[r+lchick]

I have made up with my bread maker.  I use to follow the recipes religiously and although the bread came out ok, the taste was not right.  So, in the cupboard it went and it stayed there for 2 years.  Got it out about 2 months ago and looked up the old recipes.  I didn't have any powdered milk in the house, so put in fresh milk.  Well, what a difference to the taste.  It was unbelieveable.  I now no longer buy bread but make a fresh loaf every evening for the sandwiches the next day.  BF likes it and his sprogs won't eat anthing else unless they are forced to (and they are teenages).   So to all of you who have a breadmaker at home but are disappointed with the taste - forget powdered milk and put in fresh milk.  I put in 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of fresh milk and a dash for good luck.  Sorry to all you puritans out there.  I don't have anywhere warm to rise my dough and I don't have the time to knead the dough - so a breadmaker it has to be.  Anyway, go on, dust off the cobwebs and have another go.   Ros   

[Snoopy]

Hiya Ros,

If you follow a Ciabatta recipe, it does not contain milk at all - just olive oil and water.

The taste and texture is fab, plus a few raisins and a bit of cinnamon and its lovely toasted

Lasts longer than bread with milk in it too!

Julie

[little blue]

I put in 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of fresh milk and a dash for good luck

Does this just replace the powdered milk or some of the water as well?
My simplest recipe uses 1 1/2 cups water and 4 spoons p.milk, is this the same as yours?

I want to try it, without wasting a loaf!  Sometimes they come out wrong for no obvious reason  - think it could be the yeast being hit and miss ?!

[Womble]

I was chatting to a baker once, who said that if your bread comes out of the breadmaker a bit 'cakey', i.e. tastes too much like a cake, rather than proper bread, then you can cut down on the amount of sugar you use. Definitely a good tip!

[r+lchick]

1 cup of water
1/4 cup of milk + a splash
2 tablespoons and 1 desert spoon of butter
2 tablespoons +  2 x 1/4 teaspoons of sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 cups of flour (3 plain white or 2 plain white and 1 brown or 2 plain white and 1 seed)
1 1/4 teaspoons dried yeast

That is the recipe for my breadmaker.  Hope you have success.

[sheila]

I use a breadmaker just to knead the dough. after the second mixing I take it out and let it prove before shaping it into the type of loaf or bun that I want. my recipe is simple really and I never have a failure.    :- 600grms Flour (should be strong but can be brown or white. NOT wholemeal which is difficult to use)
                           !/2 teaspoon Salt
                           1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
                           2 Teaspoons dried yeast or 1/2 ounce fresh yeast
                           splash of vegetable oil
                           1/2 pint warm water

That's it. You can leave the dough to prove all day if you like or it should be ready in an hour. Do remember to have the oven on to the hottest possible setting.

[Norfolk Newby]

I went over to fully skimmed milk a couple of years ago as my weight is rather high. Once you get used to it, tea and coffee are fine. But it is then apparent that normal milk tastes too creamy so you have to choose.

When I got a breadmaker, the recipes called for milk powder and water but I just used the fully skimmed milk (equal volume to the water specified in the recipe). It works fine and there is no mucking about.

I like to keep things simple. However, I can't claim to have lost much weight by using skimmed milk or cutting out sugar. Ho hum. Perhaps I am enjoying life too much!

NN

[r+lchick]

I use semi skimmed milk because that is what I have in the fridge.  BF doesn't like skimmed milk and I can't be bothered to have both.  But, doesn't the bread taste better with proper milk and not powdered? 

[Norfolk Newby]

Having only used skimmed milk, I have not done a comparison. The bread tastes very good. The only problem I have with it is that it goes stale faster than I can eat it!

I finish up toasting slices to mask the fact it is no longer fresh.

I shouldn't complain. I suspect the supermarket stuff is full of chemicals to allow them to keep it on the shelf for a week or more. It seems to stay 'fresh' for about a month. I hate to think what it contains to be able to last so long. Hence the preference for homemade stuff.

NN

[marigold]

We don't use any milk at all in our bread and I love it. ?
Never tried adding milk powder so not sure what it would do. All i did was follow the bread machine recipes and miss it out - all my family are intolerant of dairy products.