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Every kitchen and every baker is different. Use this helpful Tips & Troubleshooting guide to help you navigate your way through baking with yeast. This guide includes tips on traditional bread baking, bread machine baking and gluten-free baking.
A Few Words About Your Ingredients…
1. Insufficient yeast or expired best before date
2. Liquid was too hot – destroyed the yeast enzymes.
3. Liquid and/or other ingredients were too cold – slowed down yeast activity.
4. Too much salt was used which will inhibit or slow down yeast activity.
5. Too much sugar or not enough will inhibit or slow down yeast activity.
6. Rise temperature was too low or too high
1. Not enough flour was used.
2. Flour was too old or too low in gluten.
3. Too much kneading
1. Flour used was too weak
2. Dough was over-proofed / over-risen
3. Oven temperature was too low
1. Oven temperature was too low
2. Too much flour was used
3. Dough was too dry
1. Oven temperature is too hot
2. Bread taken out of the oven too soon, and is not fully baked.
1. Rising period was too long
2. Too much yeast was used
1. Bread not cooled properly
1. Dough rising period too long
3. Oven temperature is too low
4. Dough not kneaded long enough
1. Dough rising period was too short
2. Flour used was too weak
1. Dough was poorly moulded/shaped
2. Dough allowed to rise too long
Why buy a bread machine? A bread machine combines convenience with flexibility. If you enjoy a fresh loaf of bread, but don’t have the time or space to bake from scratch, a bread machine is for you. For those with special dietary needs, it is easy to create special recipes without a lot of time and effort.
What is the difference between bread type cycles? The bread machine cycles offer you flexibility to optimize your bread characteristics. Each cycle has a specific time and temperature to maximize dough performance. Typically a whole wheat cycle has a longer rise and bake time. For your specific machine cycles, refer to your owner’s manual.
How do I know which crust color to select? Bread machine cycles can be picked to control crust color and crispiness. If you prefer a soft and light crust, choose a light cycle. For the darker, crisper crust, choose a darker cycle. If your bread recipe has a lot of grains or sweeteners that can cause it to brown quickly, choose a light crust cycle.
How do I use yeast in my bread machine? Use Yeast in any bread machine on any cycle. For Active Dry Yeast – use 3/4 teaspoon of yeast for each cup of flour. Active dry yeast is not recommended for one-hour or less bread machine cycles. For Instant Yeast – use 1/2 teaspoon of yeast for each cup of flour. For one-hour bread machine cycles, yeast amounts must be doubled or tripled; suggested liquid temperatures vary with machines.
Always use liquid temperatures at 80°F and other ingredients at room temperature.
Crust is too thick:
Bread collapses during baking:
Bread does not rise
Loaf is short and dense:
Bread has coarse texture:
Bread has doughy center
Unbrowned top:
Large mushroom top:
Flour on side of loaf
Crust too dark
Rancid taste
While bread machines offer freshly baked bread at the push of a button, some people have baked more “hockey pucks” or “mushroom loaves” than they’d care to admit. Below are some tips you might find helpful when baking with the bread machine.
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