Hi Craig. I have found that different breadmakers give different results so you have to mess around a bit to get the perfect loaf. The flour you use will make or break the result so it's worth playing around with the proportions til you get it just right - then they withdraw your perfect flour
Suddenly no-one is stocking Carr's breadmaker wh/m flour - it's perfect). Here's what I do in my Panasonic for a mostly wholemeal loaf: 21oz flour total, made up of 12 oz Marriages wh/m bread flour, 5oz Allinson's white bread flour
or Allinson's seed and grain bread flour (purple bag)
or Shiptom Mill 3 malts and barley, plus 4 oz of something else such as Allinson's wh/m seed and grain (brown bag), or wh/m spelt flour. The white flour and the spelt both soften the loaf, as does 'brown' flour. I don't use Allinson's wh/m for the main amount as it is very heavy. Dove's Farm wh/m is good but a bit finely ground for my preference. I also add in a sprinkle of sesame seeds (not too many) which give a crispy crust and sometimes black poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, flax, pumpkin seeds and so on. Then add 2 level tbsp Marvel dried milk powder, 1 level teasp sugar, 1/3 teasp salt, a small 1/4 teasp Vit C powder (from pharmacy, may have to order it), 1 heaped teasp Allinson's dried yeast, in date as once it gets old the bread doesn't rise properly. I mix all these dry ingredients in a bowl before tipping them into the breadmaker as this makes a better shaped loaf more evenly risen, then add 2 level teasps soft marge onto the levelled top, then pour on 420 mls warm water. Bake as the largest Wholemeal on your machine. You will see that I use far less than the recommended amounts of sugar and salt but still get perfect results every time without the health risks of so much hidden sugar and salt. The exact volume of water used is very important too, so I have to get my specs out to check that
Topic: simple good bread (Read 15135 times)
