…… Breadmaker flour - what to use?

Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
I’m in a search for bread machine flour. Currently I’m looking at some “All Trumps high gluten bromated bleached” flour. Can I use that in the bread machine without worry? If not, what flour type should I be looking at for “basic” white bread?

TIA
 
Cyclonemom

Cyclonemom

Veteran Member
The Sam's club on 9900 I 35 in Austin says it has 25 lb bags of Dakota Maid bread flour in club. Call and verify tomorrow?

From personal experience, I highly recommend this brand.
 
G

Galoutofdixie

Contributing Member
Hi Dennis,

Yes, that should be just fine for use in a bread machine. Although the potassium bromate that is added to the flour is banned as a food additive in some countries. (just in case that matters to you?) It's supposed to make the bread more elastic, often used in commercial baking, and some bread machine recipes call for it. I've always had very good luck with with just plain white/or unbleached white, all purpose flour, such as Gold Medal, Pillsbury, or generic store brand. If you have never checked out kingarthurflour.com , It's a great recipe resource, and has lots of recipes for all kinds of bread. Also great troubleshooting and technique tips, as well as info on everything you always wanted to know about all kinds of flour. Their recipes also have recipe ingredients listed in both volume and weight. Of course all of their recipes call for "king arthur flour", you can disregard that and use whatever type of general white or unbleached white all purpose that you can find.

Here's a recipe an easy recipe for bread machine bread on their site: Bread Machine Bread - Easy As Can Be

Best to you in your bread baking endeavors. :)
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Dennis... I know the bread machine was a very generous gift, so this suggestion feels mean (and isn't meant to slight the giver at all)... but have you looked up reviews for that make and model? Or (in addition) tried to find a user's board where they discuss the virtues and foibles of the machine?

Because I've made bread- with and without recipes- with everything from the cheapest bleached white flour to homegrown and freshly ground had red winter whole wheat... and everything in between. Reasonable differences in moisture shouldn't create either a poorly risen brick, or a collapsed loaf. You can make spoon breads which are just a thick batter and get a delicious- if coarse textured- bread. If the flour/liquid/yeast/salt ratios are within reasonable balance, given the correct temperature for enough time, the bread should rise and bake well.

I'm thinking there may be something going on where either the temperature (either rising or baking) or time (more likely rising) is causing problems. I'd think it more likely than any specific ingredient.

Summerthyme
 
Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
Look summer, why do you think I need white flower. I’ve been a professional diagnostician all my adult life. One thing I can tell you from over 40 years doing what I do: NEVER ASSUME.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Sheesh... your call.

My mom went through bread machines for about 10 years... essentially wore 1 out every 2 years just baking for family and friends. I got to hear what she hated about every brand, pretty much, over the years... she was mostly able to find a way to get them to usually work, but it wasn't until she got s Zojirushi did she actually like it.

And I thought you were looking for recommendations about the best flour to use for a perfect loaf... I was only pointing out that the flour may have nothing to do with it.

Summerthyme
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
They’re are groups for making bread, and for your bread making machine. I highly recommend joining the, game here groups discuss all aspects of bread making from flour to brands of baking soda, yeast, salt, etc. there are many variables involved to obtaining a good crumb including ambient humidity and barometric pressure.

Case in point we had a powerful front push through here today with every type of weather imaginable. Started out sunny, then thunderstorms and torrential rain, now we’re in blizzard conditions, all since seven this morning. Horrible day for yeast breads be it in the oven or a bread machine, we didn’t even make corn bread which is a quick bread because the risk for failure was too high.

There are many factors that play into making a good loaf of bread, I recommend keeping a journal tracking everything including weather conditions.
 
C

Cuffo

Contributing Member
Dennis, your reminding me more and more of my dad and his obsession with his bread machine. He keeps I’d in his home office.
 
Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
Summer, I’m trying to troubleshoot whether it’s the machine or the flour. I can’t do that by assuming it’s the machine. Never assume.
 
Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
None of the “standard bread” recipies in the breadmaker books call for eggs. Amazon has NOTHING. They’re completely sold out. Perhaps you might surf over there and prove it to yourself. And only the artisan breads use oil.

I make beer. I know how to follow a recipe TO THE LETTER. That’s what I’ve been doing here to no avail.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Dennis Olson said:
Summer, I’m trying to troubleshoot whether it’s the machine or the flour. I can’t do that by assuming it’s the machine. Never assume.
Click to expand...





