Kitchenaid Bread Disaster!



K

Knox Graham

Guest
Hello, All ! I received a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer for my birthday..Oh Boy! Time to make some bread!

I tried their white bread recipe in the book which comes with the mixer. Tried it twice, in fact.
Both times the loaves were small, heavy, and not fully cooked in the middle.

The major deviation from my old way of making bread is that they tell you to roll the dough flat
then roll it up to form the loaf. Before, I would simply punch it down a bit then form the loaves.

I'd sure appreciate some help with this and a recommendation of a good cookbook with recipes using
the Kitchenaid,

Thanks a bunch!

Knox G.
 
What's the date on your yeast?

On 2/5/2004 8:06 AM, Knox Graham wrote:
> Hello, All ! I received a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer for my birthday..Oh Boy! Time to make
> some bread!
>
> I tried their white bread recipe in the book which comes with the mixer. Tried it twice, in fact.
> Both times the loaves were small, heavy, and not fully cooked in the middle.
>
> The major deviation from my old way of making bread is that they tell you to roll the dough flat
> then roll it up to form the loaf. Before, I would simply punch it down a bit then form the loaves.
>
> I'd sure appreciate some help with this and a recommendation of a good cookbook with recipes using
> the Kitchenaid,
>
> Thanks a bunch!
>
> Knox G.
>
>

--
jmk in NC
 
"Knox Graham" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello, All ! I received a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer for my birthday..Oh Boy! Time to
make
> some bread!
>
> I tried their white bread recipe in the book which comes with the mixer. Tried it twice, in fact.
> Both times the loaves were small, heavy, and not fully cooked in the middle.
>
> The major deviation from my old way of making bread is that they tell you
to
> roll the dough flat then roll it up to form the loaf. Before, I would
simply
> punch it down a bit then form the loaves.
>
> I'd sure appreciate some help with this and a recommendation of a good cookbook with recipes using
> the Kitchenaid,
>
> Thanks a bunch!

I doubt that it has much to do with the way you are forming your loaves. I use the white bread
recipe from their cookbook without any problems. Unless they changed it recently, it is the same
recipe that they have published for decades. Heavy, small loaves come from inadequate leavening.
There could be two issues. Your yeast could be dead, or you could have killed it. The second
possibility is that there is inadequate gluten formation - less likely, in my opinion. Inadequate
gluten formation comes primarily from inadequate kneading or using flour that is too low in gluten
forming proteins (like cake flour). Make sure you let the dough form a ball that cleans the sides of
the bowl. Then, start timing the kneading process. I believe that the new books say to knead for two
minutes on speed #2. I generally go for up to 10 minutes on speed 4. Let the dough rise until
double, no matter how long it takes.

I would try again with a new supply of yeast. You should be using a thermometer to measure the
temperature of the liquid. Also, don't bake the loaf until it has risen to double the original size,
no matter how long it takes. Your bread will be done when the internal temperature registers between
200F and 210F. Don't remove it from the oven until it reaches at least 200F. If you don't put it in
the oven until it is fully risen and you don't remove it until it is fully baked, you can't end up
with small, under-baked loaves.
 
Knox Graham wrote:
>
> Hello, All ! I received a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer for my birthday..Oh Boy! Time to make
> some bread!
>
> I tried their white bread recipe in the book which comes with the mixer. Tried it twice, in fact.
> Both times the loaves were small, heavy, and not fully cooked in the middle.
>
> The major deviation from my old way of making bread is that they tell you to roll the dough flat
> then roll it up to form the loaf. Before, I would simply punch it down a bit then form the loaves.
>
> I'd sure appreciate some help with this and a recommendation of a good cookbook with recipes using
> the Kitchenaid,
>
> Thanks a bunch!
>
> Knox G.

Try posting this over at rec.food.baking

Then get Julia Child's Baking cookbook from the library.

--
JaKe, Seattle "Feeling is more important than technique" John "Bonzo" Bonham
 
"Knox Graham" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello, All ! I received a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer for my birthday..Oh Boy! Time to
make
> some bread!
>
> I tried their white bread recipe in the book which comes with the mixer. Tried it twice, in fact.
> Both times the loaves were small, heavy, and not fully cooked in the middle.
>
> The major deviation from my old way of making bread is that they tell you
to
> roll the dough flat then roll it up to form the loaf. Before, I would
simply
> punch it down a bit then form the loaves.
>
> I'd sure appreciate some help with this and a recommendation of a good cookbook with recipes using
> the Kitchenaid,
>
> Thanks a bunch!
>
> Knox G.
Bernard Clayton's "The New Complete Book of Breads" is a good choice for you. Each recipe is
expressed 3 ways--by hand, by KitchenAid and by food processor. Be sure that you try out the very
first recipe in the book, the basic white bread recipe. You need to get the hang of using a
KitchenAid. I have had friends get a KitchenAid who have had disappointing first results. For some
reason they thought that a KitchenAid was like a bread machine, that you dumped all the ingredients
in and let the thing mix for x minutes and perfect dough was the result. Come on over to
alt.bread.recipes.
 
