What Did I Do Wrong?

[ptkds]

I just made my first loaf of bread. I used Bob's Red Mill bread mix. I followed all the instructions. I used my new kitchenaid 600 mixer. When I pulled it out of the oven, the bread had baked to be twice the height of the pan! It was about 5-6 inches over the top. It didn't even rise over the top before I put it in the oven. And it doesn't taste all that great, either.

So, what did I do wrong?? Why did it rise so much? How can I keep it from doing this next time? I will probably make bread from scratch from now on (it will be cheaper), but I still need to know what I did wrong so I don't do it again!

Thanks,

ptkds

[breann6]

how much yeast did you use? did you use one packet or 1 tbs? how big was the pan you used? maybe your pan was too small? just some ideas? i am new at all this so i could be off base, but those were my guesses.

my bobs red mill was okay in taste- but the pamelas is AWESOME- it really is amazing that its gluten free i made it the sweet bread style and its YUMMY!

-Breann

[Guest nini]

first mistake, using Bob's Red Mill (just kidding) no, I second the guess that the pan was either too small or too much yeast) I use Pamela's bread mix and it's perfect everytime (unless my daughter runs through the kitchen screaming while it's tring to rise ) There are some really good recipes for bread from scratch too, but Pamela's is so much easier. You could try doing the "dough only" cycle on your bread machine and transferring it to a regular sized bread pan to rise and bake, and see if that makes a difference.

[ptkds]

I used the 9 x 5 pan, just as instructed. And I used the yeast packet that came with it. I am not sure if the yeast did what it was supposed to do when I put it in the milk. It was all lumpy and there were just a few bubbles coming up from around the lumps. Is this the way it is supposed to look? I have never really used yeast before, so I don't know what it is supposed to do.

Thanks,

ptkds

[Guest nini]

I haven't used the Bob's Red Mill mix myself and when I use the yeast packets that come with the Pamela's mix they are nice little granules that just roll right out of the packet... no clumping or anything. Honestly I haven't had much luck with any of the Bob's Red Mill products and I don't think they taste that good either.

[GFBetsy]

Here's a link to some tips on making gluten free bread work . . . don't know if they'll help with this situation, as they are written for a bread recipe, not that particular mix, but I figured they couldn't hurt!

Open Original Shared Link

[breann6]

I am not sure you are supposed to let the yeast touch liquid for some reason. hmm...I know, my bread machine says don't let the yeast touch liquid but rather place the yeast on top of the flour (dry ingrediants) and then its kneeded into the moist dough rather than the liquid...

Hope your next loaf turns out fabulous!

[GFBetsy]

It's okay to put yeast in water . . . placing yeast in warm water actually "wakes it up" and activates it (though I think the warmth is more important than the wetness . . . but it's probably the combination of both). When you put yeast in a bowl of warm water (plus a teaspoon of sugar or so) it creates air bubbles. Eventually, the bowl will be full of brownish foam (with water underneath). The yeast continues to ferment in the bread, which is what makes bread dough rise.

Sometimes the yeast does clump together once it's been mixed in with liquids . . . I hate that and always try to break up the lumps because I don't want lumps of yeast in my finished product. I'm trying to remember when I get that problem . . . I think it's when I dump the yeast into the liquid. It seems like pouring the liquid on top of the yeast causes fewer clumping problems . . . perhaps because the yeast is already spread out a bit before the liquid hits it.

I think the reason the bread machine directions tell you to add the yeast to the moist dough is probably becasue it is easier on the machine in some way. I personally hate to just add the yeast to the moist dough because the yeast dissolves better when it is in lots of water for a while . . . and I dislike finding small balls of undissolved yeast in my bread. Of course, I usually make my bread in a heavy duty mixer and bake it in the oven, so I don't have to worry about possibly damaging an expensive bread machine! I can just do it however I want!