Why is my bread like a brick?

[Alison]

I find that I get better results from dried yeast than the fresh, think it's cos it's easier. We buy a pack of the Dove's Farm stuff and it lasts for weeks in the fridge. 99% of the time we make a 50 / 50 white and granary loaf in the Panasonic breadmaker. I think the OP mentioned that they use a breadmaker, that might be the problem, some of them are rubbish and it's not the fault of the user at all.

[veggiechicken]

I have the Panasonic too and have only used dried yeast in it. Never let me down yet

[VirginVegGrower]

I don't know why it's like a brick but it reminds me of the 70s bread strike, when my mum attempted bread. My dad told her we can use it to break windows and steal the neighbour's loaves.
My poor mother!
I have a Panasonic too as I know the bad bread baking gene is in me somewhere

[Ananke]

I've baked the odd brick myself but i'm not sure what went wrong, most loaves turn out pretty good. I chop and change the type of flour and yeast I buy so it could have been a bad combination.

I've fancied one of those breadmakers for a while but OH (who does most of the kneeding) prefers the auld fashioned way and space is pretty non existant for another gadget.

[Alison]

I like to make bread by hand but I don't have the time, we set our breadmaker to finish cooking at about 6.30 am so that we can have fresh bread for lunchtime butties, there is no way I'm getting up early enough to do that by hand . It used to be a bit awkward to work out where to put it but when we had a new kitchen I designed it round the things I wanted to use etc. Was lucky that I could.

[binley100]

I find that I get better results from dried yeast than the fresh, think it's cos it's easier. We buy a pack of the Dove's Farm stuff and it lasts for weeks in the fridge. 99% of the time we make a 50 / 50 white and granary loaf in the Panasonic breadmaker. I think the OP mentioned that they use a breadmaker, that might be the problem, some of them are rubbish and it's not the fault of the user at all.

We use Dove Farm as well , works a lot better than other ones. Don't bother with fresh anymore cos we usually use the breadmaker (although we've killed the current one and waiting for replacement) We do a mix of white and wholemeal ........I say we, but OH is in charge of breadmaking

[Feral007]

I'm about to try sourdough again. But if it's 'not a brick' you're after then don't start that. I'm going to try and see if I can get a crust that you don't need the chainsaw sharpened after you cut the loaf

[Newton]

Feral try baking at a lower temp without steam so the crust is not so tough......or using some milk in the mix to replace water........

My bread making challenge and my losing weight challenge are now conflicting! I'm enjoying the sourdough more!

[BertieFox]

"we set our breadmaker to finish cooking at about 6.30 am so that we can have fresh bread for lunchtime butties, there is no way I'm getting up early enough to do that by hand . "
Are you rising the dough in the breadmaker overnight? It is a myth that bread making takes lots of time and what we tend to do is make the dough at night, leave it to rise slowly all night, and then the next morning put the risen dough into the container or on the tray and give it a warm second rising until it's time to bake. I can't see that would take any longer than what you are currently doing.
Sour dough methods are fine but you get a much heavier loaf as these natural yeasts lack the 'oompf' of modern industrial yeasts. Proving also takes much longer.

[sir david]

For me flour is the problem .
Here in France they use a different scheme for grading flour .
I use t80 most of the time . I would love to use whole meal but am unsure of the french version I tried t110 and t150 but they were bricks indeed .
I the moment I use local organic flour and it costs me 1.50 € a kilo not bad I think .

I would like to try sour dough but will wait until we move house

David

[Alison]

"we set our breadmaker to finish cooking at about 6.30 am so that we can have fresh bread for lunchtime butties, there is no way I'm getting up early enough to do that by hand . "
Are you rising the dough in the breadmaker overnight? It is a myth that bread making takes lots of time and what we tend to do is make the dough at night, leave it to rise slowly all night, and then the next morning put the risen dough into the container or on the tray and give it a warm second rising until it's time to bake. I can't see that would take any longer than what you are currently doing.
Sour dough methods are fine but you get a much heavier loaf as these natural yeasts lack the 'oompf' of modern industrial yeasts. Proving also takes much longer.

I'm cooking the bread etc over night so the whole loaf is ready to turn out to cool a bit at 6.30am so that I can make butties after I've showered to take to work. So basically we load the machine in the evening and that's all we have to do. To do it as you say I'd have to get up to put the risen dough into the tin, allow it to raise again and bake, taking up time that I want to be asleep. If I wanted fresh bread that early making by hand then I'd have to get up earlier which I'm not willing to do.

[darcyvuqua]

You will never get a bread like the ones in store as they use a convection oven which adds heat and moisture at the same time! A water bath in the bottom can help sometimes however if your bread is hard it is more than likely to wet of to dry! If thats not the cause you may be baking at a temp that is to low!

I would try a new recipe if I were you. Proving more than once in a warm place will add air to the mix and make it lighter after about an hour of proving knock it back and leave it for another hour then once risen it should bake with a light feel and not be like a house brick!

Good luck

[Alison]

You will never get a bread like the ones in store as they use a convection oven which adds heat and moisture at the same time!

Thank goodness for that, bought bread (even from the very posh shops) is never as nice as good home cooked bread, straight out the tin

[darcyvuqua]

Thank goodness for that, bought bread (even from the very posh shops) is never as nice as good home cooked bread, straight out the tin

Agree'd I bake Facaccia most of the time flavor and texture is spot on I just luv it

[BertieFox]

Thank goodness for that, bought bread (even from the very posh shops) is never as nice as good home cooked bread, straight out the tin

Living in France with our village baker just a kilometre away, his wholemeal loaves are ALMOST as good! Especially when they are fresh out of his oven.
But with home baked bread you can choose exactly what 'extras' you can put in the loaf, from different cereals to fruit, to vegetables like onions, olives and so on.
Even if the bread is now and then like a brick, it is still wonderful!