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If The Loaf Is…
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This Could Have Caused It
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Short Loaf
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- Not enough sugar.
- Not enough yeast or the yeast was old or improperly stored.
- The timer was used and the ingredients were placed in the pan so the salt or water was in contact with the yeast for a long period of time.
- Short, heavier loaves are normal when using whole grain flours or when using all-purpose flour instead of using bread flour.
- The pan was too large for the recipe size used. Not enough dough to fill the pan.
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No Rise
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- The yeast was old or improperly stored, or yeast was forgotten or mismeasured.
- Other key ingredients were forgotten or mismeasured.
- Timer was used and the ingredients were placed in the pan incorrectly.
- Water was too high and the yeast was killed.
- Too much salt was used and the yeast was killed.
- Too much sugar was used and the yeast was killed.
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Mushroom Top
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- Usually indicates that the ingredients were out of proportion. Too much yeast, sugar, flour, liquid or a combination may result in the dough exceeding the capacity of the pan.
- Bread pan was too small for the amount of dough.
- Too many sugary ingredients were used.
- No salt or too much salt was used.
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Sunken Top
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- Ingredients amount were out of proportion.
- Salt was ommited.
- The bread pan was too small.
- The dough rose to the top of the machine and interfered with proper baking and cooling.
- Bread machine was opened during the baking cycle.
- Warm weather, high humidity or overheated liquids all speed up yeast action, which may cause the dough to rise too fast and the bread to collapse before or right after baking begins. To help avoid this, baking during the coolest part of the day and use cool or cold liquids.
- Too much liquid in the dough. It was too soft to keep its shape when baking began.
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Gummy Areas
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- Too much wet or rich ingredients like applesauce, eggs, fat, etc.
- Too much sugar.
- The room that the bread machine was in was too cold and it affected the baking temperature and so the loaf didn’t get baked enough.
- In rare cases the thermostat of your machine is defective and the loaf didn’t bake properly. If this happens repeatedly this is probably the case.
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Coarse/Holey Texture
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- Too much water.
- Too much yeast was used, or yeast action was accelerated by hot, humid weather or over heated ingredients.
- Salt was omitted.
- Drain fruit and vegetables well and pat dry before addingt to the bread dough.
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Heavy/Dense
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- Not enough water.
- Not enough sugar.
- Not enough yeast.
- Too much flour.
- Be sure salt was added.
- Too much whole-grain flour or whole grains were used. Substitute half bread flour.
- Too much dried fruits or other added ingredients were used.
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Other things to check
- Make sure your yeast is fresh. If you don’t store the yeast in the freezer make sure you keep an eye on the expiration date. If you do store your yeast in the freezer (the best place to store it) you can disregard the expiration date. Freezing yeast allows it to remain fresh well beyond the expiration date. To store it in the freezer remove it from its container and place is a tight lidded moisture proof container. Use the yeast right from the freezer there is no need to warm it first.
- If you don’t know if you yeast is good or not, place 1 tsp. of yeast in a glass bowl with 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 tsp. white sugar. Mix well and allow to site for 15 minutes. If the yeast is good it will bubble and become foaming. If it doesn’t replace your yeast it is dead.
- If you store you flour, sugar, etc. in the refrigerator or freezer warm it before using it. You can either let it come to room temperature naturally or you can warm it in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. You don’t want it to get hot however.
- Make sure your recipe doesn’t call for more than 1/4 cup of sweetener. More than this amount and it will affect the yeast. Too much sweetener be it sugar, honey, etc. is bad for your yeast. If you want to use more than the 1/4 cup use special yeast called “Brown Yeast” it is designed for high sugar and high acid dough’s. You can order this yeast from King Arthur Baker’s Catalog.
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Sunbeam
I am grateful for the tips on this site, but I have just encountered something not apparently covered in your advice.
My most recent whole wheat loaf came out of the bucket of the small second-hand Panasonic Bread Bakery machine that I am gradually learning to use, IN THE FORM OF CRUMBS. Quite literally, it began disintegrating into crumbs as it hit the board, and the lightest touch made it fall to pieces further. Now, I tried to follow a recipe, and previous loaves in this little machine have been tasty although aesthetically lacking, so I am at a loss to explain the excessive friability of this particular loaf. )The crumbs, by the way, promise to make elegant meatball mix, when ground beef next goes on sale.)
I used fresh yeast, all the sugar, and salt called for, and cool water. There had clearly been rising going on, but of what alien sort, I cannot say. Nor was it the first time I had subsituted a bit of flax seed meal and wheat germ for a portion of the whole wheat flour.
