4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Lavenders_Blue]

This is giving me some lovely ideas for my new bread machine So far I have made a couple of 50/50 wholemeal/white loaves which have turned out superbly but am looking forward to experimenting a bit more. 6 seed flour sounds delicious and I am also planning to have a go at spelt bread - I have made this by hand in the past but it usually turned out rather like a house brick Hoping for better results with the bread machine!

[The Dogmother]

Which make machine did you get L_B? My Panasonic is brilliant.

 

There are some local mills which make nice wholemeal flour, and that 6-seeded one is lovely too, I can get it locally and buy it every now and then.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I went for a Panasonic too. They seem to be the machines with the best reviews and the two loaves I've made so far have been perfect so I'm very happy. My parents had a bread machine for many years (I can't remember which make but possibly LG) and whilst the bread was nice, it had a tendency to be a bit dense, but so far the Panasonic seems to be turning out lovely light loaves. The question is, if a home bread machine can make perfectly light, tasty loaves, then why do commercial flours need to have dough improvers/chicken feathers added?

We have a working mill quite close to us, so I think I am going to take a trip over there and see what flours they do and if I can pick up anything delicious.

[The Dogmother]

I bought mine after speaking to friends who had one; I am delighted with it. Had a brief blip, which was nothing to do with the machine, When the harvest had been bad and the gluten content of the flour was rubbish and I had some brick-type loaves, but I started to cut the flour with Canadian strong flour and it worked again. I hated buying foreign flour but it served the purpose.

[chickencam]

I use the Canadian strong flour to cut weaker British flour too, it works very well because it has such a high gluten content, there is a lovely wholemeal one too.

[patsylabrador]

Is it all packaged bread or just white? I do like wholemeal sliced toasted but not so much now. I make my own too but how do I know the flour improvers aren't in the flour I buy. It's like in history when housewives were sold flour with chalk except a bit more gross.

I have to really stand my ground about buying white sliced, the men all like it so this sort of ammo is good. Not sure what this says about my baking skills though.

[The Dogmother]

I don't have any facts to base this on, but my guess that it appears in a large proportion of all 'bought bread'.

[Olly]

I think if you buy bread made by normal - slow - processes such as artisan-type loaves, it's less likely to contain it, but almost any sliced, packaged bread - and some supermarket baked ones - is likely to have improvers etc added because it speeds up the process.

 

Read this but not if you're just tucking into a sandwich ... human hair, hmm? And this article has some helpful background. According to the article above, it's not just the additives but the very rapid process that causes problems because there's a lot more yeast in it, and the gluten is not broken down.

 

As far as I know, if it says 'flour' on the packet, then that's all it should contain - I'd have to check a bag of flour to see if it says it has anything else added. At least if you make it at home, you'll do it in the old-fashioned way.

[The Dogmother]

Am I right in remembering that Lakeland sells a flour improver? I wonder if it contains hair or feathers.....

[patsylabrador]

I've got myself a bread maker. I just didn't fancy bought bread, even supermarket bakery type loaves have flour improvers on the label. My oven is the worst I've ever had and makes baking very unpredictable so I bought a Panasonic. First loaf yesterday was lovely which surprised me as I thought the machine would have to 'bed in'.

[Lavenders_Blue]

Mine was brilliant from the first loaf too patsylabrador, very impressed! Only problem is that there are so many yummy recipes to go at I will end up the size of an elephant. Currently tucking into homemade fruit bread, delish!

[The Dogmother]

Doesn't that one smell delicious when it's baking?

 

The pizza dough setting is very good, but I find that it needs far less yeast than they say.

[CatieB]

I have a Panasonic bread maker my dad gave me, I have no instructions though they got lost. The model is the one with the nut dispenser 255. Does anyone have this one and could they give me a foolproof simple bread recipe. I've tried a few times and generally the loaf is heavy whereas I know it should be fab in this maker.

 

Dogmother other I saw what you put about the yeast, what effect would that have. I am currently trying 500g flour, 1 tsp each of sugar salt and yeast plus 3 tbs olive oil and 300 ml of water, it's on as we speak

[The Dogmother]

I have the Panasonic SD253, they have a very good customer service department, so if you can't find the manual as a download online then try ringing them up for one.

[CatieB]

Thanks DM I think they are fairly similar models as a friend gave me the guide for your model. Can you tell me the quantities you use for a foolproof recipe please, or do you vary it?

 

I really want to persuade DH we should be baking our own but given his northern tendencies and the bricks I've turned out so far he's not persuaded

[The Dogmother]

I usually use:

 

0.5 tsp of quick yeast

200g strong wholemeal flour

200g strong white flour (Canadian is good)

Dessert spn of honey

Dessert spn of olive oil

Tablespn of milk powder

Pinch of salt

300ml water

Omega seeds in the dispenser

 

Their customer services number is 0844 8443868

[CatieB]

Thank you that sounds lovely. Will definitely try that.

[CatieB]

My effort today is my usual brick what am I doing wrong? And it's lopsided as if one side hasn't risen. It looks very very dense and is small as if not risen. To be fair my yeast has been in my cupboard for a while so maybe I need new.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I wonder if the recipes vary slightly from model to model? It might be worth getting hold of the recipe book for your Panasonic model CatieB just to test out that theory. Otherwise could there be a problem with the heating element in the machine?

[The Dogmother]

It could be your yeast or your flour; I would look at those possibilities first. Use yeast that hasn't been opened and is within date, also (and I hate to be unpatriotic) used Canadian extra strong flour to cut your fancy flours as it rises very well. The British flour isn't brilliant at the moment and needs some help.

[CatieB]

I'm going to buy new flour and yeast. DM what setting do you use for that recipe? The basic?

 

PS I have downloaded the instruction manual and it is now on my kindle app on my iPad.

[The Dogmother]

Sorry, I set it to medium bake with nuts/raisins (or whatever it's called!) I usually use the timer to have it ready when I get up... there's nothing so nice as waking up to the smell of baking bread

[CatieB]

I'm destined to make poor bread. DM recipe in and on. Now I notice I had th option to set size. I didn't realise and its set to XL when I'm sure that quantity should be medium as DM has said. I can't alter it so I'm bound to have overcooked bread.

[The Dogmother]

Is there no way to alter the size setting?

 

Don't forget to choose the wholemeal setting too.

 

I'd give them a ring if you can't find destructions online and see if they can send some out to you.

[soapdragon]

Claire; we use 'destructions' too!!!!!