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The Breadmaker Thread

Planet X

Recommend me a good one please. About to take the plunge and buy one. Browned (excuse pun) off with shop sliced pans etc.
Some threads recommend Panasonic ones. Want a good one.
Cheers.

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Alun

I have the 2501 model which is the same as the one linked to but with the "raisin and nut" dispenser, which is well worth the extra in my opinion.

One minor gripe with the 2500/2501 compared to an older model I owned previously is that there's only one button to cycle through the 27 different programs so if the last one you used was 4 and you want 3, you have to go through the whole lot and hope you don't overshoot. The old model had an up and a down button.

Zelda247

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

It looks like the latest version of the one I have and it's excellent. The only thing I will say about this is that it doesn't have the automatic nut/raisin/seed dispenser, for that you have to go up a grade (and a few quid too). Mine has the dispenser and it's great - otherwise you have to add them during the process because they go in at the second proving.

This is the one with the dispenser:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-SD-2501-WXC-Automatic-Breadmaker/dp/B004RTJWMW/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1468924235&sr=1-1&keywords=panasonic+sd+2501

Thanks so much, the dispenser would be very useful.

Alun

Zelda247 wrote: »

Thanks so much, the dispenser would be very useful.

Yes you can put all kinds of things in there, not just nuts or raisins ... sun dried tomatoes, olives, seeds, anything really.

Zelda247

apparently a lot of the recipes include milk powder, is this readily available?

Alun

Zelda247 wrote: »

apparently a lot of the recipes include milk powder, is this readily available?

The recipe book for the older model did, yes, but the new one doesn't. Which is good, because the only place I could find it was Tesco and they don't do it any more. Not sure either way what difference it made as I often left it out.

The recipes have changed a bit too, specifically with regard to the amounts of yeast and sugar, so make sure to use the recipes in the book that's supplied.

nihicib2

Hi all, Ive been lurking for a while and eventually bought the Panasonic SD2501 this Christmas, great machine and the cider and apple bread is gorgeous, one question though, whats the best way to cut the bread without destroying it? I have a couple of great bread knives but the bread from the machine is so soft and light that I find cutting it hard, so far Ive had just the medium crust bread, would it be more solid, so to speak if I made the bread with the dark crust setting.

The bread itself is fantastic, I just want to get a straight cut.

Any words of wisdom would be great thanks

Alun

The dark crust setting only affects the crust not the bread itself, so won't make it any easier to cut. I agree, it can be very difficult to cut, especially when fresh and especially when making large or x-large loaves which are a bit on the 'tall' side.

I've been toying with getting some kind of bread cutting guide, as although I don't find cutting it too bad, esp. once the bread is a day or so old, my wife can't cut a straight slice to save her life. She keeps mumbling about the bread knife being right-handed or some such nonsense as she's left-handed too

Something like this for example ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/erq/KITCHEN-BREAD-LOAF-SLICER-SLICING-CUTTING-GUIDE/B007ORS8CE

aonb

+1 that the crust colour doesnt make much difference. If you've got a good bread cutting knife its a question of waiting til the loaf cools for best slicing. Any loaf that includes an egg tends to be crumblier I find. Is your issue that the bread is breaking or just that you're not able to cut thin enough slices or straight slices? A serrated knife I find is better, though my husband prefers a non-serrated knife :rolleyes:

whats the apple/cider recipe?

fenris

Are you leaving the bread cool fully before cutting?
Also are you using strong flour, too crumbly can be caused by the flour being low in gluten or not enough kneading.
Is the apple and cider bread a soda bread by any chance?

Alun

It doesn't really matter, a loaf of bread that's straight out of the breadmaker, even for a few hours, is almost uncuttable, unless you have a James Bond style laser cutter

It's not that it's too crumbly, it's just way too soft and sort of collapses as you try and cut it, although a firmer loaf such as a 100% wholemeal loaf is a bit better. It's why, despite it sounding a good idea, I never put the timer on for fresh bread the next morning, but make it the night before. The next day it's just about cuttable then.

rubadub

I have seen electric knives recommended for bread.

Think I spotted this gorgeous yoke we used have in that "eamon & bridget" program

1292427_140510160522_(52).jpg

Dizzyblonde

rubadub wrote: »

I have seen electric knives recommended for bread.

