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Need help with disastrous bread result

Hello, I am a newbie to this group. I appologize in advance for the length of this post, but I don't know how to ask the questions without telling everything.

I would appreciate very much if somone could help me with a problem making bread with my breadmaker. It is a Welbilt ABM 6000, and before last night, I had made two loaves with it that came out fine. Last night was my first attempt to make a batch using a recipe as opposed to a mix. It did not turn out well, lol. In fact, it didn't rise hardly at all, and ended up being about a half inch tall. There is a lot of humor to be seen in this, but for the long haul, I would like to be able to do it right the next time.

This is the recipe I was using: (my explanation of what happened along the way comes after the recipe)

-------------------------------- Ciabatta Bread

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 1/4 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

2 loaves 3 hours 30 minutes 2 hr 0 mins prep

  1. Place ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer.

  2. Select the Dough cycle, and Start.

  1. Dough will be quite sticky and wet once cycle is completed, resist the temptation to add more flour.

  2. Place dough on a lightly floured board, cover with a large bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes.

  1. Lightly flour or use parchment lined baking sheets.

  2. Divide into 2 pieces, and form each into a 13x14 inch oval.

  1. Place loaves on prepared sheets, dimple surface, and lightly flour.

  2. Cover, and let rise in a draft free place for approximately 45 minutes.

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degres F.

  2. Dimple dough for a second time, and then place loaves in the oven, positioned on the middle rack.

  1. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

  2. During baking, spritz loaves with water every 5 to 10 minutes for a crispier crust.

-------------------------- I put the ingredients in the machine in this order: bread machine yeast, bread flour, sugar, salt, olive oil, water. When I went to spread it out after it's time in the machine, it was very, very sticky. I didn't add any flour to it, but had some difficulty spreading it out, and even getting it out of the machine intact. I don't currently have a real "board" to use, so I used a plastic cutting board, lightly floured. When I went to form it into loaves, it was still very sticky, and the loaves were more like 10 x 14 due to the shape of the cookie sheet I was putting them on. Was this a problem? I covered them with baking pans and let them rise on top of my oven, thinking this would be a warmer place to do it, and would help it rise. It sure didn't seem to rise a whole lot. When it says "Dimple" I assume that means touch it allover lightly? Maybe this was the problem? Anyway, when it was done, it looked a whole lot more like a cracker on steroids than bread. I would really appreciate any help you can offer, thanks in advance.

Peggy

Reply to
fivsonsmom
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Cibatta is a very sticky dough. It isn't suppose to puff up like a loaf of Wonder Bread, but 1/2 inch isn't right either. I would say that one of two things happened. You didn't let it rise long enough or the yeast was bad. What I don't understand is that in nearly every bread recipe I have seen it says something like this" "Let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 90 minutes or until double in bulk." The time is just a suggestion based on the author's experience in his situation. You have to let it rise sufficiently no matter how long it takes. If after a reasonable amount of time, say three or four hours at room temperature, the dough has not risen, then the yeast is dead. I would get a fresh supply of yeast and start over. You can get instant dry yeast (bread machine yeast) in one or two pound bricks for about $2/pound at any of the warehouse stores (Sam's, Costco, etc., or at GFS Marketplace). Even my Meijer store carried the large package at one time. It is available online at the King Arthur Flour website. I had bad luck with yeast from grocery stores when I bought it there - probably because of improper storage.

Reply to
Vox Humana

Thank you so much! I will try the extra time for rising-- it sure hadn't risen to double it's size, that's for sure. It didn't say that though and I'm not experienced enough to know what to look for really. I will also look for other bread machine yeast. I might try the local "Fresh food market" or the "whole foods grocery" too.

Thanks again, Peggy

Reply to
fivsonsmom

I just suggested the bulk yeast because it has worked very well for me and is inexpensive as compared to buying the small sachets at the supermarket. You can also buy a small jar of bread machine yeast at the supermarket, the price is outrageous. If you do much baking, the bulk package is the way to go and it will last for a year or two if properly stored.

You can test for adequate rise by gently indenting the dough with your finger. If the impression doesn't quickly spring back, the dough is properly risen. Of course, this is just a guideline, and you will have to use some judgement.

Reply to
Vox Humana

The extra yeast may be required for bread baked in the machine. However, since the OP baked the bread in her oven, I don't think the amount of yeast would matter much. A little more, a little less wouldn't hurt.

Reply to
Vox Humana

I use Red Star yeast. I get mine from the King Arthur Flour catalog, but I think one can buy it in ordinary grocery stores. Fleishman's is fine, too. You don't need a special bread machine yeast.

My bread machine book (_Bread Machine Magic_, which I recommend) also says Welbilt bread machines need a little more yeast -- 2 teaspoons for most 1.5 lb loaf recipes. That works great in mine. However both the book and the machine are about 10 years old, so this may have changed.

Priscilla

Reply to
Priscilla H. Ballou

It bears pointing out that the expiration dates on these packages apparently presume room-temperature storage or something.

I'm just getting to the last third or so of a brick of SAF Instant that expired in january of 2002. I keep it in an air-tight container in the freezer. It hasn't disappointed me yet.

Reply to
Eric Jorgensen

This is such a small thing -- but I will mention it anyway. You list the ingredients in the order suggested by your instructions to be added as: bread machine yeast,

I have been baking in a bread maker for as many years as they have had bread makers (just recently put mine up on the shelf), but I have ALWAYS added the ingredients in EXACTLY the reverse order that you have listed. I can recite them by heart.

Water, olive oil, salt, (sugar,) bread flour, yeast!

This is how the order seems to me: The wet ingredients are added first so as to mix them together well, & the sugar gets a chance to melt into the water; If you add the wet ingredients last, the wet ingredients sort of sit on top of the flour and don't want to absorb into the flour; the flour goes twirling around on the flapper for too long before the water gets into the flour. After adding next-to-last the flour, I dig a tiny well in the flour and place my yeast in it. I think of it this way: my yeast is last to hit the water/moisture and it doesn't get confused by the temperature of the water.

Just a thought. Dee

Reply to
Dee Randall

OK. I don't bake in the machine, and I use the extra amount, which works fine.

Priscilla

Reply to
Priscilla H. Ballou

Reply to
fivsonsmom

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