[jay001]

todays wholemeal offering.
Grendel

is that purched from sainsbury,s gredel ?         

[grendel]

only the flour, yeast and other ingredients.
Grendel

[heloise]

I have been reading this thread with interest, and not a small amount of envy, as I have a bread maker, a Morphy Richards, that regardless of which recipe I use always produces dwarf bread.  

(Dwarf bread  = bread so dense you can use it as a weapon  . Probably a Terry Pratchett reference but so old I've forgotten)

There's obviously a knack to it which I don't have, but this thread  is inspiring me to try again. Any tips for lighter bread? The french bread setting seems to do best but the bread is still more use for throwing than eating!  

[mumofstig]

can you tell us the ingredients and quantities you are using - there may be someting obvious to the more experienced bakers here 

[heloise]

I used the basic one from the BBC website:

    500g strong white flour
    2 tsp salt
    7g sachet fast-action yeast
    3 tbsp olive oil
    300ml water

Still came out too dense.
The instruction booklet with the breadmaker had recipes but most seemed to have milk powder in, which I thought was a bit odd.....

[tadpole]

I used the basic one from the BBC website:

    500g strong white flour
    2 tsp salt
    7g sachet fast-action yeast
    3 tbsp olive oil
    300ml water

Still came out too dense.
The instruction booklet with the breadmaker had recipes but most seemed to have milk powder in, which I thought was a bit odd.....

My bread maker recipes uses milk powder, and the bread is fine. My bread failures are all due to the same problem, the room temp, if the room is cold (my kitchen is cold in the winter and boiling hot in the summer) to get round this I use warm water and pre-start the yeast in a jug with the sugar, give it ten minutes to bubble, and bung it in as the last thing before starting the machine. No More dwarf fighting bread

[devonbarmygardener]

This breadmaker business seems over-complicated!
 

[Runwell-Steve]

I used the basic one from the BBC website:

    500g strong white flour
    2 tsp salt
    7g sachet fast-action yeast
    3 tbsp olive oil
    300ml water

Still came out too dense.
The instruction booklet with the breadmaker had recipes but most seemed to have milk powder in, which I thought was a bit odd.....

I think it needs the Milk Powder, and usually some sugar too in order to give the yeast something to feed on.

I have just put a loaf in my breadmaker, using the same recipe as I always do.

500g Flour
1 tsp yeast
1.5 tbsp Milk Powder
1 tbsp Sugar
1.5 tbsp Olive Oil
1.5 tsp salt
260ml water

It goes in on a standard 4 hour cycle in my Panasonic bread maker, and usually turns out just perfect.

[NN2Blue]

This breadmaker business seems over-complicated!
 

There is a short cut - ready mixed kits; just add warm water. Good variety out there too! 

[jay001]

This breadmaker business seems over-complicated!
 

hear hear say i 

[Mrs Bee]

There is a really good bread book for the machine. Never had a bad recipe from it.

Good Housekeeping, great Recipes for yourbread machine by Joanna Farrow.

Grainy mustard and beer bread, Caerphilly, sage and apple bread, Italian rosemary and raisin and a chunky walnut bread that is gorgeous with cheese, as well as the usual favourites.

It also has tips and troubleshooting.

[jay001]

There is a really good bread book for the machine. Never had a bad recipe from it.

Good Housekeeping, great Recipes for yourbread machine by Joanna Farrow.

Grainy mustard and beer bread, Caerphilly, sage and apple bread, Italian rosemary and raisin and a chunky walnut bread that is gorgeous with cheese, as well as the usual favourites.

It also has tips and troubleshooting.

they sound devine mrs b and surelly they should work by hand as well shouldn,t they ?? 

[Mrs Bee]

There is a really good bread book for the machine. Never had a bad recipe from it.

Good Housekeeping, great Recipes for yourbread machine by Joanna Farrow.

Grainy mustard and beer bread, Caerphilly, sage and apple bread, Italian rosemary and raisin and a chunky walnut bread that is gorgeous with cheese, as well as the usual favourites.

It also has tips and troubleshooting.

they sound devine mrs b and surelly they should work by hand as well shouldn,t they ??  

They certainly would.   But I find it easier to do them on the dough setting and bake in the oven. That way I get 2 smaller loaves. One to eat fresh and one to freeze........ if it gets that far. Homemade bread tends to evaporate while I am out of the kitchen. Either that or mice.



edit to clarify quotes

[grendel]

two things strike me, I use a tiny amount (tip of teaspoon) of vitamin c powder with any wholemeal flour, and only ever 1 tsp salt, the salt is there to stop the yeast at the right point, too much salt stops the yeast early, I also put the salt in the middle of the flour (half the flour in, salt in, then the rest of the flour, with the yeast on top. this ensures the salt and yeast dont mix too soon.
Grendel

[devonbarmygardener]

two things strike me, I use a tiny amount (tip of teaspoon) of vitamin c powder with any wholemeal flour, and only ever 1 tsp salt, the salt is there to stop the yeast at the right point, too much salt stops the yeast early, I also put the salt in the middle of the flour (half the flour in, salt in, then the rest of the flour, with the yeast on top. this ensures the salt and yeast dont mix too soon.
Grendel

What does the Vitamin C powder do?