Breadmaker timer mess

The higher the gluten, the more water required. Some AP flour from northern mills, particularly Canada, are higher in gluten than nation brand bread flours. Therefore, it is really hard to give and exact measurement for water unless you also know the gluten level. Furthermore, there can be dramatic deviations in the amount of four per cup (by weight) depending on your measurement technique. The most problematic issue here is that the bread didn't rise. This is clearly an indication that the yeast was not active. Even with too little water, you should have had some increase in volume, but the bread would have been dense and dry. I don't think that the milk powder had anything to do with your problem. You can make perfectly good bread without milk. My guess is that your yeast was bad, you made a measurement mistake, or that your bread maker malfunctioned.

You should be using "bread machine yeast" which is instant active dry yeast. You can test it by mixing a teaspoon with a pinch of sugar and about a half cup of warm water. In 15 minutes you should see significant activity. Most recipes assume that you will aerate the flour, spoon it into the cup, and sweep the cup with the back of a knife.

Never, try a new recipe on the timed cycle! Use a recipe that you have made many times before... If this was a recipe that you've tried before, perhaps your machine malfunctioned.

The powdered milk, wasn't the problem... you can make bread without milk, the milk just gives it a softer crust and more nutrition. Recipes call for powdered milk on the timed cycle to lessen the chance of spoilage.

Rina