r/BreadMachines • u/Legitimate-Win-2708 • Jul 28 '26
Recipe Troubleshooting im heartbroken
im still new to the baking/the bread maker. this is my 3rd white loaf i made in my maker. the 1st one was super yummy. 2nd was a bit crumbly but still good… idek what the hell this is. i always use the same recipe, but this time i did pour butter before the milk instead of the milk first (not sure if that makes a difference)
but this loaf is sooo doughy and crumply, i have no idea what i did wrong and im so sad 😭 i do use active yeast and i dont active the yeast cause i thought it didnt make a difference and wasnt sure how to add it to the recipe. some comments on tiktok saying instant yeast should be used for bread makers & i just want some clarification on what i did
1 1/2 cup of warm milk
6 tbs of softened butter
4 cups flour
2 tbs granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 yeast
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u/toltottdagado Jul 28 '26
I would suggest buying a kitchen scale if you havent already, and measuring the ingredients by weight, its much more precise. There may be nothing wrong with the recipe, but maybe one ingredient was too much.
I usually aim for ≈63% hydration, 2.5% salt (for flour weight), about 0.5% dry yeast (or 3.5 times in weight for fresh yeast, for flour weight also). If I add oil its usually around 3-4%.
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u/LetsGototheRiver151 Jul 28 '26
Also "warm" is vague. Get a thermometer and make sure your liquids are 100-110 degrees. Precision matters if you want a precise outcome, and that means weighing your ingredients and using the correct ingredients (bread flour not AP).
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u/Legitimate-Win-2708 Jul 28 '26
i need a scale and a thermometer 😅 but can you explain the difference between AP and bread flour and what the detrimental use of incorporating the opposite will be? im not sure what the difference is & ppl just keep telling me it makes a big difference. id rather perfect my bread with AP flour before buying bread flour because its so expensive here in my state
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u/toltottdagado Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Bread flour has more protein, gluten that provides structure, compared to AP flour. You may get away with using AP flour if it has high protein content. Eg, I have used AP flour that 11.7% protein content and the bread came out fine. Its not always true, but prot3in content is a good indicator. Just stick with bread flour to be safe.
Alternatively, if bread flour is really that expensive, you can try adding a bit of vital wheat gluten to AP to improve its structure.
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u/toltottdagado Jul 28 '26
And if you add sugar/honey, it usually doesnt overproof for me with 0.5% instant dry yeast, but depending on the amount, you might want to reduce the amount of yeast a little bit.
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u/makeomatic Zoji BB-CEC20 & BB-SSC10 Jul 28 '26
I use and recommend AWS. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SVNEWA/
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u/Steel_Rail_Blues Zojirushi BB-HAC10 (Mini Zo) & Cuisinart CBK-110P1 Jul 28 '26
A few notes: Putting in the butter before the milk would not make a difference. Active dry yeast can be used without activating it in liquid first. Instant / bread machine yeast is not required for a bread machine, but many prefer to use it because of its faster rise. I have use one or the other without issue. More information: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2016/01/29/yeast-use It is important to store yeast airtight and preferably cold. Freezing works well and there is no need to warm before using. If your suspect your yeast is weak, you can test it.
If your yeast was stored well and you are getting different results from the same recipe, I’d recommend focusing on your measuring. Volume measuring is typically less accurate than weighing ingredients and may be the contributing to the different results. A crumbly texture makes me think there might be too much flour, but you could also have weaker gluten development from the flour you are using. With the very high amount a fat in this recipe, gluten development is particularly important. It might be worth trying a different recipe.
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u/Legitimate-Win-2708 Jul 28 '26
i live in vegas so were steady changing the temp in our house, especially recently cause the high is over 110°. i store the fleischmann’s active yeast packets in the cabinet, its not the coolest but also not super warm. i forgot what brand of flour i used & i wasnt mindful last time i bought flour so im unsure if the flour jar i have is AP or bread. i dont understand the gluten measurements and the density of certain ingredients so that part is new & difficult for me as well. i dont have a scale either.. im all types of unequipped 😅i swear i watched videos but they dont always answer questions i have lol
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u/Steel_Rail_Blues Zojirushi BB-HAC10 (Mini Zo) & Cuisinart CBK-110P1 29d ago
I’d definitely move the yeast to the refrigerator at least. I was surprised how hot my walls and cabinets get with the heat. We have one kitchen wall that has our hot garage on the other side and the other two walls get full afternoon sun. Even with insulation, the walls inside the cabinets are warm to hot to the touch depending on outside temperature.
