Does anyone here in mylot own a bread maker? Needed advice please!

Here is the Basic White Bread mix that I use. It is important to use the right kind of flour. Flour is graded by the amount of gluten it contains. The more gluten it has, the 'stronger' it is. Gluten is the elastic protein that gives bread its spongy (rather than cakey) texture and helps to hold the bubbles of carbon dioxide that the yeast makes when it grows. In the UK, ordinary flour is not really suitable for bread making and it's necessary to buy 'strong' or bread making flour. My impression of American all-purpose flour is that it's somewhere in between our 'ordinary' and our strong flour because I have made several quite successful loaves with it (in a bread maker). It's worth noting that we commonly weigh some of our ingredients - especially flour and butter. If you are using cups, it makes a big difference whether the flour is sifted and loosely packed or if it is tightly packed and the dryness of the flour in storage makes a difference too, so there is no really accurate conversion between cups of flour and ounces. I can't remember how much butter is in a stick, I'm afraid, but it should say on the pack. I usually do the butter by eye, anyway, and very often use 2 tbs of olive oil rather than the quantity of butter given here. Ingredients 275 ml / 9fl oz Water 450g / 1 lb Strong White Bread Flour 22.5 ml / 1 1/2 tbsp Dried Milk Powder 7.5 ml / 1 1/2 tsp Salt 25g / 1 oz Butter 2.5 ml / 1/2 tsp Easy Blend Dried Yeast 10 ml / 2 tsp Sugar Timer Compatible - Yes Programme - Basic Normal Method 1. Remove bread pan from breadmaker 2. Place kneading blade onto the shaft in the bread pan 3. Place all the ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed above, i.e. water, flour, milk, salt, sugar, butter and yeast 4. Insert bread pan into breadmaker 5. Select the programme BASIC NORMAL, then select the desired colour, i.e. Light or Dark 6. Press Start 7. At the end of the cycle, remove the bread pan using an oven mitt. My machine takes 3 hours and 45 minutes for this cycle but machines do vary. If you are using dried yeast from a packet, you may need to experiment with the quantity. Different yeasts seem to have different properties, I find, and the recipe on the yeast packets I get uses far more yeast than is suitable for my breadmaker. (I have had loaves which nearly lifted the lid off the breadmaker and were the very devil to remove because they completely enveloped the wire handle!) The amount the bread will rise depends on both the type of flour and on the yeast, so you may need to make a test loaf with each new batch of flour using exact quantities and then use slightly more or less yeast, depending on the result. You may also need to allow a teaspoon or two more water, depending on the exact quality or dryness of your flour. Flour can hold a good deal of water depending on the humidity in which it is stored. If you buy your flour in bulk (something we rarely do here - standard flour packs are 1.5kg or about 3 lb) you may find a new pack takes a little while to stabilise to your storage conditions.

yup I got one and I use the receipe in the book it all turns out just fine lov it doing it all. mix and bake. Read good on the settings and set it right and it does it all . Now the yeast they have dates on them packages.

I don't have a bread maker, but I used to make my own bread all the time, so I can offer some advice about yeast. It will last a long time if you keep it in the fridge. I've kept yeast for more than a year, and it still worked fine. If you're not sure about the yeast you have, put it in warm water according to the instructions (depends on whether it's powdered or cake yeast), and if it bubbles up, it is still alive and can be used. If it bubbles, but not very much, you could try doubling the amount of yeast you're using. Increasing the rising time for the bread can also help, if the yeast isn't very active.

I've worn out 4 bread makers, and currently have 2 on the go. Everyone has difficulties with a bread machine until you get familiar with it. There is not much anyone can do to help you. Just read the book and keep trying. you effort will pay off and you will be so glad you persevered. Here's a basic recipe for a delicious oatmeal-Sunflower seed bread. Prep Time:10 min Start to Finish:3 hr 40 min makes:12 slices (1 1/2-pound loaf) 1 cup water 1/4 cup honey 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened 3 cups bread flour 1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats 2 tablespoons instant nonfat dry milk 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast or fast-acting dry yeast 1/2 cup sunflower nuts 1. Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except nuts in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Add nuts at the Raisin/Nut signal or 5 to 10 minutes before last kneading cycle ends. 2. Select Basic/White cycle. Use Medium or Light crust color. Do not use delay cycle. Remove baked bread from pan and cool on wire rack. (Total time will vary with appliance and setting.)