The Breadmaker Thread

Dizzyblonde

That French setting is my favourite. The crisp light crust and fluffy bread....
I make it a lot at the weekend.

Phoebas

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

That French setting is my favourite. The crisp light crust and fluffy bread....
I make it a lot at the weekend.

I've recently discovered the Brioche setting on mine - gorgeous hot out of the machine.

cold case

positron wrote: »

Ah is that how you get fluffy brown bread - by using mostly white? Every time I tried 50:50 brown and it turned rather thick and heavy, and I have finally settled for 70:30 white and brown, with a pinch of Vitamin C. It's still not as fluffy as your average white bread, but not too heavy either.

Ya, you can make lovely light brown loaves using mostly white flour. You can tweak the recipe gradually if you like, but I find that the more brown flour you use, the heavier it is, and the less it will rise.

I started with breadmakers in 2002. I started with a Morphy Richards model, (not available any more) and loved the recipe. Over the years, using different makes and models, I have more or less stuck with the same loaf recipe. I found over the years that you can reduce the amount of sugar and salt without any damage to the loaf. As I make around 5 or 6 loaves a week, I have worn out about 8 breadmakers over the years, even getting spare bread pans along the way!

Keep with it, you will never want to buy another loaf of bread again!

MurdyWurdy

Our breadmaker is still working out great - we're experimenting at the moment with combinations of white/wholemeal flour to get a perfect recipe for us.

I've also been looking at buying white flour online to see if I can get a good deal. I've been looking at Amazon and it seems that converted to euro I can get flour for 1.30EUR per kilo but the Hovis strong white flour is 99c a kilo in Tesco so at the moment that seems the best deal. Does anyone else have any insight? Haven't looked at wholemeal yet but I've only found that in m and s and I think that may be cheaper online. Need to do some more research - trying to be very frugal at the moment

Dizzyblonde

I bought a 2kg bag of Odlums Strong Wholemeal in Dunnes in Portmarnock at the weekend.
I think it cost €2.64.

twerg_85

Here's one to try - normal bread recipe (plain white in the panasonic book) but replace half the water with red wine. Add raisins/sultanas and you get a delicious bread.

F.

cold case

MurdyWurdy wrote: »

Our breadmaker is still working out great - we're experimenting at the moment with combinations of white/wholemeal flour to get a perfect recipe for us.

I've also been looking at buying white flour online to see if I can get a good deal. I've been looking at Amazon and it seems that converted to euro I can get flour for 1.30EUR per kilo but the Hovis strong white flour is 99c a kilo in Tesco so at the moment that seems the best deal. Does anyone else have any insight? Haven't looked at wholemeal yet but I've only found that in m and s and I think that may be cheaper online. Need to do some more research - trying to be very frugal at the moment

Just an idea - if you are buying flour in bulk, store it in an airtight container, or freeze it. Flour is not great for keeping for a long time.

yaya*

Alun wrote: »

Actually, despite having found it in Dunnes previously, my wife reported that they no longer had it (either that or she was looking in the wrong place, which isn't entirely impossible!) so beware. Our current source is Sainsbury's own brand from up north, which is handy for us as she goes up there regularly on business, but might not be convenient for most.

Somewhere on here I seem to remember there's a post from a fellow breadmaker fan who ordered some Dove Farms (?) flour of Amazon, and apparently it wasn't too bad delivery wise. Might be worth doing a search.

I've gotten Dove farms organic flour, white and whole meal, in Superquinn.

jendafer1

Just wondering, has anyone ever successfully made the odlums brown soda bread mix in a breadmaker? Would love to wake up to that fresh in the morning!

Cheshire Cat

jendafer1 wrote: »

Just wondering, has anyone ever successfully made the odlums brown soda bread mix in a breadmaker? Would love to wake up to that fresh in the morning!

