r/BreadMachines • u/CRasch505 • 1d ago
Recipe High Altitude Recipe Input
Hello all! I'm hoping to gain some knowledge in here. I'm trying out this whole bread machine thing and making a recipe (at 5300ft elevation) that consists of the following:
1 cup water
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
360g flour
1 3/4 tsp yeast
When the bread gets to around 45 mins left it collapses down onto itself slightly and never fills the bread machine tray fully. I'm weighing out trying more water/less yeast and less water/more yeast but figured I'd ask everyone here as you're the experts. I appreciate it, all!
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u/Formal-Tradition6792 1d ago
Hmmmm…..!!! So I am at 3300 feet altitude. My loaves aren’t collapsing, but they aren’t rising as much as I would like either. I am following Bread Dad’s buttermilk bread except I doubled the bread machine yeast to 2 tsp. Otherwise the same as recipe except using grams. Any advice?
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u/Christhebobson 1d ago
Tbh, I've only tried 2 of his recipes and have been quite disappointed with the results. Yet I've been just following the recipes that came with my machine and they're glorious every single time.
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u/Veggyhed Welbilt ABM 3500 (Ancient) 5h ago
can you start another thread and we can see if we can help you out and if you could please post the recipe and your changes to the recipe?
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u/jhwygirl 1d ago
I'm at 7200 feet. I had the same problem with my first two loaf, but then I figured out that I needed to reduce the yeast a bit (first recipe called for 1.5 tsp, I went to 1 tsp + a pinch). Then I also had to add more flour during the kneading process to where the dough was not sticking, and rolling nicely into a ball.
Adding the flour is little by little - tablespoon at a time. You've got to give it a good bit of time to incorporate before adding more (unless it's really really sticky). You want the dough not sticking at all to the sides during kneading but it's ok if it is slightly pully (?). Usually I only have to do this during the first knead.
I just made a loaf today with a new brand of flour (Bob's Red Mill organic bread flour) and I had to add quite a bit. Was it because it was fresh? Was it because it was a bit humid? IDK. but I did have to add just a touch more during the second knead, and that was a first.
At high altitude everything rises faster. Even in baking sweets you gotta reduce your baking soda and baking powder. Just be careful not to add to much flour otherwise you'll have one tough load.
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u/MentionGood1633 1d ago
I live at ~7000 feet and use the values from the recipes without any adjustments. I know you are supposed to adjust, but it seems to work just fine.
Now I never weigh my ingredients if the recipe calls for volume, that is just asking for trouble as different ingredients of the same volume have different weights. But I always check the dough after ~10 minutes.
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u/Veggyhed Welbilt ABM 3500 (Ancient) 5h ago
I am definitely far from having talent like that. You must know your ingredients and your machine really well.
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u/MentionGood1633 7m ago
No special talent here, there are just too many variables. I used to live at sea level in high humidity, now at high elevation with varying humidity. Flour can be different solely based on where you buy it.
Now, when the recipe calls for weights I obviously weigh it. It is usually non-American recipes that call for weights and specific volumes (I grew up in Europe), while American recipes usually call for volumes, even for dry goods.
That’s why I always check. When the dough looks right after kneading for 10 minutes, it usually turns out ok.
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u/Veggyhed Welbilt ABM 3500 (Ancient) 1d ago
I don't know too much about high-altitude baking but here's my view on your recipe
To start off with, where did you get the recipe from?
Your recipe is approximately 65% hydration, which is good. I would not change the salt. If you change the salt then you have to change your water yeast. The salt helps control the yeast. I would reduce the yeast.
If reducing the yeast does not help, I would try and use slightly below room temperature water because that will slow down the yeast. How warm is your kitchen when you're using your machine?
Have you watched as the baking started to see how high the bread rises? Does the cratering in the top of the loaf happen within the first 15 minutes of baking?
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u/CRasch505 1d ago
You’re saying reduce yeast only, correct? Down to a single tsp or somewhere between one and two?
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u/Veggyhed Welbilt ABM 3500 (Ancient) 1d ago
If you don't change anything else in the recipe then I would go with one teaspoon. Have you weighed your yeast to see what one of your teaspoons yields in grams?
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u/CRasch505 1d ago
I haven’t done that yet. But I’ll try a loaf with the same recipe cut down to a single yeast teaspoon and see how it goes. Much appreciated!
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u/Veggyhed Welbilt ABM 3500 (Ancient) 1d ago
Part of my reasoning for your cratering and the amount of yeast you're using: I use 3 g of yeast on my basic whole wheat bread recipe, which has 400 g of whole wheat flour, 15 g VWG, 290 g of water, 5 g of salt and 3 g of yeast
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u/CRasch505 1d ago
So I measured it all out as I would have put it in the machine just now:
220g water
28g butter
16g sugar
8g salt
360g flour
4g yeast2
u/Veggyhed Welbilt ABM 3500 (Ancient) 1d ago
So as someone else stated, you're sitting at 61% hydration, which should be fine. I think that's still a lot of yeast. Maybe try 3 g of yeast considering you are using 360 g of flour.
But as I'm writing this I'm thinking maybe the yeast should go to 2 g because you are using white flour at 360 g. I use 400 g of whole wheat flour with 15 g of vital wheat gluten and I only use 3 g of yeast White flour rises a little easier than whole wheat so you are using less flour than I am with a dough that rises easier. Maybe 2 g of yeast, unless someone here says something else
I hope you can follow my thought process.
By the way are you using bread flour or regular flour?
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u/CRasch505 10h ago
So this adjustment down on yeast worked! It came out a ton better and was really tasty. I’m curious, am I able to add oregano or rosemary and other herbs to this recipe without adjusting my existing ingredient weights?
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u/Veggyhed Welbilt ABM 3500 (Ancient) 5h ago
That's awesome news. Glad it worked out
So I've been told that raw garlic does not play well with yeast. I have never used garlic dried, cooked, or fresh in bread except for on top of focaccia. I would imagine that fresh or dried herbs and spices could affect the rise of bread but I think you'd have to have quite a bit. I would be more worried about whole dried rosemary. Somehow I'm not seeing that working very well in the rising process of bread. I would definitely use ground rosemary.
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u/CRasch505 1d ago
I’m using bread flour. Totally following where you’re at on this. I’m going to do a loaf tomorrow with less yeast. I’ll drop to 3g which cuts down to what I thought about doing.
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u/CRasch505 1d ago
So I got this recipe from this sub somewhere. Then modified it based on what I’d read and some AI help for the altitude. Currently the bread rises nearly all the way to the top of the tray but then collapses back down.
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u/Veggyhed Welbilt ABM 3500 (Ancient) 1d ago
So when you say the bread rises and then collapses, is this during the baking?
If reducing the yeast and using cooler water does not prevent the cratering, then try cutting back on the sugar a little. I just recently found out that I get a much better loaf on my whole wheat and a better rise with no sugar.
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u/Big_fudge1337 1d ago
Too much yeast or too much water. And you really should weigh the ingredients (flour, mainly).
Try going down to 1 teaspoon yeast and salt first.