Thoughts from more experienced bakers??
Thanks!
cindy and ben May 10th, 2008 at 7:23 amHi
I hope you can help me. I have recently been given (not new but as good as) a Prima model ABM12 bread maker.
Charlotte Tate June 4th, 2008 at 9:48 amI used the reccommended brand ingredients, followed the instructions and used the reccommended programme and despite several tries the ingredients don’t even mix, let alone rise or look like a loaf - any advice would be greatly appreciated.
regards
Charlotte
@Charlotte - If it is not even mixing then you may have a defective bread machine. Is the paddle securely attached at the bottom of the pan? Is the motor kicking on and the machine heating up?
BMD June 4th, 2008 at 11:39 amCindy - If you used cool water, that could be part of the problem. I’ve always been instructed to use “room temperature” water, which to me means you can just barely feel some warmth in the water if you stick your finger in it. We know yeast needs warmth to rise and using cold water could kill the yeast before the machine has had a chance to warm up.
Here’s on more thing for breadmakers: you may need to change the amount of certain ingredients if you live in a high altitude area! That’s anything over 3500 ft. I live at 4600 ft so have to be careful to check the recipes!
Margo in Arizona
He
Margo June 4th, 2008 at 3:57 pmI have been making my own Pizza Dough and am looking for advice on WHEN to flatten/roll the dough.
Don Donalson June 28th, 2008 at 1:11 pmLast night I cut the dough into 2 portions and tried to shape the first half having great difficulty right out of the Maker.
The second half was much easier but both STUCK to the Pizza Stone which I did nothing to this time.
What pointers help can you give?
Thanks
I love to make pizza dough, too, and have found that I need to use either olive oil or flour to make the dough cooperate. When I’m making a stromboli on an oblong metal pan, I prefer the oil — I drizzle it onto the dough in the pan, then help it soak down the edges by running a skinny spatula around the edge and bottom. Then I dump the dough onto the pan and shape as needed. When I’m making pizza on a pizza stone, I prefer to use flour, since the oil soaks into the stone, and that builds up over time. I sprinkle a few tablespoons of flour on the dough in the pan and help it coat the dough by running the spatula around the sides and bottom. This helps the dough pop out onto the pizza stone, where I flatten it either by hand or with a rolling pin (I am completely incompetant when it comes to hand tossing pizza dough!). I have found that initially, the dough will spring back and not want to retain the rolled shape. But if I let the dough rest awhile, it does better on a second try. My chef friend, who can hand toss, lays down a light sprinkling of corn meal onto the pizza stone to keep it from sticking, then uses a wooden paddle to slide the formed dough onto the heated pizza stone already in the oven. Hope these tips help.
A Hager July 26th, 2008 at 12:36 pmI used my breadmachine for 5 months, everything worked fine. The problem started last week, after kneadling the bread dough, there was some grey stuff found inside at the bottom of the pan, around the shaft. The paddle look fine to me, no scratch. I didn’t cook the dough which had touched the gray stuff. I didn’t use my breadmachine since then. What is wrong with it, can I fix it without buying a new one? Please advice. Thanks.
Frances
Frances August 10th, 2008 at 7:12 amI love your pictures of various bread problem. For a beginner like me,it really helps to see and identify the problem. I live in a high altitude area and my bread always comes out with a “sunken top”. Some people tells me my flour is too dry and the bread is rising too fast, so I add 50% more liquids and 25% more salt, but it still comes sunken. I’m going to try your remedy. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks.
handysimon September 5th, 2008 at 12:17 amI just bought a 2nd hand bread machine, and am hoping to be able to make spelt bread. I have a wheat sensitivity. I have made two loaves of bread now, and both have been dismal failures. The first loaf, I got from a different website and the recipe specified white spelt flour. I think I tried to make a 2 lb loaf in a 1 1/2 lb machine. It was sunken and dense. For the second loaf, I used your first loaf recipe, subbing spelt for wheat flour 1:1. Even more sunken than the first loaf, it’s not even done cooking but it’s a huge failure. Do you have any suggestions for using spelt instead of wheat? There are very few spelt recipes out there, and I’m getting frustrated trying to figure out how to replace the wheat with spelt.
Jenny October 2nd, 2008 at 9:12 pmI want to make a banana nut bread in my welbilt 2 pound machine. The recipe says use the “cake” setting. I misplaced the manual that came with the machine. Please tell me what would the “cake” setting be?
