Making bread rise properly

Ken Knecht said:

There are a few bread recipes I can't get to rise in my bread machine. One
of my favorites uses grated parmesan and garlic added to the white flour
mix. I love this but it rarely raises and is very dense. I've tried two
versions of this bread with the same results. I've read adding extra yeast
won't help, in fact may make it worse. My machine book says too much water
will cause the problem but I'm pretty sure that's not it, sometimes I have
to even add a bit extra (but not the last loaf, and it still fell). When
I've checked, the recipes that don't rise seem to rise ok before they are
done, then fall. Other recipes come out fine so the bulk yeast I use is
probably ok, as well as the machine.

Sometimes adding extra gluten with the flour seems to help.

Weather? Hunidity? It was very hot and humid yesterday and the loaf was
unusually dense. I forgot the gluten too.

Any guesses or suggestions appreciated.

Unless you post the recipe(s) all you'll get are guesses. Without
seeing your recipe the only intelligent guess possible is that your
yeast is weak, and adding more weak yeast can't help, can only hurt.
When I use my bread machine I *always* proof my yeast in 1/2 cup of the
recipe water same as I do with all yeast doughs, then once it gets all
foamy (usually in 20 minutes) I dump it in and hit the Blast button.

Sheldon

Ken Knecht said:

There are a few bread recipes I can't get to rise in my bread machine. One
of my favorites uses grated parmesan and garlic added to the white flour
mix. I love this but it rarely raises and is very dense. I've tried two
versions of this bread with the same results. I've read adding extra yeast
won't help, in fact may make it worse. My machine book says too much water
will cause the problem but I'm pretty sure that's not it, sometimes I have
to even add a bit extra (but not the last loaf, and it still fell). When
I've checked, the recipes that don't rise seem to rise ok before they are
done, then fall. Other recipes come out fine so the bulk yeast I use is
probably ok, as well as the machine.

Sometimes adding extra gluten with the flour seems to help.

Weather? Hunidity? It was very hot and humid yesterday and the loaf was
unusually dense. I forgot the gluten too.

Any guesses or suggestions appreciated.

Breads made with just flour, liquid, and yeast rise quite readily but
as you add more and more ingredients to the dough you'll find the dough
takes longer to rise. When you add things like seeds, nuts, cheese,
fruit, etc. you interfere with gluten formation and that keeps the
dough from rising. Your yeast may be fine but if the dough doesn't
have enough gluten in it then all the gas produced by the yeast simply
escapes. I would try making a sponge first using just the liquid, the
yeast, and part of the flour in the recipe. It should be the
consistancy of a thick batter. Let that rise and get all foamy and
then add the rest of your ingredients.

Ken Knecht said:

There are a few bread recipes I can't get to rise in my bread machine.

I thought about buying a bread machine a few years ago. My friend had
one and raved, so I borrowed hers, but my bread making attempts were a
total FLOP. I wasted a lot of flour, time and energy trying to make
just one single decent loaf (which never happened), so I was cured of
wanting to buy a bread machine.

Good Luck

Check out this link, It has an excellent troubleshooting chart. Actually the
entire site is awesome. I use it a lot when I start scratching my head.

http://www.baking911.com/bread/problems.htm

--
Billy Gurley
Home PC Repair
Sanford, NC
FAX: 919-718-0381
[email hidden]

"Ken Knecht" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There are a few bread recipes I can't get to rise in my bread machine. One
of my favorites uses grated parmesan and garlic added to the white flour
mix. I love this but it rarely raises and is very dense. I've tried two
versions of this bread with the same results. I've read adding extra yeast
won't help, in fact may make it worse. My machine book says too much water
will cause the problem but I'm pretty sure that's not it, sometimes I have
to even add a bit extra (but not the last loaf, and it still fell). When
I've checked, the recipes that don't rise seem to rise ok before they are
done, then fall. Other recipes come out fine so the bulk yeast I use is
probably ok, as well as the machine.

Sometimes adding extra gluten with the flour seems to help.

Weather? Hunidity? It was very hot and humid yesterday and the loaf was
unusually dense. I forgot the gluten too.

Any guesses or suggestions appreciated.

--
Untie the two knots to email me

"Madness is not a consequence of uncertainty, but of certainty." Nietzche

sf said:

Ken Knecht said:

There are a few bread recipes I can't get to rise in my bread machine.

I thought about buying a bread machine a few years ago. My friend had
one and raved, so I borrowed hers, but my bread making attempts were a
total FLOP. I wasted a lot of flour, time and energy trying to make
just one single decent loaf (which never happened), so I was cured of
wanting to buy a bread machine.

Good Luck

Not so fast (laughing). I could never make a proper loaf of bread until
I bought a bread machine.
Makes pefect pizza dough, too.