Bread baking

[BonitaApplebum]

We were hardcore bread machine users for years. It was super easy, we'd premix batches of dry ingredients and then when it came time to make bread it would take just a minute or two to add everything to the machine and hit start.

I would say that the loaves were totally fine (nobody can really argue with hot, fresh bread) but not amaaaaaaaaaazing like the kind of loaf you could get in the oven.

Then one day the bread machine died and we didn't replace it. Now we hardly ever bake bread at all.

[Kumbaya]

We were hardcore bread machine users for years. It was super easy, we'd premix batches of dry ingredients and then when it came time to make bread it would take just a minute or two to add everything to the machine and hit start.

I would say that the loaves were totally fine (nobody can really argue with hot, fresh bread) but not amaaaaaaaaaazing like the kind of loaf you could get in the oven.

Then one day the bread machine died and we didn't replace it. Now we hardly ever bake bread at all.

We had a bread machine years ago that kneaded itself off the counter and onto the floor and broke.
We never replaced it either.

[CheryG]

I'm just now seeing this topic, I hope you have remedied your bread?

I've never baked with a bread machine, so I don't know what could be going on with that.

The one comment I'd make is that whole grains take longer to absorb water, so when using the eyeball method to determine if the liquid to flour ratio is correct it's best to let the dough sit for a short while first.  Today I made a whole wheat/oatmeal bread.  I cook the oats in milk, then add white whole wheat and let it sit while the oats cool to a temperature I can use them.

Another thought- make sure your rye is as finely ground as is possible. I make a vollkornbrot that works well with a more coarsely ground rye, but I wouldn't use that rye flour for a typical bread.

[redkitty]

Not an expert baker at all. But I was looking into how to make a crusty bread and came across this blog from King Arthur. It might not be exactly what you need, but I think it kind of goes towards the moisture issue. (and FTR, I am going to try their no knead crusty white bread recipe sometime soon.) 

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2015/08/09/make-crusty-bread