British Expatriate Network

Please can you tell me how I should change the ingredients so that the bread doesn't come out so airy? It's so fluffy that it's difficult to cut. I have to wrap it in kitchen paper and leave it for a day and then it's a bit better.

How can I make a more dense loaf?

Cheers.
Stel-who-needs-bread-for-tomorrows-bacon-and-eggs-breakfast.. 8)

We had that problem!

Reduce the yeast. Carefully. Beest would say experiment but clearly you are limited by time. What is your recipe? Probably you need to use 1/2 to 3/4 actual tsp of yeast (as opposed to a "baking teaspoon") to 4 cups flour.

Go to the supermarket and buy a loaf.

VRB-who's-too-lazy-to-mess-with-that-kind-of-stuff-and-would-rather-pay-for-someone-to-do-this-for-him.

:wink:

Have you ever tasted the bread they sell in supermarkets in NJ?? It's no good for a bacon butty (which is what we just had..yum)

Monster, I put in only 1.5 teaspoons of yeast and it definetely came out more dense than before. It was also half the size of a normal loaf, I think that was caused by me putting it on the wrong cycle though (too many cocktails), will try again later this week.

Cheers.

I have bought a bread machine and have yet to had any success, mostly in the taste as well as texture area. I think. it mainly because the all the books I have that have bread machine recipes, are US.

So anyone ready to share recipes? And for rolls do you just use the same recipe for bread, taking it out after the dough cycle?

I used to use the ready blended mixes in my breadmaker in the US. If I followed the instructions exactly (ie add a cup of water), then the bread would balloon out of the pan. I discovered that cutting out about 1 tablespoon of water was what was needed to have normal density bread.

Our attempts with a bread making machine have come out like house bricks !!!!!
We have discovered pre made dough from Stop and Shop is rather good. Put it in a pan overnight to rise and bake for 20 mins. Get packets of the Irish butter and bacon they sell and feast.
Thank god for the Dutch !!!!!!!

Beest says now you need to increase the oil.

She asked for it....

14 fl oz of milk ( american fluid oz. if they're different ?)
2 teaspoons of sugar ( not Standard teaspoons, two spoons full of the small spoons I stir tea with :wink: )
4 desert spoons of olive oil ( again the spoons I eat pudding with, not a standard measure) tend to be a bit generous here, not worrying about slopping in a bit extra.
4 cups White Bread flour( =American standard cups, = 240 ml, about a liter will do)
level teaspoon ( see above) of bread machine yeast.

Use the standard loaf settigs and normal crust browness.

I had to fiddle with quantities quite a long time to get it just so ( the right amount of liquid is also important as Ameriscot noted)

Results, good to great, does vary, but always edible. :D


I use the same recipe and the Dough setting to make cobs (rolls to most).
Make a small roll. let it rise for 20-30 minutes before baking.

And even a plaited loaf, monster has a pic somewhere.

Enjoy

Methinks MacZ doesn't use a machine, more of a hands on guy :wink:

Me thinks Mczee has his hands on other things right now wink

And I suppose you want me to find and post it do you?

:roll:

I'll have a rummage later 'cos it'll be on the back-up disk, not on here. Now don't be late home tonight 'cos the sprogs are off and I'm already contemplating sticking them in the bread machine...... ;)