• Registered: 09-05-2012
  • Posts: 2

Topic: Country grain bread question

I am a complete bread making novice. I just got my first ever bread machine the other day, the Panasonic SD2501.

I decided perhaps ambitiously to try the Allinson country grain recipe on the side of the flour packet.. Big mistake! Little did I realise that the quantities are different for bread machines and ended up using WAY too much yeast. 

Stupid noobie mistake out of the way (all my windows are open as my house smells a bit like a brewery atm!) I found the correct quantities on this site under the recipe section.

The ingredient list for bread machines is: 500g (1lb 2oz) Allinson Country Grain Bread Flour 1tsp Allinson Easy Bake Yeast 350ml (12floz) warm water. I notice there is no butter or oil listed there though there is 25g in the hand baking version.

I just wanted to check that the bread machine recipe had no fat.

Many thanks in advance for any tips for a complete novice.

Last edited by Saskie (09-05-2012 15:59:08)

  • Registered: 28-07-2011
  • Posts: 228

Re: Country grain bread question

The quantities you mentioned sound about right.

Regarding the presence of fat, this is entirely up to you. Yoiu'll get a slightly different result depending on how much fat you add, if any, but the bread will still be perfectly edible either way. Also, a higher fat content tends to mean a slightly longer shelf life.

As you get more experience of using your bread machine, you'll develop a feel for the quantities and ingredients.

Mike

  • Registered: 09-05-2012
  • Posts: 2

Re: Country grain bread question

Thanks very much for the reply, i'll give the country grain another go in a few days. I decided to try a wholewheat recipe from my bread machine manual and it turned out reasonably well, however I think there was too much yeast perhaps.

There was a definate yeasty smell and a kind of tangy taste to the bread. Luckily it wasn't too strong and perfectly edible, however I wondered how much I could reduce the yeast without affecting the raising? It was lovely and light/moist, just slightly too yeasty. The top was very soft, is that normal? At first I thought I had an air pocket under the crust, but upon slicing I found that wasn't the case.

I used the following:

500g Wholewheat flour
1tsp Allinson Easy Bake Yeast
1.5 tsp Sugar
25g Butter
1.25 tsp Salt
370ml Water

  • Registered: 10-05-2012
  • Posts: 2

Re: Country grain bread question

Don't forget that the order in which you add the ingredients in the panasonic machine is different to the order in which you would add them by hand.

for the panasonic, add the yeast and the sugar first
then add the flour
then add any salt and fat
then add the liquid

also, it is important to take the bread out of the bread machine as soon as possible after it has finished and put it on a rack to cool. The panasonic has a function of keeping hte bread warm after the bake has finished, but this makes it sweat in the machine and makes it loose the crisp edge and get a soggy bottom and ends up having a shorter shelf life

I can also reccomend using honey in brown, granary and wholemeal breads in hte bread machine, it offers a slightly firmer texture to the bread than sugar, but also a more nutty sweetness - you can use  from 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of honey for a 500g brown bread recipe depending on how sweet you like your bread.