I don't think that's possible, to be honest.
My breadmaker has a bake-only option and you can use it to make soda bread (have never done that). However you have to make the dough in a separate bowl and then fill it into the breadmaker tin. On my breadmaker (Panasonic) you can't put the bake-only option on timer and, even if you could, the bread wouldn't rise as the soda starts reacting once it comes in contact with the liquid and would have lost it's power by the time the bread was baked hours later.

Alun

Exactly, there's no way to prevent the soda reacting with the water as soon as you place both ingredients in the breadmaker. For 'ordinary' bread, they usually recommend you put the yeast in first, then the flour and finally the sugar etc. and the water. The dry flour acts as a barrier between the sugar and the yeast for long enough to allow the use of the timer.

Some of the newer, and more expensive, Panasonic models have a yeast dispenser, which could be used for making soda based breads from scratch if that's what you want to do, but not for bread mixes.

twerg_85

Made a nice beer bread last night. Mix of strong wholemeal and strong white, bottle of heineken topped up with water. Delicious !

I love how easy the bread machine is, deffo recommend it.
F.

fenris

Any thoughts on the kenwood bm450?
I need a new machine, I was also looking at the panasonic 2051 but the rapid bake is 2h and it doesn't seem to have moved on much from my old SD250, I like the idea of a good rapid bake as I seem to use it fairly often and also the programmable custom settings seem like a good basis for experimenting.
Both machines are almost the same price in curries.

Allumni

Hi,

Does anyone own a Logik breadmaker & are they any good? I was in Currys at lunchtime and they have them for only 29.99 - the cheapest Panasonic was 99 I think.

Thanks,
Allumni

Cheshire Cat

fenris wrote: »

Any thoughts on the kenwood bm450?
I need a new machine, I was also looking at the panasonic 2051 but the rapid bake is 2h and it doesn't seem to have moved on much from my old SD250, I like the idea of a good rapid bake as I seem to use it fairly often and also the programmable custom settings seem like a good basis for experimenting.
Both machines are almost the same price in curries.

Had a look at that machine on amazon, as I have the feeling that my Panasonic will need replacing in the nearish future (after 5 years and approx. 5 loaves a week).

The reviews are pretty good, but some users say that the paddle spindle is dodgy. It's prettier than the Panasonic, but needs more space. The fast option isn't to my taste. According to the recipe book the Kenwood needs 4(!) teaspoons of dried yeast for a fast loaf. That would make for an awfully yeasty loaf. I'd rather stick with the 2 hour fast option of the Panasonic.

If I need bread really fast, there's always soda bread :cool:

fenris

I find that if I have to use the rapid option it generally means that I am really stuck so I keep a few packs of tesco bread mix in the press and just use that with some honey, cheese and a little milk added to the mix, makes a decent sandwich loaf that still beats packet bread and has started to be demanded by the kids for their lunch, I think it is the honey and cheese that make the difference and gives a nice tasty crust.

I think that I am going to go for the BM450 the idea of custom programs really appeals, although what I really want is the ability to completely program a bread machine, I just know that eventually I am going to end up with a machine on the worktop with half of its guts hanging out with an arduino board bodged onto the side and a laptop sitting beside it!
Shouldn't be that hard now that I think of it.

Cheshire Cat

@fenris: please report on your experience, if you get the machine. Would be very interested!

jos28

cold case wrote: »

I make brown loaves all the time. 5 cups of strong white to 1 cup of course wholemeal. It needs a little bit more dried yeast though.

Any chance you could post up your Brown yeast bread recipe please. I have mastered the white loaf but my Brown loaves could be used to build houses. Even the birds won't eat them

cold case

First of all this recipe is for a large loaf (3 lbs) in swan breadmaker.

2 cups of water
1/4 cup of milk
3 tablespoons of sugar
3 teaspoons of salt
4.5 tablespoons of sunflower oil
5 cups of strong white flour
1 cup of coarse wholemeal flour
1.5 teaspoons of dried yeast


If however you have a 2 lbs size breadmaker, try these:

1.5 cups of water
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
3.5 cups of strong white flour
Half a cup of coarse brown flour
1 teaspoon of dried yeast

If your brown loaf is turning out to be very dense, try less brown flour with more white flour, and/or a little more yeast.

