Hi. I've been baking the same recipe for three years now, and have recently had NO success with it, or with any other bread recipe I make. Can you help? Here's what you need to know: 1. Up until recently, I was living in England, and currently live in West Texas. 2. The recipe I used was mixed in a Magic Chef bread machine, and allowed to rise twice (1st in bowl, 2nd in pans) outside of machine, which did a beautiful job of mixing and kneading...it's pure silk when it comes out! 3. I previously have used electric ovens and now have a gas oven, which has been checked for accuracy in it's heating. 4. I have made adjustments in the recipe for liquid (re: the change in climate from humid to dry), in flours (use Better for Bread on a regular basis, though), added wheat gluten, tested yeast for activity, use thermometer at 105-115* to set water temp, and have even allowed to "under" rise and "over" rise from the norm that has not come out. These changes have been done over a period of time, one at a time, to make sure the results have been tested.

I still have a loaf that is heavy, dense, holey, both inside and out, and the crumb is actually quite shiny and somewhat rubbery. The taste of the bread is very yeasty, and I'm about to lose my mind figuring this thing out. I have also tried other recipes to see if I'm really "losin' it", but they have failed, too. I can't think of anything else to share, besides the recipe, which I have had others test out to see if it would come out right for them, and it has. So, somewhere, the problem is with me and what I am doing. My tests have not proven to answer any problems, as the loaf comes out the same each time. In England, I could play with this recipe and not have ANY problems with it at all, which is why I used it on a daily/weekly basis!!!'

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance! Becky

-- Anonymous, April 10, 2001