Breadmaker recipes are a dime a dozen. But unfortunately there are always mistakes that make the bread not 100% successful.
But sometimes it’s like being jinxed. Bread recipes just don’t want to succeed. The fresh bread from the breadmaker doesn’t rise properly, has a dent in the middle and and and…
My breadmaker tests have shown that there is a lot that can go wrong. But in this article, I’ll show you 12 tips that are guaranteed to make your bread machine recipe a success.
how to make perfect bread maker recipes
The correct temperature of the ingredients is very important
1. The right temperature
Ideally, the ingredients should all be at the same temperature. Because this way the ingredients can be mixed much better. I therefore always try to bring all the ingredients to about room temperature. I just take milk, butter or eggs out of the fridge an hour before baking if I need them.
2. Water and yeast – friend and foe at the same time
Yeast must not come in contact with the water
The principle is the same for all breadmaker recipes. First put all the liquids into the baking pan. Only then come the dry ingredients such as flour or salt.
The dry yeast must not come into contact with the liquid, otherwise it will start to work too soon. Therefore: the dry yeast comes last.
Especially if you use the timer function of your bread maker, you should pay attention to the following. The best way to prevent contact is to make a small depression in the middle of the flour and put the crumbled yeast or the dry yeast in it. Add the dry yeast.
3. Fight your curiosity
It may be tempting to look at your bread while it is baking. But be sure to keep the lid closed!
Bread is very sensitive to drafts. In the worst case, it will fall completely in itself. So hold back, even if it is difficult.
Only open the lid during the kneading phases. This may even be necessary to add more ingredients, sprinkle grains or to score the dough with a sharp knife before baking.
4. The bread must come out of the baking pan quickly
Most bread makers have a keep warm function. It is very practical if you can’t take the bread directly out of the baking pan, but you shouldn’t overdo it. Ideally, the bread should cool on a cake rack immediately after baking. Otherwise the bread will start to sweat and water will be deposited on the crust. Your breadmaker recipes can be as good as you like, you will never get a crispy crust.
5. This way the bread falls out of the baking pan more easily
There is nothing more annoying than a loaf of bread that just won’t come out of the baking pan.
In no case should you hit the baking pan on a hard surface or run a sharp-edged object along the edge. Because by doing so you would destroy the delicate coating.
It is easier to do this if you turn the drive shaft at the bottom back and forth a little. In order not to burn yourself, it is important to use a cloth for this purpose. Now the bread should fall out of the mold by gently shaking it.
It is also advisable to grease the dough hooks before baking. This will not stick in the bread (smaller holes) and it is easier to release from the baking pan.
6. Cleaning
Hygiene is also very important when baking bread. This is why you should clean your breadmaker regularly. Most can be cleaned easily with a damp cloth and mild detergent. A cotton swab is suitable for hard-to-reach places.
Under no circumstances should the baking pan be put in the dishwasher. Because the coating is very delicate. Stubborn dirt can usually be removed very easily by pouring hot water into the baking pan after baking and letting it soak for about 30 minutes.
7. Baking bread without a hole
Surely you know the problem too. Your bread is ready, but there is a big hole in the bottom caused by the dough hook. Some bread makers therefore have retractable dough hooks. But many machines do not have this luxury. If you still don’t like a hole in the bottom, consider the following tip for your bread maker recipes:
The manual of your appliance should state exactly when the baking process starts and on which program. About 10-15 minutes before you can lightly dust your fingers with flour and remove the dough hook.
Attention: be sure to pay attention to the times when the machine begins kneading. Because your finger should better not come between the rotating dough hooks.
Then you can put the dough back into shape and continue baking your bread as usual.
If you are interested in a breadmaker with folding dough hook, have a look at compersus.Com over. Because there I have answered a few more questions that will help you find the right breadmaker for you.
8. The bread maker recipe opens, but then collapses again
Collapsed bread can have many causes
If your bread collapses during baking, this can have several causes.
A "V"-shaped indentation appears in the center of the bread
In this case the flour is missing the gluten. Remedy is either a better flour quality or per 500g flour from the bread maker recipe, additionally a tablespoon of wheat gluten.
The bread collapses like a funnel
This may be due to either the water temperature being too high or too many liquids being used. But it could also be that the flour lacks gluten.
Bread has a dent after baking, despite correct breadmaker recipe
Often the solution to the problem is quite simple. Because in many cases, the breadmaker recipes simply lack gluten in the flour. In such a case, I simply add 1 tablespoon of wheat gluten to the dough.
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9. Bread machine recipes taste strongly of yeast
If the bread baking machine recipes taste too strongly of yeast, then this can have several causes again. If sugar was used in the recipe? Then you should omit it. This will make the bread a little lighter, but it tastes less like yeast.
Alternatively, you can replace some of the water with commercial brandy or apple cider vinegar. The acidity clearly weakens the taste, without itself stepping into the foreground. As a rough guideline, you can remember: for a small loaf (ca. 500g) you should replace about 1.5 tablespoons. for large breads, a guideline of 2 tablespoons applies.
If you are not on a vegan diet, you can substitute buttermilk for the water. This affects the taste of the bread, but usually only for the better.
10. The bread rises too much in the breadmaker
First check that you have measured out all the ingredients in the breadmaker recipe correctly. Because often it is due to too much yeast, too much flour or too little salt. It may also be a combination of several faulty ingredients. If you change the quantity of the ingredients, you will also be able to solve this problem.
11. Bread does not rise enough
Often the yeast was completely forgotten. Or the bread had too little time to rise. Bread recipes from the oven often have to go 20 to 30 hours. This is not possible in an automatic baking machine without its own program. The only thing that helps is either a little sourdough or more yeast. If you are sure that you have followed the recipe exactly, it may be because the yeast is too old and no longer has the required leavening power.
Generally you should use fresh ingredients. So can also old stale flour, or wrong flour lead to the bread to prevent rising.
Too hot liquid is also a popular source of error. As already described, all ingredients should preferably be at room temperature.
12. The bread has collapsed
You should make sure that the bread volume is not larger than the baking pan when using the bread maker recipes. If you make bread maker recipes from the internet, you may need to adjust the quantity of ingredients. Because if the volume becomes too large, the bread collapses in the middle quite quickly. This looks quite unattractive and should be avoided if possible.
If ingredients containing water are used in the breadmaker recipes, the liquid must of course be reduced accordingly.
Also a too early or too fast fermentation of the yeast by too much warmth can be a cause. This can be caused by water that is too hot, a warm baking chamber or high humidity.
If the weather is warm, you should avoid using the timer function of your bread maker, as it could cause excessive humidity in the baking chamber in the meantime. Alternatively, you can also try using cold liquids.
And which breadmaker is the right one for you??
The question about the right breadmaker is not so easy to answer. Because it always depends on which breadmaker recipes you want to bake and which functions you need.
If you are our which breadmaker you should buy, I can give you beside my own breadmaker test also the page breadmakers.De recommend. There you can find a lot more information about this topic. Take a look!
Do you need more tips for your breadmaker recipes? Write it in the comments, then I will expand the list.
And if you have any other problems with your breadmaker recipes, feel free to post your questions or solutions in the comments of course. If this article has helped you, I would be very happy if you would give it a 5 star rating.
