A quick question please. On the last few loaves of bread in my machine the dough rises very well but when baking it "falls" at the top creating a concave look on the loaf. Any ideas? thanks tom

-- tom (wysfarm@raex.com), December 26, 2001

Answers

I gave up on bread machines. More frustrations than they are worth.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), December 26, 2001.

Never got a decent loaf out of my bread machine. Now use it to let it do the needing and rising, and bake in the oven after that. Wish I could help!

-- Sue (sulandherb@aol.com), December 26, 2001.

Sounds like your dough may be too moist after kneading. This will cause it to cave after rising. Try reducing the liquid toward the minimum limit in the recipe or monitor the kneading and dusting the dough to keep it formed as a soft pliable ball.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), December 26, 2001.

I agree with Jay's comments-----I love my bread machine & use it all the time-----check on the net for a few thousand recipes to give you more variety!

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), December 26, 2001.

I love my bread machine. Being able to plop the ingredents in then walk way to do something else is great. Your cave in most likley are caused by to much liquid in the dough. I know the recipies I use, I am always tempted to put in more water. It always looks like there is not enough.

Anyone have any good flavored bread machine recipies? I have a nice cheese bread recipie I love.!!!

-- Gary (gws@columbus.rr.com), December 27, 2001.

I was ready to throw the thing away but your replies have given me hope! I will back off the liquid in the recipe!! Mine always caves in. My partial whole-wheat fresh cornmeal recipe is good but comes out caved in... And cough up the cheese bread recipe!! Sounds delicious. Bet it would be good with French onion soup. Thanks. :o>

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), December 27, 2001.

Tom, try adding a quarter cup of potatoe flour to the recipe, available at bulk food stores and some grocery stores.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), December 27, 2001.

We have exceptionally good bread with a bread machine, errr kind of. What I mean is we use the machine to do the kneading (the long drawn out part that I have difficulty finding time for) and then we let the bread rise in regular pans and bake it in the wood cookstove. Now is that a strange mix of technology and tradition. We also add 3 tablespoons of gluten flour and that seems to make the bread very nice and light. I think the problem is that most of us are not cooking with bread flour, rather the stuff you buy of the shelf at the grocery store. My English recipes all call for strong bread flour. Never seem that around here!!! Kim

-- kim (fleece@eritter.net), December 27, 2001.

It sounds to me like there is possibly too much liquid in your dough.

Bread machines are like any other tool, you have to know how to use them, before they are useful.

There are really good articles on bread machines, how to use them, problems with the bread and more at kingarthurflour.com

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), December 27, 2001.

kim is right. Not all flour is the same. Bread needs flour high in gluten protein. Gluten is the "gluey" stuff that holds the bread together but lets the holes expand as the yeast works. Hard wheat is high in gluten. Soft wheat makes cake flour, low in gluten. I saw this in an ad recently & copied it down on the back of a recipe-- to test flour: add a scant cup of water to 2 cups flour- -if you get a dough ball, you have high protein/high gluten (bread) flour; if you get "soup" you have low protein/low gluten (cake) flour.

-- Cindy (cindywellsofpgh@yahoo.com), December 27, 2001.

Hi Tom,

Yahoo Groups has a bread-machine list that is really active and is super helpful. Loads of recipes, too.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), December 27, 2001.

I'll join the above advice. Sounds like too much liquid to me. Bread machines are great, but so is the "old-fashioned" way. These days I usually go with the machine, even if it is only to knead the dough which I then use for bread (rarely) or pizza dough (lots!) GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), December 27, 2001.

When I make bread with the bread machine, I watch the kneading a bit to make sure that dough is gathering around the paddle. If it is sticking to the walls, I add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it quits sticking.

-- Ardie /WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), December 27, 2001.

Yes "bread flower"

4 eggs...Cinnamond....3/4 cup raisins...

Oh boy!!......ya shure can't buy it at a store as good as this!

-- Jim-mi (hartalteng@voyager.net), December 27, 2001.

mine is a comment;

I find the top crust that has fallen to, but with bought bread machine mix. when I do my own reciepe it;s firm and fully shaped

-- francesco (verme@fiber=net.com), March 13, 2002.