Please help - new breadmaker and no success!?

wiggles123, Jul 19, 3:49am
Had a panasonic breadmaker for years. Recently got a new Sunbeam Bakehouse. Tried it on many occasions with varying success (non of it great though! ! ). Recipes have "improver". Have asked a few friends who either don't know what this is or say our flour is different and not to worry about that ingredient! I'm not one to give up and really want to start making my own bread again - can anyone give me any tips on what may be going on and what I can do to improve my once good breadmaking skills? Thank you so much :)

fester7, Jul 19, 4:13am
I have the same bread maker and the recipes in the book with it don't work for me. Just fiddle till you get what you want heres my basic bread that works everytime:
150ml water
150ml milk
3Tblsp oil
1 tsp salt
1Tablsp brown sugar
1 1/4 cup highgrade flour
2 cups wholemeal flour
3 tsp yeast ( I use supa bake - from bulk barn)

fester7, Jul 19, 4:14am
woops forgot to tell you I put it on wheat setting ( No 3):)

geomorphologist, Jul 19, 4:26am
I have a new Sunbeam quantum smartbake - it came with two manuals the standard Aussie one and a NZ conversion one (much smaller only a few basic recipes). Improver is needed to add to Australian yeast but in NZ the surebake yeast (red cap) has improver already in it so just make sure you get the surebake yeast. If you use granulated yeast (orange cap) it won't work.

Also if your manual is only Aussie recipes. the Australian tablespoon is bigger than the NZ one so when you read 1Tablespoon in Aussie manuals it means 20ml not 15ml (or four teaspoons not three).

I looked on the sunbeam website and you can download all the Australian manuals but I couldn't see any NZ ones. You could email sunbeam and ask for the NZ recipe book.

Good luck we love our breadmaker and never buy bread now. We make a standard wholemeal/white mix with molasses (sometimes sunflower seeds) yummo.

korbo, Jul 19, 6:19pm
i have posted a bread recipe here many times. just type my name in the lefthand side for anytime... my never fails... . and i have 3 breadmakers.

ferita, Jul 19, 6:23pm
This is what bread improver is normally made from:

Ascorbic acid - used to strengthen the gluten
Hydrochloride - gluten softening and clearing
Sodium metabisulfate - gluten softening and clearing
Ammonium chloride - food for yeast
Phosphates - food for yeast
Amylase - enzyme used to break down starch into simple sugars, thereby letting yeast ferment quickly
Protease - enzyme used to improve extensibility of the dough

stormbaby, Jul 20, 9:37am
Something I found out after batch after batch "failed" in a new breadmaker. Always (no matter what the recipe states) use 3 heaped tsps of breadmaker yeast. And always, when you buy it, check the use by date. Breadmaker yeast has a short shelf life and if its past it, doesn't always do the job.

[email protected], Jun 15, 5:11pm
I've made bread for near 10 years and finaly discovered how to make every one a success ----Its alway mix sugar with real hot water thoughly first cool it mix yeast then add it to mix----i never thought of it before----but what a difference,no more solid door stops.