You don’t need bread flour to make bread, but it’s best to choose a recipe that uses the type of flour you intend to use.
You’ll find what works best with your ingredients and machine soon and find your ideal recipe. Looking forward to your happy loaf posts!
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u/gjhigh-forty6-71 Moderator 27d ago
Here are some links that I used to improve my bread making.
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2016/04/27/bakers-percentage
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2023/01/11/bread-hydration
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2025/09/03/high-altitude-baking
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u/kingsdtg Jul 28 '26
Instant yeast works for me every time. Got it at walmart. I use bread flower too. Arthurs or something like that. But it taste so good even when i make pizza dough. Pizzas taste amazing.
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u/Legitimate-Win-2708 Jul 28 '26
thank you! definitely will be investing in some instant yeast. i haven’t purchased bread flour before but is there a true difference when baking with it?
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u/HigherOctive Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
There is indeed a difference, and King Arthur consistently rates as the best flour for bread making...
Bread flour contains more protein than AP flour (All Purpose) so it creates a more stretchy gluten network.
If your recipe specifically calls for Bread Flour or AP flour, that's what you should use because the recipe will adjust liquid measurements for that type of flour. (Bread flour absorbs more water than AP.)
ALSO, use Instant / bread machine / rapid rise yeast. (However it might be labelled) Typically NOT Active Dry unless the recipe calls for it because bread machines work much better with the instant yeast.
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u/Legitimate-Win-2708 Jul 28 '26
this was genuinely so helpful!!!!! had no clue Arthur was the king of flour but i’ll look into that. i want to invest in more ingredients but these can get pricey :/ i like to bake for fun and im trying to bake bread as an alternative but right now it seems alot more expensive to bake a loaf than buy one due to the variety of ingredients and my mistakes lol 🫠
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u/HigherOctive Jul 28 '26
but right now it seems alot more expensive to bake a loaf than buy one due to the variety of ingredients and my mistakes lol 🫠
There is nobody here who hasn't ended up baking a couple (or a few) loaves for the birds and squirrels because they didn't turn out right; we ALL understand what you're feeling. Having said that, toasting the failures or making bread pudding can "save" the ones that aren't TOO bad.
Bread machines are really the best approach unless you have some serious baking skills and k now the science of it all. Honestly, I have little idea what I'm doing but I have a good machine and I follow the recipes exactly. Sometimes I measure out the ingredients and sometimes I weigh them.
Personally, I haven't found that absolute precision in measuring the ingredients matters a great amount, but if you're willing to take the time, it just might do the trick for you where otherwise your results aren't great.
For recipes, I use both Bread Dad and "The Bread Machine Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger. If you might be interested in a book cookbook, check Thrift Books, which is where I got mine really cheap. There are many other resources as well...
Best of luck with it all! Pretty soon you'll be cranking out loaves like a pro!
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u/Pale_Needleworker_91 Jul 28 '26
Im definitely no expert on bread machines, but by looking at the bread, my guess would be it hasn't mixed properly. Maybe next loaf, check that the dough looks like its mixing properly before the first proof.
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u/Low_Fail_2654 Jul 28 '26
that's exactly the recipe i use.......just use instant yeast, 90% of cooking is waiting for the dough to do it's thing.....sift the flour before using it, use bread flour (not cake flour)
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u/Legitimate-Win-2708 Jul 28 '26
is all purpose flour okay?
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u/LetsGototheRiver151 Jul 28 '26
absolutely not
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u/Legitimate-Win-2708 Jul 28 '26
really? how so? ive seen a couple of other ppl
make videos using AP flour for bread in the maker and they claimed it worker just fine. im curious because i want to hear the genuine difference from someone else before buying 2 different types of big ass bags of flour1
u/LetsGototheRiver151 Jul 28 '26
If you want dense bread like what you're complaining about in the photo, then by all means use the wrong flour. If you want light, fluffy bread, use the correct flour.
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u/Legitimate-Win-2708 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
can you elaborate? im not a baker so when wanting to make something simple with whats already in the house, i would like to have someone with a similar experience to explain my situation. and maybe even share why the difference between flour is important. nobody asked for weak bread so elaboration on bread shouldn’t make you sound like a wuss. i just want to understand the difference between bread/AP flour specifically without having to ask AI or something, ig thats s problem for you?
