]

What sort of bread maker do you have.  I think some of the cheaper ones don't produce such good results.  I would agree with the earlier answer about using some white flour with wholemeal (I use 30% to 70%) and it is important to use strong bread flour.  The addition of vit C can help with the rise and texture and using an acurate measure for the fluid is essential too.  A large measuring jug doesn't give enough accuracy for me so better to use a smaller measure and fill it several times.  As for keeping quality - mine will last to the next day very well if there is any left but it doesn't last as long as bought bread as there aren't the preservatives in it.

[woofgang]

My breadmake makes fabbo bread, indistinguishable from the oven produced kind. vit c not only helps with the texture but the keeping quality, don't know why, also adding a little more oil or butter and a little less water helps the bread to keep but it will come up with a softer crust but IMHO if your DH's comes out better than yours, then I would make that his job!!

[chappie]

celiabedelia, I have a Goodmans Cuisine, it should have been a hundred pounds but I got it on offer at 50. It is an all-singing, all-dancing machine with several programmable functions and a fruit and nut dispenser.

My hubby is quite happy to make the bread, but even his is rock solid the next day. There are only two of us so we cant eat it all on the same day. The idea of finishing the bread off in an ordinary oven sounds good, I will try that.

[Smiffy]

I found he same problems as you, chappie. Then Ibought a book called Fresh Bread in the Morning from Your Bread Machine by Annette Yates. It is only about �3.99 in Waerstones (they also have it on Amazon).

The recipes are much simpler that the ones which came with the machine, and the results are much better. 

I've recommended this book to several people and they have all been delighted with it.

[chappie]

Thanks Smiffy, I will give that book a whirl. Thanks also to everyone else for their advice.

[punkychicken]

The secret is in the type of yeast you use.  You need to use the sachets of yeast rather than the tubs of loose dried yeast.  Tesco and Sainsburys have their own brand or Hovis.  The make of machine doesn't seem to matter, I've had 5 different makes over the years and there's been no difference in them.  I don't pay too much attention to what I'm doing and just chuck everything in the pan.  I use olive oil rather than butter but I think that's just personal choice.  Persevere it's worth it.