We have one of those insanely expensive bread machines that hubs and his first wife bought.. 5ha zouscherwhateverthe****youwanttocallit. They bought near thirty years ago for several hundred plus dollars.

I hate the damn thing.

And when I say I hate it I mean I want to 5ake that ****er out to the back driveway want to beat it to death with a thirty pound sledge hammer... umm yeah!

I’ve wasted more flour etc, trying to make a consistent loaf of bread? Orion Commander, yep he can get that machine to make one very single time.
 
P

Profit of Doom

Dismember
packyderms_wife said:
We have one of those insanely expensive bread machines that hubs and his first wife bought.. 5ha zouscherwhateverthe****youwanttocallit. They bought near thirty years ago for several hundred plus dollars.

I hate the damn thing.

And when I say I hate it I mean I want to 5ake that ****er out to the back driveway want to beat it to death with a thirty pound sledge hammer... umm yeah!

I’ve wasted more flour etc, trying to make a consistent loaf of bread? Orion Commander, yep he can get that machine to make one very single time.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you better keep him around.
 
Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
I gave up and just ordered 50# of Gold Medal white flour online. I really only wanted 10-25 lbs, but for 10#, you have to go to a retailer (totally out). I found a couple places that had 25#, but I either had to wait 3 weeks for shipment or pay exorbitantly for shipping. Going from 25 - 50# only ended up costing about $10 more for product + shipping. It’s absolutely nuts out there on the on-line foodstuffs sites.
 
Last edited:
momma_soapmaker

momma_soapmaker

Disgusted
Zojirushi is the way to go.

Unbleached white flour is what I use - either King Arthur or Gold Medal brand. Those are literally the only two I will buy.
 
W

Wildwood

Veteran Member
Dennis Olson said:
I have up and just ordered 50# of Gold Medal white flour online. I really only wanted 10-25 lbs, but for 10#, you have to go to a retailer (totally out). I found a couple places that had 25#, but I either had to wait 3 weeks for shipment or pay exorbitantly for shipping. Going from 25 - 50# only ended up costing about $10 more for product + shipping. It’s absolutely nuts out there on the on-line foodstuffs sites.
Click to expand...
I think you made a good choice. I mentioned on the other thread that I ended up short on plain white flour when all this started. DIL found me one bag of Gold Medal a couple weeks ago and even though it's not my usual brand, I tried it out and loved it for my yeast rolls. I used it again today even though I still have about twenty pounds of my usual plain white. I think I may switch brands.
 
phloydius

phloydius

Veteran Member
I have a Zojirushi.
I use & recommend King Authur Bread Flour.

I will say this: My Zojirushi came with a manual that has recipes that it recommends for it. I lost that manual, so I searched for a copy of the manual online & discovered that different models of Zojirushi machines had different versions of the recipes in them. I then read that those small differences in the recipes are suppose to be important because different versions of the machines have small differences. Don’t know enough to know if it it true. But for diagnostic purposes, for the first step, I’d recommend:

...Finding the exact manual for the model of bread maker you have and try it’s basic bread recipe.
 
Tristan

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Chicken Mama said:
Regular all purpose flour works just fine. Do a board search for Amish white bread. It's incredible. It may be one of Summerthyme's old recipes.
Click to expand...

I've used All Purpose white, Special high Gluten Bread white, Whole Wheat (about 3 to 1 mixed with all purpose). Had a couple failures with the whole wheat but eventually figured out the 3 to 1 mix and added a bit of baking powder to the mix for a bit more lift...

I just have an inexpensive bread maker, it has about 6 total options. Worked well.

Is your yeast working good, i.e. fresh?

Don't know about bromated flour.
 
twobarkingdogs

twobarkingdogs

Veteran Member
If you haven't then may I suggest you do some reading on the Fresh Loaf forum website as they are the AR15 of bread. They have an area just for bread machines.

I normally just use regular all purpose but then I make the bread manually using my mixer and not with a bread machine

tbd

Forums
 
TerriHaute

TerriHaute

Hoosier Gardener
I have been using the bread flour sold in 25 pound bags at Sam's for years and have been very happy with it. Bread flour is made from hard wheat with the higher gluten content. I like to combine it with locally grown wheat which is soft wheat and so lower gluten and the bread turns out fine.

When I first started using a bread machine, I used to buy mixes specifically for bread machines, Krusteaz brand, off the shelf at the grocery store in the baking aisle. They were fool proof and pretty good, I don't know if they are still available.
 