Knox Graham wrote in message <[email protected]>...
>Hello, All ! I received a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer for my birthday..Oh Boy! Time to make
>some bread!
>
>I tried their white bread recipe in the book which comes with the mixer. Tried it twice, in fact.
>Both times the loaves were small, heavy, and not fully cooked in the middle.
>
>The major deviation from my old way of making bread is that they tell you
to
>roll the dough flat then roll it up to form the loaf. Before, I would
simply
>punch it down a bit then form the loaves.
>

this is how i always make loaves. i never have any problems. however, i make my bread by hand, not
with a mixer, and im not sure if that makes a difference. :)

>I'd sure appreciate some help with this and a recommendation of a good cookbook with recipes using
>the Kitchenaid,
>
>Thanks a bunch!
>
>Knox G.
 
"Knox Graham" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello, All ! I received a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer for my birthday..Oh Boy! Time to
make
> some bread!
>
> I tried their white bread recipe in the book which comes with the mixer. Tried it twice, in fact.
> Both times the loaves were small, heavy, and not fully cooked in the middle.
>
> The major deviation from my old way of making bread is that they tell you
to
> roll the dough flat then roll it up to form the loaf. Before, I would
simply
> punch it down a bit then form the loaves.

That shouldn't be the source of the problem, I've made bread both ways for years and have never had
dense underbaked bread as a result of the first method.

>
> I'd sure appreciate some help with this and a recommendation of a good cookbook with recipes using
> the Kitchenaid,

I'd check the yeast, liquid temp, rise time and oven temp, bake time...my guess is that the fault
lies in one or a combination of those. I make breads by hand and with the kitchenaid they produce
similar but not identical results.

I hardly ever use a recipe for breads, more of an intuitive baker when it comes to that, but when I
do use a recipe I tend to use those from either _Baking with Julia_ or _The King Arthur 200th
Anniversary Cookbook_, both have yeilded results that I'm pleased with in hand and kitchenaid
baking. I've also had good luck with the recipe for French bread in the KA cookbook.

Jessica
>
> Thanks a bunch!
>
> Knox G.
 
"Knox Graham" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello, All ! I received a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer for my birthday..Oh Boy! Time to
make
> some bread!
>
> I tried their white bread recipe in the book which comes with the mixer. Tried it twice, in fact.
> Both times the loaves were small, heavy, and not fully cooked in the middle.
>
> The major deviation from my old way of making bread is that they tell you
to
> roll the dough flat then roll it up to form the loaf. Before, I would
simply
> punch it down a bit then form the loaves.
>
> I'd sure appreciate some help with this and a recommendation of a good cookbook with recipes using
> the Kitchenaid,
>
> Thanks a bunch!
>
> Knox G.

1. Proof the yeast you are using.
2. Check the date on the yeast.
3. Make sure to let the dough rise adequately (this is a variable based on the ambient
temperature).
4. Check the temperature of the oven.
5. Are you using the recommended type of flour?

I made the recipe and was very satisfied with the results.

Dimitri
 
I proof the yeast in cool, not warm water...I've murdered too many of the beasties by using warm
water...takes about 5 minutes longer...throw out the yeast & buy fresh.

Harriet & critters (J J, the world famous jack russell terrior, who is the yard letting the world
know he is in charge...PK the lady manx, who is on the bed, and doesn't care one way or the
other...me..avoiding reviewing the text for tonite's grad class..

"Knox Graham" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Hello, All ! I received a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer for my birthday..Oh Boy! Time to
make
> some bread!
>
> I tried their white bread recipe in the book which comes with the mixer. Tried it twice, in fact.
> Both times the loaves were small, heavy, and not fully cooked in the middle.
>
> The major deviation from my old way of making bread is that they tell you
to
> roll the dough flat then roll it up to form the loaf. Before, I would
simply
> punch it down a bit then form the loaves.
>
> I'd sure appreciate some help with this and a recommendation of a good cookbook with recipes using
> the Kitchenaid,
>
> Thanks a bunch!
>
> Knox G.
 
"Jessica Vincent" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Knox Graham" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > Hello, All ! I received a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer for my birthday..Oh Boy! Time to
> make
> > some bread!
> >
> > I tried their white bread recipe in the book which comes with the mixer. Tried it twice, in
> > fact. Both times the loaves were small, heavy, and not fully cooked in the middle.

First of all, it sounds as if you need to get new yeast. I always make bread using my KitchenAid and
I never have problems. There are two bread books you should get - Bernard Clayton's NEW COMPLETE
BOOK OF BREADS and the King Arthur Flour Company's BAKER'S COMPANION. King Arthur has an 800 help
line with wonderful people to help you.

Second, you need to check the temp of your oven with an oven thermometer. It sounds as if your oven
may not be heating properly.

Check your yeast - proof it for ten minutes in warm water. If it doesn't start bubbling, it is dead.

Check the temp of your oven. If it is off, you can compensate by adjusting the temp your set.
 
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