Dear FoodLovers,

I am using a premix of bread at present as my homemade bread was coming out stodby and so is the premix bread.
The breadmaker appears to be happy and I am very careful at how I measure the ingredients and the order they are placed in the breadmaker, I have even resorted to making my bread by hand again.
Any ideas as to why the breadmaker is continually making stodgy, dense loaves?

Kindest regards,
-Kathie-

HI Kathie,

You say that your "breadmaker appears to be happy" but..... My first thought was - where is the breadmaker when it's in operation? From my experience the breadmaker likes to be on a stable surface in a non-draughty place at normal room temperature (i.e. comfy warm for us humans) - do you have the breadmaker in operation at night or during the day when you're not there and therefore the room is perhaps not as warm as if you were in it? With the much cooler temperatures we've all been having I wonder if your breadmaker is feeling the cold - in fact I've checked my breadmaker's manual and I quote: "Temperature is an important factor in bread baking. The temperature of the room and the ingredients can effect the final result. Best results are obtained at a room temperature of 20°C, using room temperature ingredients."

The other thought that I had too is mentioned above, particularly the temperature of the ingredients, but I also wonder if maybe your flour/premix is not as dry as it would be in warmer temperatures.

My thoughts - I hope they help and I look forward to reading what thoughts others may have.

Hiya Shirley,

I only use him when I am at home at the weekend. The kitchen is fairly warm, however in saying that; he does reside in the garage under cover of plastic and it is damn cold in there, possibly he needs to thaw out a bit and in saying that; the flour lives in the garage also and possibly it is damp(ish) from the cold.
Thankyou Shirley for your sound advice.
However, in summer he did a very dense stodgy loaf, hence the reason, he was basished to the garage, until I finally forgave him for his evil doings.
I shall move the bread mix and my flour tonight, to a more convivial environment - possibly they could reside in my hot water cupboard; loadsa room there.
Thanks again...
-Kathie-

Try increasing the yeast - if the recipe says 2 teasp use 3 teasp. It may be the colder weather is slowing the action of the yeast hence dense stodgy bread

Check your yeast for freshness as well - we've not made bread for sometime however the kids pleaded for homemade bread again. The first three loaves ahve been stodgy and dense so we shifted the breadmaker from the freezing cold laundry and into the warm kitchen for the 4th loaf. Still stodgy - so we checked the yeast....and it was a bit old. So it was off to the supermarket for new yeast and the 5th loaf is currently in the breadmaker. Hopefully that is all the problems fixed!

Thankyou Korimako and Jo for more valuable advice; I will plot another loaf this weekend...

Kathie, I'm having the very same problem! Both the home-mix and pre-mixes don't seem to be cooking properly, resulting in stodgy bread. I've tried many of the above suggestions and have come to the conclusion, maybe my Sunbeam breadmakers thermostat is not working as it should. I only have pre-set programs so can't do a manual bake. I've started buying bread again until I sort out what to do.

Not much help eh!
Diane.

Hiya Diane,

It is really disappointing huh; evil things - we have been back on the brought stuff; to avoid my heart felt disappointment...

Cheerio,
-Kathie-

Dear Ladies,

Just keeping you all in the picture; well Saturday bread using a premix came out undermixed and horrid; so i biffed it to the birds along with the premix.
Next batch on Sunday, I added a little extra yeast and it mushroomed and tried to escape from the breadmaker, but was yummy. Feeling clever I then did a dough mix; to attempt to make my own frankfurter buns and this appears to have come out also; we will be having them tonight.
I will see what happens this weekend; I have been known to have these flucky successes.
Thankyou for all your advice.
-Kathie-