Author Topic: Bread machine baking  (Read 8449 times)

Bread machine baking
« on: 23 March, 2012, 04:41:27 pm »
My Severin bread machine states that one should put the yeast in last i.e. on top of the bread flour and avoid contact with the other ingredients. I have always kept to  their recipes successfully.

But at a couple of cooking websites, it is stated that nicer white bread can be made by starting with the yeast, sugar and hot water allowing 10 minutes to get the yeast working and only then add the rest of the ingredients to the baking tin and press start.
I understand this method also increases the size of the loaf?

So, has any person tried the Website method as described and is the loaf tastier by starting the yeast earlier? Does it rise much more than normal?

I would like to try it but don't fancy cleaning up a big mess afterwards ;)
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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #1 on: 23 March, 2012, 05:47:02 pm »
In my Panasonic I put the (dried) yeast in first, then the flour/salt/sugar/dried milk mixture, then olive oil and water. I think this is what the maker recommends, especially if using time delay. This machine doesn't do anything for the first hour anyway.

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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #2 on: 23 March, 2012, 05:59:11 pm »
We've had a Panasonic for at least 8 years.

I always put the ingredients in in order of the recipe, i.e. yeast, flour, sugar, olive oil (easier than messing around with butter), milk powder, salt, water. I always use cold water as we normally start the loaf overnight and time it to be ready shortly after we get up.
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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #3 on: 23 March, 2012, 06:00:17 pm »
I'm just doing a loaf now, if it fails  :sick: there is always the bin

Bread machine baking
« Reply #4 on: 24 March, 2012, 02:01:07 am »
I bake my bread totally by hand but I would never put my yeast (fast action/fresh or otherwise) directly on top of salt as the salt will kill it !!!

Bread machine baking
« Reply #5 on: 24 March, 2012, 02:06:26 am »
For me when I started baking bread from recipes was to stop listening to proofing times and follow rises. So rather than wait 2 hours i would wait for the expected increase in volume. This is so much more important with wild yeast sourdough etc...

Sorry.  Rambling while drunk ;)

Bread machine baking
« Reply #6 on: 24 March, 2012, 02:21:43 am »
Marbeaux,

Now I've got round to really reading your question ( I did say I was drinking ;) )

If you are new to bread making there are 3 types of yeast. "Instant" yeast (comes in 7g packs) is the stuff you just stick straight in your recipe. "Fast action" comes in larger packs and needs adding to warm water to activate, the same as "fresh". The addition of sugar is just to feed the yeast. thefreshloaf.com is a good starter point for understanding how bread works.

Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #7 on: 24 March, 2012, 06:22:15 am »
The addition of sugar is just to feed the yeast.

.....which is actually just as happy munching on the flour, it's been years since I've added sugar.


Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #8 on: 24 March, 2012, 09:12:59 am »
I'm just doing a loaf now, if it fails  :sick: there is always the bin
I did a brown loaf and it came out a little higher  :thumbsup:

Bread machine baking
« Reply #9 on: 24 March, 2012, 09:19:48 am »
The addition of sugar is just to feed the yeast.

.....which is actually just as happy munching on the flour, it's been years since I've added sugar.

I don't add sugar either. I only really bake sandwich loafs and like a pale soft crust and the sugar just darkens the crust.

Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #10 on: 24 March, 2012, 10:12:09 am »
The idea is to use the "quick" type of yeast* - the fine grained kind that you're supposed to mix with the flour rather than make up with warm water first. So the bread machine recipe says to put it on the top** so that if you've got a 12-hour delay it doesn't start working until it gets mixed in then you have predictable results. If you mix up the yeast and water it starts fermenting which will be fine if it's not long until it starts being kneaded but if it's set for overnight you don't know what state it will be in then.

Doing it like that has always given very well-risen loaves, to the point that I didn't understand how my machine was supposed to make a 1kg loaf as the 750g recipe almost touched the lid. However, I don't do that any more, I use a sour dough starter which produces a much tastier loaf and denser so I can fit a 1kg loaf in the machine, it's much more like proper home made bread than machine bread. This does mean having to make a loaf every night though.


* Doves Farm do it in a big packet to save spending a fortune on the little sachets
** but as ran doner says, not touching any salt
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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #11 on: 24 March, 2012, 10:53:27 am »
I've used both types of dried yeast and, tbh, I've not noticed any difference in the quality of the bread, nor in the rise time. Therefore, I now only use the fine-grained quick yeast (the type that comes in small sachets, but I buy the larger packets by Dove's Farm).