Iris October 13th, 2008 at 9:35 amI put raisins in at the correct time, but they sink to the bottom.
Linda D November 15th, 2008 at 12:19 pmI purchased a Panasonic Bread Bakery bread machine SD BT 51P (one pound) second hand and I don’t have the manual - I’ve been searching the web and went to the Panasonic web site - does anyone know how to find one?
Nancy November 23rd, 2008 at 5:55 amThanks so much !
I have trouble getting the loaf out of baking pan, it eventually comes out with a lot of shaking usually the padlles stay stuck in pan and pulls out chunks of bread with it,,, we have tried different machines, the odd time it will drop right out , no problem, but you have to fight with it most times we need some advice Thank you
Orance Plamondon November 24th, 2008 at 3:50 pmmy Charlescraft bread machine is stuck on timer mode..i unplugged it and still can’t get it off that setting no matter how hard i try! Any ideas?
wendy November 30th, 2008 at 9:07 amI just bought a Zojirushi bbcc-x20 and as of now have made 3 different loaves/ types. I followed the recipies to the letter and all were hard, heavy and not edible. HELP. I have no clue what to do. My old “cheap” machine was never this irritating.
Dee February 8th, 2009 at 7:50 pmI recently purchased a Sunbeam Bread machine after years of owning a Hibachi (the Hibachi gasket crumbled and I could not find replacements). My problem with the Sunbeam is that my bread dries out within two days and the texture is very corse. I have tried different recipes within the instruction booklet as well as the recipe I used in the Hibachi. My question, is there any type of preservative that I can add or do you have any suggestions as to what else could be the problem. My old Hibachi recipe was perfect in texture every time and was still good enough for sandwiches after three days.
Sally Vose February 18th, 2009 at 11:37 amI am getting good tasting loaves, but they are very hard to slice. They are to spongy and don’t hold shape while I cut. Any help? I’m just starting…
sara March 2nd, 2009 at 12:21 amI’ve had a bread machine for a few years now. Have had two different brand machines. The loaves turn out great, regarless of the recipe I use. The problem I have is this - on the second day the bread seems dry & not as moist as it was the day it was baked. Can anyone advise me. Thank you.
Karen June 23rd, 2009 at 7:55 amI got a 2nd hand Welbilt ABM-100-3 it kneads the dough but will not advance past the kneading cycle to the rise cycle it just sits there! can it be advanced manually
Pam July 20th, 2009 at 7:09 pmI have a Black & decker machine which I have loved. But…. the paddle paint has flaked off leaving the bare metal. What can I use to repaint the paddle and replacement part is no longer available????
evelyn July 27th, 2009 at 6:19 amFirstly, I think this is a great website! My question is what do you do to compensate for things like altitude and weather when you are using a bread maker?
Ange August 30th, 2009 at 3:16 pmI have a Breadman Ultimate and I am trying to use the gluten free receipy that came with the instruction book. The problem is that I have a large air bubble in the center. What am I doing wrong? I live in Florida, could the humidity have anything to do with this?
Alice September 3rd, 2009 at 6:54 pmWe have a bread machine that has worked just fine in days past, but today the bread maker comes on, but the blades will not turn. The brand is a magic chef.
Carol Ellingson September 4th, 2009 at 12:40 pmCould the ingredients be too thick (though it has done thick before)?
i have a Oster bread machine it is about 10 years old its the one that has the 58 minute cycle for bread i have used it for a very long time but just recently when my bread is done the top is not baked with the loaf it separates from the rest of the loaf. the bread comes out perfect except for that. this has just started i have baked bread in this machine for a very long time and have changed nothing with the ingredients or measurements so i cant figure this out
Sharon September 25th, 2009 at 9:26 amANY HELP ANYONE ???? i would greatly appreciate any suggestions
thank you
Sharon
I am very new at bread machines, I usually do all the work myself when I make bread. So I just got a bread machine and I am having huge problems. My loafs come out with flat tops and appear overbaked. The last one I tried using the basic recipe from this website turned out the same, I even stopped backing 8 minutes early because it smelled like it was burning. What am I doing wrong, my ingredients are all fresh, could it be high altitude? How do I adjust for that?
Any help or advice would be great.
Patti October 8th, 2009 at 9:46 amPatti,
You may need to add more flour or water to the dough to get the consistency right. Look at http://www.breadmachinedigest.com/beginners/your-first-loaf.php and read the part under “dough consistency”.
Ethan October 8th, 2009 at 10:06 am