Anyone got a Breadmaker

[Phil Pascoe]

Interesting - I don't use a breadmaker but I used Dove's Farm once ............ and wouldn't use it again.

 

[Tris]

Just read this and Steve Maskery's post re cheese, feeling hungry now.

+1 for Panasonic machines, especially the one that has a rye setting.
Try Wessex Mill flour, they do 10kg sacks as well as little bags and it is brilliant. Do keep your dried yeast in the fridge, it'll last up to it's use by date easily that way.
ALDI sometimes have spelt and rye flours in and they've been good in the machine, just be prepared for a sunken top on the loaf.

 

[Steve Maskery]

ALDI sometimes have spelt and rye flours in and they've been good in the machine, just be prepared for a sunken top on the loaf.

You should not get a sunken top. If that happens it is because the flour is not strong enough or the dough is too wet, so, given that that is the flour you are using, you need to add a bit more flour to stiffen it up.

This is why it matters what flour you use. The recipes are designed using Allinson's flour (I think) so for other brands the recipe is just a guide, to be modified as necessary.

 

[Dibs-h]

Bearing in mind I don't have a breadmaker - why is there a separate paddle for rye flour (for the Panasonic)?

Cheers

Dibs

 

[MikeG.]

Lunch!

 

[Tris]

ALDI sometimes have spelt and rye flours in and they've been good in the machine, just be prepared for a sunken top on the loaf.

You should not get a sunken top. If that happens it is because the flour is not strong enough or the dough is too wet, so, given that that is the flour you are using, you need to add a bit more flour to stiffen it up.

This is why it matters what flour you use. The recipes are designed using Allinson's flour (I think) so for other brands the recipe is just a guide, to be modified as necessary.

Steve, the recipe I use is for something more akin to German rye bread and uses no white flour at all.
Used to make all rye sourdough and that needed less kneading and more proving so I guess the machine relies on the higher yeast content (than white bread) to leaven the bread but then the gluten isn't strong enough to form bubbles that retain the gas.

 

[Tris]

Bearing in mind I don't have a breadmaker - why is there a separate paddle for rye flour (for the Panasonic)?

Cheers

Dibs

Very little gluten in rye flour so the dough is pretty wet. The paddle is more of a mixer than the kneading blade for white bread flour
Hth
Tris

 

[Dibs-h]

the recipe I use is for something more akin to German rye bread and uses no white flour at all.

In a breadmaker? Do you mind sharing the recipe?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Ah OK. It does sound interesting, I like German black bread.
But are you saying it is supposed to be sunken? If so, fair enough. But if it should be risen, or at least flat rather than hollow, you could try adding a tiny amount of xanthum or guar gum. That might help.

 

[Simon_M]

I like German black bread

I would be interested in the recipe for German black bread - if you make it in a bread machine, knowing which recipe setting to use would also be helpful e.g.it's like #5 wholewheat, but with xyz in the recipe (for me - for it to "work" it has to be foolproof).

I noticed that Panasonic have a RRP (or similar) price and some (unsavoury) sellers ask more than this. On Amazon the price of my breadmaker is always going up/down and (worse) Amazon sometimes charge more for the lower spec. machines in the range. So whilst you might question paying "more for only a little more", getting "less for more" is obviously the wrong way to go.

FWIW anyone considering one of their machines, you should look at the Panasonic website before "shopping" on-line because it's easy to think the on-line pricing equates to the RRP (and features). The paddle for Rye is sufficiently different (like a key) that I don't think I would be tempted to use it for "normal" bread.