6 Common Bread Machine Problems and Solutions to Save Your Next Loaf (2024)

FAQs

What are common problems in bread making? ›

First, your dough would rise very fast. then it would collapse. Over proofing destroys the structure of the loaf. Also, the slower the rise, the better the flavor.

Breads made with all purpose flour breads (versus breads made with bread flour) tend to be denser breads because all purpose flour has less gluten than bread flour. Gluten helps trap the CO2 bubbles put out by the yeast. More gluten means more trapped bubbles (which equals an “airier” less dense bread).

One disadvantage of using a bread maker as opposed to your hands is that the paddles are typically fixed, meaning they remain in the dough when baking, often leaving a hole in the middle of the loaf. Whilst this is not the biggest hinderance, it can be an annoyance to those who aim for gold standard loaves.

Too little yeast, your bread won't rise sufficiently; too much, and it will rise and collapse. It's important to watch your dough as it rises and bakes; dough that has risen and collapsed may look just like dough that never rose at all, once it's baked.

The Very Best: Instant Yeast

Instant yeast is the only yeast I ever use in my baking. Always have and always will. The yeast of choice in most restaurant kitchens and commercial bakeries, it's easy and convenient.

Condensation can build up in a bread machine if it is not opened at the end of the baking program. If a loaf is left in the machine after baking it can absorb the moisture from the condensation and become soggy. For future bakes, remove the loaf at the end of the baking cycle.

Can you put too much yeast in homemade bread? ›

This can affect the bread by adding a "yeasty" taste if you put too much into the dough. General amounts of yeast are around 1 - 2 % of the flour, by weight. Too much yeast could cause the dough to go flat by releasing gas before the flour is ready to expand.

A: Try taking out the paddle after the 2nd kneading cycle is over, but before the 2nd rise or 3rd rise and bake times.

In a 2017 article for TASTE, Tatiana Bautista argued that a widespread fear of carbs during the late '90s and early '00s led to the bread machine's demise. The gluten-free movement probably didn't help either. But things are changing, and bread machines are becoming relevant once again.

Potato Flakes or Potato Water

Starch helps the dough by trapping the gas from the yeast in the dough and makes the bubbles stronger. This helps the bread to rise and be lighter and fluffier. If you are boiling potatoes, you can use the unsalted water in place of the water in your bread recipe to help out the yeast.

After baking the bread, put it in a plastic bag just before it cools to room temperature. The residual moisture in the bread will soften the crust.

There are a lot of no-no's when it comes to baking bread, but the most frequent ones I've seen with new bakers are using too much yeast and too much bench flour.

It may be flat or if it is proofed and baked in a tin, then the sides of it will start spilling over. It will not rise as it is baking either.

underproof dough will spring back completely correctly, proof will spring back slowly and only halfway, and overproof dough won't spring back at all. after baking, the underproof dough will be dense and deformed. while the dough that was ready will be fluffy and light. and the overproof dough will be flat and deflated.