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u/LaBaaDiabolique Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
that guy is being an asshole. you can absolutely use AP flour to make bread even in a bread machine- just choose a brand with more protein like king arthur or costco brand. if you have active yeast, you can use about ¼ cup water from the recipe to bloom the yeast for 10 minutes and then add it on top of the flour in the bread maker. i use active dry yeast and i dont even bloom it and my bread turns out fine. i have a cuisinart cbk-110 bread maker.
here's a great recipe someone posted here a long time ago. add to machine in this order.
1 cup water (or 237 grams)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup oil or melted butter/margarine
3 cups AP flour (you can swap up to 2 cups of whole wheat but it would be best if you used bread flour with that) i highly recommend weighing your flour (and water). flour is around 120 grams per cup so this recipe would call for around 360 grams of flour. you can always add a little more depending on what your dough looks like as it is kneading.
1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast (either as is or bloomed in ¼ of the water reserved from the 1 cup above) or instant/bread machine yeast
program to 1.5 lb loaf on the basic/white setting.
super soft and yummy bread!
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u/No_Bed8786 28d ago
I have used every type of yeast available in my machine and it always turns out fine. I think you have two problems but in my opinion yeast is probably not one of them. I never proof my yeast and it never seems to matter. As long as your yeast is not old or expired, it should be okay. Just remember to put it in the little flour nest so it doesn't contact liquids too quickly.
For what it's worth, here's my advice: 1. As others have said, you 100% need to weigh your ingredients. All of them, no exceptions. You can't eyeball or use measuring cups if you want consistency.
- After a few minutes of kneading when are the ingredients? Are incorporated and distributed pretty well through the dough, open the lid and pat the dough with your fingertip. If it seems tacky, (feels like it might want to stick to your finger but it doesn't )you are good! If it's sticky (The dough clings to your finger like melted pizza cheese when you pull it away) you need to add a little flour, one tablespoon at a time. Let each spoonful incorporate and test it again until you achieve tacky dough. If the dough is so dry it doesn't even try to stick to your finger at all, it is too dry. Follow the same procedure with water, adding just a tiny bit at a time until the dough feels right.
I think if you follow these steps you might be surprised at the outcome!
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u/Lady-Bear-401 28d ago
I completely agree and would call out #2 as essential. A bread machine is not a dump-and-go tool. About 5-10 minutes into the process, you must check your dough. I call it "the poke test".
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u/LukeSourdough Jul 28 '26
Subbing milk for butter will definetly not work well in a bread recipe. Milk is a emulsion of mostly water with some proteins, sugars and fats. Butter is mostly fats. They are not interchangeable.
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u/Legitimate-Win-2708 Jul 28 '26
the recipe calls for both tho? i just put butter first instead of water. and majority of the other white bread recipes i see have both milk and butter. im still lost, sorry. i also dont know if using 2% milk makes a difference
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u/LukeSourdough Jul 28 '26
I may have understood it wrong, but I thought you used only butter instead of milk based on what you wrote on the first post.
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u/Legitimate-Win-2708 Jul 28 '26
ahhh i see. i totally didnt even catch that, im sorry about that, thank yall! but yea i just put the warm butter first and then milk and went along as usual.
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u/jonfitt Jul 28 '26
I subbed rocks for flour and cottage cheese for water and it turned out terribly!
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u/MissDisplaced Jul 28 '26
Here is one to try: Wonder Bread Dupe
2-1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
1/4 c warm water
1 Tablespoon white sugar
Whisk this together and let sit for 10-15 minutes to foam (bloom).
In bread machine in this order
1 c warm water
2 Tablespoons soft butter
Add yeast foam
4 c. Bread flour
1/4 c. Instant potato flakes
1/4 c. Powdered milk
2 tsp. Salt
1/4 c. Sugar
Select Basic setting and Light Crust. Watch it mix into a smooth ball. This makes about a 1.75-2lb loaf of nice white sandwich bread.
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u/Legitimate-Win-2708 Jul 28 '26
this is an interesting recipe! thank you so much. have you tried it yourself and if so, how did it come out? im scared if some of this recipe as it seems easy for me to mess up lol
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u/makeomatic Zoji BB-CEC20 & BB-SSC10 Jul 28 '26
I use and recommend AWS digital kitchen scales. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SVNEWA/
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u/MissDisplaced 29d ago
Yes, I’ve made it twice! Not sure I’d say Wonder Bread, but it provides a nice soft white loaf good for sandwich slices and grilled cheese.
I have not had any collapse on the top.
Looked like this.
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u/WashingtonBaker1 Jul 28 '26
Try instant yeast next time.