Best of luck jos28!

jos28

Thanks Cold case, I will give that a go tomorrow. Cheers !

cold case

jos28 wrote: »

Thanks Cold case, I will give that a go tomorrow. Cheers !

How did you get on with the brown yeast loaf? If there was a problem, I have a troubleshooting guide, so let me know and you can tweak the recipe.

sedohre

Hi, I just starting using a bread machine this week and I'd love to find out what recipes people use in theirs.

I don't have one worked out yet myself.
I've tried a chocolate banana and pistachio bread but it didn't turn out great. It was edible but lacking in flavour.
Brown tomato bread needed more tomato flavour but it turned out well.
A basic wholemeal bread, again needed more flavour.

I hope there are people out there with tried and tested recipes they love.

Many thanks

Dizzyblonde

Threads merged.

sedohre if you scroll back through this thread you'll find some recipes and tips.

kenco

Hi after long discussions we are thinking of dipping our toes into breadmakers. Dont want to spend a fortune as it may or may not work out so looking for thoughts and guidance on the Aldi option tomorrow;

https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/sunday-specialbuys-18th-august/products-detail-page/ps/p/bread-maker/

I know its not a Pano but as an entry level, trial, see how it goes, etc, what do you think?

Thanks in advance!

mel.b

kenco wrote: »

Hi after long discussions we are thinking of dipping our toes into breadmakers. Dont want to spend a fortune as it may or may not work out so looking for thoughts and guidance on the Aldi option tomorrow;

https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/sunday-specialbuys-18th-august/products-detail-page/ps/p/bread-maker/

I know its not a Pano but as an entry level, trial, see how it goes, etc, what do you think?

Thanks in advance!

I'd be interested in opinions too

cofy

Panasonic store have great deals on their breadmakers http://www.panasonicstore.ie/products.html/appliances/breadmaker

I got the 2502 before christmas and I find it excellent. My children and husband prefer the bread from the breadmaker for their lunches.

evolving_doors

cofy wrote: »

Panasonic store have great deals on their breadmakers http://www.panasonicstore.ie/products.html/appliances/breadmaker

I got the 2502 before christmas and I find it excellent. My children and husband prefer the bread from the breadmaker for their lunches.

Ok I got the same one but either too doughy or rock hard.. I actually thought the old €35 lidl one I dumped was just as good....can you give a basic bread recipe? Also what flour do you use?

cofy

Armelodie wrote: »

Ok I got the same one but either too doughy or rock hard.. I actually thought the old €35 lidl one I dumped was just as good....can you give a basic bread recipe? Also what flour do you use?

The first loaf I tried did not turn out right, so I reduced the amount of water by about 20mls and they have turned out perfect light and fluffy ever since.

This is the main one I use


My daughter also likes this with 50 grams of cheddar cheese and a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, I just reduce the amount of water.

The flour I use is oldums.

evolving_doors

cofy wrote: »

The first loaf I tried did not turn out right, so I reduced the amount of water by about 20mls and they have turned out perfect light and fluffy ever since.

This is the main one I use
[IMG]https://scontent-b-mxp.xx.fbcdn.net Ooooooooooo/hphotos-prn2/v/p240x240/1490977_584725224953770_673496457_n.jpg?oh=0c11fdfa3f4f0edfe12cc7bfb0fb1ae0&oe=52D38954[/IMG]

My daughter also likes this with 50 grams of cheddar cheese and a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, I just reduce the amount of water.

The flour I use is oldums.

Ok just to get this right...is that with
the small medium or large?
Overnight?
What setting for the darkness?
Salted or unsalted butter?
Ta

cofy

Armelodie wrote: »

Ok just to get this right...is that with
the small medium or large?
Overnight?
What setting for the darkness?
Salted or unsalted butter?
Ta

The amount of cheese and mustard is for the small loaf, I would reduce the amount of water by about 30mls.
I normally set it overnight.
I set it at dark crust.
Salted butter.