Soggy top loaf with new Pansonic breadmaker

[poppikin]

Thanks Dave.

Would it be stretching the bounds of generosity to ask if you wouldn’t mind telling me some child’s steps of exactly what I need to do from getting the camera out of the box to taking a simple picture of the holey bread and putting it in my PC? A 2Gb card came with it.

Is it a good camera?

poppikin

[saucisson]

No problem at all, It looks like a superb camera. it might be easier to talk you through it over the phone though. I will PM you. Jackie (my better half) or me or probably both together can attempt to talk to talk you through it.

Dave

[poppikin]

Thanks Dave

poppikin

[poppikin]

Hello Dave

Have sent you a PM

Thanks for help.

poppikin

[poppikin]

Still trying to find out about the hole in my bread have decided to invest in some new scales. Can anybody please recommend some bread making scales? Having no shops where I live I buy such things from John Lewis.com and was just going to get a pair of Salter but then read reviews that they may not be very good with small quantities and some measure only in even numbers so cannot weigh 3g, 5g etc.

poppikin

[beardedwonder5]

For large amounts I suggest balance pan scales: unless you have iron and brass moths, they are accurate enough for breadmaking. For small amounts, look on google for drug-dealer scales, not electronic. They could be called "jewelers' scales."

My wife is a potter (test glazrs, etc.), so I have access to an Ohaus .1g set up (own weight supplis for calibration.)

Your basic problem, so far as I can see (Panasonic - sell, profit, forget) is only resolvable if you go down a route which I wouldn' recommend unless you are "electrically competent". Open the thing up and with no juice on test the resistance of the heating elements. You could do this using only a torch, some wire, and some ingenuity. Bare bones explanation: Detach all electrical connections between the breadmaker's control cicuits and the heating element(s). Put a wire from one contact of the off-on switch (in the off position) to one end of a heating element. Put a wire from the other end of the off-on switch to the other end of the heating element. If the torch goes on, the elements is almost certainly ok. Now things get hairy. Detach all electrical connections to the motor. DANGER DANGER Attach 230v leads to the motor leads. Turn on the 230v. If the motor works, ok. Now you are in the unenviable posion ofl looking at the control board and saying to yourself, or maybe aloud, "xxxx". Something is wrong with the electronics. If Panasonic repaired your machine under guarantee, they'd just throw your board away and stick in a new one. Think of a washing machine timer; the repair person doesn't try to fix the old one.

For a guess, and at a distance, I'd say the timer circuit is up the creek. The proofing temp doesn't last long enough. The baking heat turns on too quickly. Just a guess.

[poppikin]

Hello beardedwonder5

Thanks for taking so much trouble with your reply.

All I need is some off-the-shelf scales I can purchase from John Lewis.com.

I've asked for anyone's experience on here as I have read reviews of problems with them.

poppikin

[MickHeaton]

I got some electronic ones for about £14 from Argos which weigh in 1g increments, they also do lb & Ounces, Ltr & Ml and Fl oz. Really very good for the price and dead easy to use, only 3 buttons and one of them is the on/off

Very similar to these
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8421100/Trail/searchtext%3EELECTRONIC+SCALES.htm

Mick

[Paul Kribs]

I got some electronic ones for about £14 from Argos which weigh in 1g increments, they also do lb & Ounces, Ltr & Ml and Fl oz. Really very good for the price and dead easy to use, only 3 buttons and one of them is the on/off

Very similar to these
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8421100/Trail/searchtext%3EELECTRONIC+SCALES.htm

Mick

I use the self same set for most of my weighing, and have done for a number of years. Only gripe is that they tend to 'fade' if you leave the contents being weighed for over a minute. If you leave them the displayed weight starts to go down. If only I could apply this to my bathroom scales

Regards, Paul Kribs

[jenny_haddow]

I have something similar from Lidl. Bought about 8 years ago for around a tenner. Easy peasy to use, does metric or lbs. I've just replaced the battery for the first time!

Jen

[poppikin]

Thanks Mick, Paul and Jenny.

When your messages came in I was just about to purchase an expensive Salter pair of scales but the reviews were a bit offputting citing unreliable and differing weights, stuck flour difficult to clean, poor quality etc.

So I changed to a Hanson one similar to Mick's link but without the bowl which I prefer and all for £10 and free postage so I'm well pleased.

http://www.johnlewis.com/230588026/Product.aspx

Thanks again everybody.

poppikin

[poppikin]

I would still be grateful for some help with the Panasonic fx150 camera which I purchased to take a (point and shoot) picture of the spectacular hole in my bread.

The instructions are a nightmare if you’ve never had a camera.

What I would really like is some child’s steps of exactly what I need to do from getting the camera out of the box to taking a simple picture of the holey bread and putting it in my PC including what to do with the 2Gb card came with the camera.

poppiki

[poppikin]

I am now managing to make a passable loaf but still have problems.

The ordinary white bread using the Panasonic recipe is much too firm for me and I would prefer it to be fluffier.

Please would someone mind telling me which ingredient to change?

poppikin

[wheels]

I don't know about bread machines - but if I was making bread by hand and wanted it softer/fluffier I would add oil/fat and increase the water content.

HTH

Phil

[Mike D]

Thats's what I was going to say

I do find that the water volume has to be quite precise, and also the veg oil too. (I add veg oil to mine, not butter) If too much is added is turns out to be a sticky mess - not a problem in the bread machine, but as I use the oven to let it rise and bake it (just use the Panasonic for mixing in) it makes it difficult to shape in the loaf tin.