Seeker22

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
My breadmakers leave holes in the bottom of the bread where the paddles are in the machine. I get around that by using a regular bread recipe with regular flour and when the machine is ready to start the bake cycle (but before it gets hot enough to dry the dough) I pull it out and bake in a baking pan in the oven.

I know that you didn't get a mixer; but a breadmaker. Just offering up another short term solution.
 
Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
phloydius said:
What website did you order from?
Click to expand...
Www.foodservicedirect.com

I have been using the bread flour sold in 25 pound bags at Sam's for years and have been very happy with it.
Click to expand...

There is no flour at Sam’s. Not in any size. As I said, there is no flour to be had in the entire Austin region. Unfortunately.

I know that you didn't get a mixer; but a breadmaker. Just offering up another short term solution.
Click to expand...

A mixer capable of doing bread dough is hundreds of dollars.
 
Last edited:
Momof5

Momof5

Senior Member
I had a bread machine years ago and I didn't like how it cooked the bread. It mixed it well so I just used it for mixing the bread dough and would take it out, and throw it in a pan to rise and cook it. I would let it ride once before putting it in a bread pan to rise.. two rises. I now have a Bosch machine. I've had it 15 years. I use it every 2 or 3 days to knead my bread dough. Works great
 
M

mecoastie

Veteran Member
Whats wrong with the loaf? The kids are currently making a loaf about every other day with our machine. What they found is that they have better luck if they do opposite what the directions when it comes to getting it to rise right. They reverse the liquids and solids or something like that. I can find out exactly what they did. If they did it per the directions it doesn't rise right. Still good but a much heavier bread. This is in one of those Z-whatever machines.
 
N

Nich1

Veteran Member
I've had a Toastmaster bread machine for years and have used it many times. I started out making white bread according to machine instructions. It worked but I wasn't too fond of the bread. The taste was OK, but it wasn't "store bought" texture. Why did I expect it to be as I would not use preservatives and/or anything else they have in there.

Then, I tried both rye and wheat bread in loaves. Same outcome. It was bread but not the same.

So, I have settled on using the machine to make dough. There is a crusty loaf french bread recipe which is quite good and it is crusty. When eaten after baking in the oven, it is wonderful. The next day, it's a "no go."

There's also a recipe for pecan sticky buns. Fabulous! My pecan tree had tons this year so making these is very inexpensive. I make a batch...about 16 or so...eat some and then freeze the remainder. Once thawed, slice in half, butter the bottoms, put into skillet to brown. Once again, fabulous!

I don't know what you're looking for in your finished bread, but from my experience, it was not worth fretting over. Find something you can make and enjoy.
 
rafter

rafter

Since 1999
Dennis Olson said:
None of the “standard bread” recipies in the breadmaker books call for eggs. Amazon has NOTHING. They’re completely sold out. Perhaps you might surf over there and prove it to yourself. And only the artisan breads use oil.

I make beer. I know how to follow a recipe TO THE LETTER. That’s what I’ve been doing here to no avail.
Click to expand...
If you are looking for recipes for a bread machine go to Pinterest I never use recipe books anymore since this is a better outlet for recipes and other stuff. Make your own folders for what ever you want to save.
 
Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
I’m not looking for recipes right now. I’m trying to determine whether or not the Canadian flour I bought is too “dense” (or whatever.) I could do that with one loaf using white flour, but THERE IS NO WHITE FLOUR TO BE HAD IN AUSTIN. None.

I used the last of mine making the successful loaf. I’m troubleshooting, not “getting creative.” (When one’s car isn’t running right, one isn’t interested in looking for new seat covers.) Before all this virus BS, it would’ve been a non-issue. Just go to the store and buy 10#.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE BREAD:

One loaf fell completely and was about 2” tall. Bricked.

One loaf the top fell. Not bricked but close

One loaf collapsed about half way (4” tall and semi-bricked)


WHAT COLOR IS THE BREAD:

The bread after baking with the Canadian flour has a color in-between a cardboard carton and dark rye


WHAT KIND OF FLOUR IS IT:

The shipping label says:

“All-purpose flour (hard red), 10kg”

NOTE: It is also stone ground, unbleached, non-gmo


WHAT AM I ADDING THAT’S NOT IN THE RECIPE

I add gluten, 1.5 tbsp per cup of flour
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top