Think I spotted this gorgeous yoke we used have in that "eamon & bridget" program

We bought that very one for The Mammy back in the 70s

I always use an electric knife, it cuts the bread without crushing it and I find it helps me to cut a straighter slice too.

nihicib2

Thanks all for the advice, Its a white bread recipe with cider and apple, pic included and its lovely, I made the bread last night so it was well cooled for breakfast this morning. I used good quality strong flour and yeast.

It was a quite a tall loaf so that might be the reason it was hard to cut, its just that its so light and not solid (if that makes any sense) so when I cut through it by the time Im 3/4 way down its starting to tear or become uneven.

The knives are good and haven't had any problems with them cutting my own handmade bread.

Ah jeez I think there might be an electric knife up at my parents house, again a throwback from the 70/80's when such newfangled technology was all the go. Might go and dig that out and see if it cuts any clearer than my own hames of a job!

Attachment not found.

arian

I use an electric carving knife. It's quite good, but the blades aren't very wide (deep? from edge to back) so they can wander if you're not careful.

Agreed, wait till the loaf is cold before slicing - though the end crust gets cut when the bread's warm :pac:

When we make the Rustic French recipe, we put the loaf in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes after it comes out of the breadmaker to make a nice black crust. This crust is hard, so I slice the loaf first like a hasselback potato and then go back to the first slice to cut right through. Saves squashing the loaf as I fight through the top crust. Never thought I'd be slicing nerd

rubadub

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

We bought that very one for The Mammy back in the 70s .

my mammy still had it in the box, could well still be in it! though there is a new one in use.

il_570xN.976089242_jybq.jpg

my local lidl have slicing machines for bread, never used it but seems you drop in the bread and it might slice up any size. There are also ham slicing machines that come up in lidl/aldi that might do the job.

I wonder if you could use your own bread in it. Get it cut and stick it in my bag! after doing a full shop of course. My local lidl had a security man for a while, absolutely no need for him, he used to follow me around to presumably prove he was needed, it was comical really used to say hello going in. I'd say he would not have had a bother.

I expect bakeries would have cutting machines and might throw your loaf in no bother if you were buying a few cakes or something.

Anitaosull

Hi there new to this thread so hi! I have a panosonic bread maker which I got a year ago. I have been making the breads in it since but would like to know which flour you recommend. I use odlums strong white flour but he bread turns out quite dense. Any ideas for a more airy loaf? Following the recipe that came with the machine for sandwich bread and white bread loaf . Tia

Dizzyblonde

Welcome to Boards

I love the Rustic French loaf from the Panasonic, it has the fluffy texture of a Vienna roll loaf with a really crisp crust. I mostly use Odlums too - it never dawned on me that a different flour might yield better results

Alun

I used to use Odlums strong flour, both white and wholemeal, but have now switched to Tesco's own brand which is slightly cheaper, and easier for me to get hold of as Tescos only stocked the white flour and I had to go to Dunnes for the wholemeal. It comes in smaller bags though, 1.5kg instead of 2kg.

For a change I also use flour from FWP Matthews in the UK that I buy off Amazon. They had some in Aldi a while back and I liked it so much I looked for it online. I like the Cotswold Crunch and the Eight Grain.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FWP-Matthews/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_2358387031?ie=UTF8&node=2358387031&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=FWP+Matthews

I'm not sure about the problem you have with the bread being dense though, I'd say quite the opposite especially when it's fresh. I suppose it depends on what you're comparing it with. Are you following the recipe to the letter?

aonb

Hi Anitaosull, We havent used ODLUMS flour for ages - were always dissapointed with the results in the machine - moved to MARRIAGES and DOVES, both much improved results. You can get DOVES flour in a lot of places - Ive also seen it in Tescos and Supervalue's. Havent tried the Tesco own brand, might do that some day. Well worth experimenting to find what you like best.

aonb

nihicib2 wrote: »

Thanks all for the advice, Its a white bread recipe with cider and apple, pic included and its lovely, I made the bread last night so it was well cooled for breakfast this morning. I used good quality strong flour and yeast.

It was a quite a tall loaf so that might be the reason it was hard to cut, its just that its so light and not solid (if that makes any sense) so when I cut through it by the time Im 3/4 way down its starting to tear or become uneven.