I suggest sticking with the manufacturer's recipe. Don't fix it if it ain't broke! Alternatively, make bread by hand to explore some different methods.
Pen Pusher

Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #12 on: 24 March, 2012, 12:01:19 pm »
Sorry but I misquoted Severin's instructions in my original post and your replies prompted me to read them again. Indeed they only state that one should add the yeast last when using a delayed start. However following the order of ingredients on their recipes, yeast always appears last except when fruit, raisins or similar are to be added later.

Making machine bread has been an on/off affair for me for perhaps 10 years as I am the only person that eats it in my house.

I am still interested/intrigued by the Website method of starting the yeast earlier using sugar, yeast and warm water and after 10 minutes when the yeast has started foaming add the remainder of the ingredients and start the basic white loaf process.

Opinions say it produces a tastier loaf but does it make that much difference?

Hoping somebody has tried it and can report their results :)
"100% PURE FREAKING AWESOME"

Bread machine baking
« Reply #13 on: 24 March, 2012, 01:10:35 pm »
The reason I activate the yeast is to check you have a good batch.

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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #14 on: 24 March, 2012, 06:51:16 pm »
I wouldn't worry about yeast/wet-ingredients separation unless you're using the delay setting.

I've also read about fancy yeast preparation but as the bread machine is all about making the homebake process very simple, I can't see the point of trying it as a bread machine recipe. I may try it by hand as an experiment.

The bog standard bread recipe is so good that I don't see any need to faff. Same reason I also use olive oil instead of butter.

Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #15 on: 27 March, 2012, 09:10:09 am »
I am still interested/intrigued by the Website method of starting the yeast earlier using sugar, yeast and warm water and after 10 minutes when the yeast has started foaming add the remainder of the ingredients and start the basic white loaf process.

I used to use this method back when I made bread by hand.

It produces very active yeast and the dough rises a lot.

Hand-kneaded bread gets knocked back, so the excessive rise isn't a problem. I'd worry that in a machine you could end up with dough all over the machine.  It could maybe work well if you reduced or left out the sugar.
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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #16 on: 27 March, 2012, 11:30:14 am »
I decided not to risk it.

On another bread making Website  there were  various opposing views which didn't instil much confidence to proceed.

So I plan now to try recipes from other Manufacturers of Bread Machines.
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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #17 on: 28 October, 2017, 08:55:59 pm »
Thread high-jack, since it is really a bread maker but more a mixer for bread.

I was making a spot of rye bread today, the proper Danish stuff with lots of rye kernels and various seeds, thicker than cement the dough is. Half way trough the mixing the mixer blew and filled the kitchen in nice oily burnt motor smelling smoke. It was old and 2nd/3rd hand.

So I'm looking for a new one, any pointers and recommendations? 
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #18 on: 28 October, 2017, 09:02:35 pm »
Thread high-jack, since it is really a bread maker but more a mixer for bread.

I was making a spot of rye bread today, the proper Danish stuff with lots of rye kernels and various seeds, thicker than cement the dough is. Half way trough the mixing the mixer blew and filled the kitchen in nice oily burnt motor smelling smoke. It was old and 2nd/3rd hand.

So I'm looking for a new one, any pointers and recommendations?

https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Power+Tools/d40/Concrete+Mixer/sd3368  :demon:
"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." ~ Freidrich Neitzsche

woollypigs

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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #19 on: 28 October, 2017, 09:03:20 pm »
hehe thanks :)
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #20 on: 28 October, 2017, 09:42:02 pm »
We've got one of these.

Not the cheapest but it produces consistent results and a loaf shaped loaf.

Max loaf size is 600g of flour with 380g of water.
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woollypigs

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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #21 on: 28 October, 2017, 09:58:05 pm »
Ah that wouldn't do as I mix a 2Kg bread at the time. It is more mixer than a maker I'm looking for.
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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #22 on: 28 October, 2017, 10:03:06 pm »
These work quite well. And, you end up with clean hands, too.


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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #23 on: 28 October, 2017, 10:07:03 pm »
Most bread makers will make up to a 1kg loaf. Panasonic breadmakers were the dogs danglies back when the Motley Fool was running, and the SD2511 still seem to get good reviews. We haven't used a bread maker for about 7 years since we moved to hand-made sourdough - all this requires is more patience!

woollypigs

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Re: Bread machine baking
« Reply #24 on: 28 October, 2017, 10:14:43 pm »
@Ham as you know about my issue with my hands over the last few years, you should know that is a no go. I had to finish up, after the smoky death of the mixer today, with the potato masher and a wooden spoon and that cream knackered my hands. Also the dough is a sticky as feck, not at all as a white bread loaf that you can kneed an throw around as a ball. If you add enough flour to be able to do that you have killed the rye bread and made a white bread loaf with seeds.
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit