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Any Breadmaker Tips


hilldweller

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In a fit of madness I decided to purchase a breadmaker to try and better the shop-bought rubbish. I bought the Morphy Richards model recommended by Which Magazine and try as I might I cannot produce anything that is edible. Despite using the exact make of ingredients specified in the instructions and measuring to the nearest molecule I cannot produce anything that is light enough to eat. If I wanted something to build a garage wall with they would fit the bill well but until I can get tungsten-carbide tipped teeth I need to produce something softer.

Are there any keen bakers out there who could give a novice a few tips.

HD

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Lower the temperature of the water you add; could it be you're killing the yeast which is meant to make the bread rise ?

or lower the temperature and leave it to stand longer.

Or more yeast.

Pure guess, I'm no baker.

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Guest 30_degrees

In a fit of madness I decided to purchase a breadmaker to try and better the shop-bought rubbish. I bought the Morphy Richards model recommended by Which Magazine and try as I might I cannot produce anything that is edible. Despite using the exact make of ingredients specified in the instructions and measuring to the nearest molecule I cannot produce anything that is light enough to eat. If I wanted something to build a garage wall with they would fit the bill well but until I can get tungsten-carbide tipped teeth I need to produce something softer.

Are there any keen bakers out there who could give a novice a few tips.

HD

Hi HD,

My other half bought me one to encourage me to make bread again. I have to say my experiences are the same. My solution is a two wheel Electra Beckum bandsaw in the garage he he

Although knocking up fresh bread by hand is messy and time consuming, it beats a machine hands down for quality. Just made some ginger, lemon and oat cookies if you're not full of indigestible bread?

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In a fit of madness I decided to purchase a breadmaker to try and better the shop-bought rubbish. I bought the Morphy Richards model recommended by Which Magazine and try as I might I cannot produce anything that is edible. Despite using the exact make of ingredients specified in the instructions and measuring to the nearest molecule I cannot produce anything that is light enough to eat. If I wanted something to build a garage wall with they would fit the bill well but until I can get tungsten-carbide tipped teeth I need to produce something softer.

Are there any keen bakers out there who could give a novice a few tips.

HD

Machine made bread does tend to be "heavier" than hand made, probably because machines make it in a faster time and do not leave the dough as long to prove and rise. Each model seems to give slightly different instructions and sometimes the order in which the ingredients are placed in the tin makes a difference (water at the bottom, yeast on the top to start for example).

In my experience although the bread is heavy in texture it is not inedible. However, as all home made bread contains no additives and preservatives it goes stall fairly quick so don't make more than you can eat fresh within a day or so. (I think this no additives and staying fresh for only a short time is why the French are forever, twice a day, are nipping off down the boulangerie to buy another baggette.

At least with a breadmaker it doesn't take much time or effort to knock off a loaf and so it is relatively easy to experiment with ingredients and conditions until you produce something more to your liking, - a sort of scientific approach to breadmaking (you can do the same with that other yeast based product, home brewed beer as well ;-) )

Finally, if you are producing bread which is inedible or has gone stall quickly my advice is don't waste it, particularly at this time of the year, put it out for the birds in the garden.

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I have one and it took me several attempts but it got better over time I find the water temperature is important it should be lukewarm. It is always heavier than shop bought bread though but not to heavy.If you just use the machine to mix it then put it in a loaf tin let it rise and then oven cook it you will get better results. As for it not keeping as long no problem in our house it gets eaten straight away while it is still warm. lol

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Guest 30_degrees

I have one and it took me several attempts but it got better over time I find the water temperature is important it should be lukewarm. It is always heavier than shop bought bread though but not to heavy.If you just use the machine to mix it then put it in a loaf tin let it rise and then oven cook it you will get better results. As for it not keeping as long no problem in our house it gets eaten straight away while it is still warm. lol

Hehe, there were eight in our family when we were young and mum used to bake nearly every day and the same pretty much happened. it must have been like feeding a bunch of gannet's. Bread, bran loaf, scone's, coffee kisses, sponge, coffee, chocolate and fruit cakes, a chocolate slab (with rich tea biscuits), jellies, blancmange, trifles, jam, lemon, almond tarts, oat biscuits and at christmas, mince pies, more fruit Xmas cake and Xmas pudding with silver thruppeny bits in. Pancakes with juice from oranges and lemons and a sprinkling of sugar, the list goes on.

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Hehe, there were eight in our family when we were young and mum used to bake nearly every day and the same pretty much happened. it must have been like feeding a bunch of gannet's. Bread, bran loaf, scone's, coffee kisses, sponge, coffee, chocolate and fruit cakes, a chocolate slab (with rich tea biscuits), jellies, blancmange, trifles, jam, lemon, almond tarts, oat biscuits and at christmas, mince pies, more fruit Xmas cake and Xmas pudding with silver thruppeny bits in. Pancakes with juice from oranges and lemons and a sprinkling of sugar, the list goes on.

Sounds a bit like my mum that, how did they do it ? Unlike today with the fancy kitchens and every gadget you can think of, apart from the stove [if they were lucky] our mums had next to nothing. W/E.

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We bought a morphy richards bread maker a few years ago - had a window in the lid so you could see what was happening. Exactly the same problem as you have described. Despite plenty of suggestions from Morphy Richards I could not get a loaf of bread to resemble anything but a heavy stodgy lump. Gave up and bought a Panasonic which has been fantastic, far better than any bought loaf and very light. I tend to stick with simple 50/50 or all white loafs and have yet to try any of the more 'exotic' recepies in the book.

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Guest 30_degrees

Sounds a bit like my mum that, how did they do it ? Unlike today with the fancy kitchens and every gadget you can think of, apart from the stove [if they were lucky] our mums had next to nothing. W/E.

The second house we had on Colley Cres was one of the Sunshine Houses, it had gas plumbed in and there was a coal fire in the front room with a back boiler with an oven in the kitchen. Apart from melting anything that came in too close proximity for any length of time to the oven, we had brilliant bread, pies and stews from that lump of cast iron. The last two with lashings of Hendersons of course :) it was my job to clean the flues at the weekend, soot everywhere! he he

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The second house we had on Colley Cres was one of the Sunshine Houses, it had gas plumbed in and there was a coal fire in the front room with a back boiler with an oven in the kitchen. Apart from melting anything that came in too close proximity for any length of time to the oven, we had brilliant bread, pies and stews from that lump of cast iron. The last two with lashings of Hendersons of course :) it was my job to clean the flues at the weekend, soot everywhere! he he

The mention of cleaning flues and mess everywhere reminds me of something that happened in my childhood. We had just moved to a terraced house off Holme Lane Hillsborough, next door to an old couple who still used the old Yorkshire range for cooking and baking.

My parents were somewhat perturbed by a deep "whuump" noise that came from next door, each Sunday morning, it caused all the windows to rattle.

Eventually my father went round to enquire after a particularly earth-shaking wake-up call.

It turned out the old girl placed a tablespoon of gunpowder through the little inspection door to the flue under the fire-oven, placed a paper taper in it and after lighting it retired under the stairs. Apparently she had been doing it for years. She kept the gunpowder in a large pot jar with a wooden stopper under the sink. Thankfully she had almost emptied the jar and was rather upset because she had been unable to obtain any more supplies. We never did find out where she got it from in the first place. She told us it once was a common practice to keep the oven burning properly.

If a 2 gallon jar of black-powder had been set off by a static discharge the off-shot kitchen would have off-shot into the next street.

HD

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Guest 30_degrees

The mention of cleaning flues and mess everywhere reminds me of something that happened in my childhood. We had just moved to a terraced house off Holme Lane Hillsborough, next door to an old couple who still used the old Yorkshire range for cooking and baking.

My parents were somewhat perturbed by a deep "whuump" noise that came from next door, each Sunday morning, it caused all the windows to rattle.

Eventually my father went round to enquire after a particularly earth-shaking wake-up call.

It turned out the old girl placed a tablespoon of gunpowder through the little inspection door to the flue under the fire-oven, placed a paper taper in it and after lighting it retired under the stairs. Apparently she had been doing it for years. She kept the gunpowder in a large pot jar with a wooden stopper under the sink. Thankfully she had almost emptied the jar and was rather upset because she had been unable to obtain any more supplies. We never did find out where she got it from in the first place. She told us it once was a common practice to keep the oven burning properly.

If a 2 gallon jar of black-powder had been set off by a static discharge the off-shot kitchen would have off-shot into the next street.

HD

he hehe hehe he I can't stop giggling!!! Were getting way off track here but my Granfather used to open bullets and shotgun cartridges for the powder, mix with various other potions and fill brown paper tubes made with glued paper wrapped around a pencil to make fireworks, with rarely a missfire and you knew when one went off ;-)

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Nothing posted here makes want to rush out and buy one <_<

Breadmakers probably cost a fortune in Switzerland Stuart, wait until you get home to buy one lol

Although you haven't got a breadmaker I seem to remember that you do have some experience from years ago of making bread by hand.

I must admit, having used both methods, that although making bread by hand in the tradition way is more time consuming and labour intensive the end results are worth it. You get a much better loaf of bread.

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Breadmakers probably cost a fortune in Switzerland Stuart, wait until you get home to buy one lol

Although you haven't got a breadmaker I seem to remember that you do have some experience from years ago of making bread by hand.

I must admit, having used both methods, that although making bread by hand in the tradition way is more time consuming and labour intensive the end results are worth it. You get a much better loaf of bread.

I am home! lol

Everything is expensive in Switzerland

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I am home! lol

Everything is expensive in Switzerland

Not been away that long then, - did you run out of money before your time there was up lol

If you are now skint and want some cheap bread to feed yourself, wife & kids you could always try making your own he he

By the way, got your e-postcard you sent while the wife wasn't looking!

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