The knives are good and haven't had any problems with them cutting my own handmade bread.

Ah jeez I think there might be an electric knife up at my parents house, again a throwback from the 70/80's when such newfangled technology was all the go. Might go and dig that out and see if it cuts any clearer than my own hames of a job!

Attachment not found.

Will be interesting to hear if you had any improvement with the electric knife - we had that orange model too! Useful and worked really well - no matter how Kitsch it loooks 8-)
OP, we often found that adding things to the loaf made it softer/crumblier - eg, milk or butter or milk powder etc - but have not had the crumbly falling apart problem you are describing. Is it only with this apple/cider loaf or with all of your loaves from the machine? Could the wetness of the apple, or the acidity of the cider be causing it to be too crumbly? How are any other loaves that youve made?

0lddog

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

......I love the Rustic French loaf from the Panasonic, it has the fluffy texture of a Vienna roll loaf with a really crisp crust. I mostly use Odlums too - it never dawned on me that a different flour might yield better results

That used to be my favourite too

I used Doves and IIRC I ended up tweaking it to half white & half brown flour.

Also liked to add some caraway seeds into the mix ( obv not something that everyone would care for ).

Anitaosull

Thanks for the welcome and replies! Yes following exact measurements etc. Will try Tesco flour this weekend when doing groceries. And will try that recipe for other roll too.

rubadub

Anitaosull wrote: »

Yes following exact measurements etc.

Is the recipe weight based? 1 cup of one flour can weigh more than a cup of another, thats why I ignore volume based recipes if I can.

Anitaosull

rubadub wrote: »

Is the recipe weight based? 1 cup of one flour can weigh more than a cup of another, thats why I ignore volume based recipes if I can.

Yes I use the book that came with it so all measurents like 400g flour teaspoon sugar etc

arian

Alun wrote: »

I used to use Odlums strong flour, both white and wholemeal, but have now switched to Tesco's own brand which is slightly cheaper, and easier for me to get hold of as Tescos only stocked the white flour and I had to go to Dunnes for the wholemeal. It comes in smaller bags though, 1.5kg instead of 2kg.

For a change I also use flour from FWP Matthews in the UK that I buy off Amazon. They had some in Aldi a while back and I liked it so much I looked for it online. I like the Cotswold Crunch and the Eight Grain.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FWP-Matthews/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_2358387031?ie=UTF8&node=2358387031&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=FWP+Matthews

<snip>

Yep, following an Aldi Special we've been using FWP Matthews. As well as the Cotswold Crunch and Eight Grain, the French is great for the Panasonic French and Rustic French recipes. As FWPM import the stuff, I'd guess any T55 would work.

We've been using Dove's Farm Rye for the 50g you need for the Rustic French, but we got some FWPM Dark Rye from Aldi in the most recent offer. Haven't used it yet.

Wheat differs year to year, farmers grow different varieties; I dunno how much mills strive for consistency.

Minera

Just got a great recipe from a co worker. 500 pot of natural yoghurt, use the pot (from the yoghurt) and measure out 2 pots of porridge a handful of sunflower seeds and a handful of dried cranberries mix the whole lot together and bang into the oven @ 180' for 50 mins. I'm going to try this at the weekend so I will let you know how I get on. Her bread tasted great!

Cheshire Cat

Minera wrote: »

Just got a great recipe from a co worker. 500 pot of natural yoghurt, use the pot (from the yoghurt) and measure out 2 pots of porridge a handful of sunflower seeds and a handful of dried cranberries mix the whole lot together and bang into the oven @ 180' for 50 mins. I'm going to try this at the weekend so I will let you know how I get on. Her bread tasted great!

This is missing a raising agent, presumably bread soda. If you bake it according to the recipe above you will get a brick.

rubadub

Cheshire Cat wrote: »

This is missing a raising agent, presumably bread soda. If you bake it according to the recipe above you will get a brick.

even with the baking soda 2 people very recently made this or similar and it was very solid and unrisen.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057691087

0lddog

Maybe its meant to be a pumpernickel style "bread" ?

Alun

Maybe they used Greek style yoghurt instead of the normal stuff? Greek style yoghurt has the whey removed which I think is the main acidic component.