Soggy top loaf with new Pansonic breadmaker

All about bread

Postby jenny_haddow » Mon May 11, 2009 3:09 pm

bw5, no the lid has no element. However, because the Panasonic lid has no window it usually produces a nice brown top.

I'm just wondering if there is a fault with poppikin's machine, it might be worth contacting Panasonic and see what they have to say. The heat doesn't seem to be filling the chamber evenly.

Cheers

Jen
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Postby poppikin » Mon May 11, 2009 3:40 pm

Hello Jenny

Thanks for your reply.

I've had some success today but still not perfect. I did the smallest loaf again but on the 4 hour cycle and a dark crust.

Again, the bottom and sides are crusty but the top is not, although the top is darker than before. The smallest loaf is meant to fill about half of the height of the pan and I do wonder if there is steam in that space. The most progress is that the bread is fluffy which it wasn't before.

I'm very much put off contacting Panasonic having read the reviews on Amazon which indicate that Panasonic have very little interest in their bread maker customers. My own experience is that Panasonic do not answer emails even sent on their website.

As BakuBacker has the same machine I've asked him to give me a child's guide step by step on how he put the ingredients in and then will try that.

Thanks all for help
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Postby Oddley » Mon May 11, 2009 5:23 pm

Hi poppikin

It seems to me, that it might be the water content of the dough that is the problem. The basic recipe from Panasonic is 65% hydration, Jenny recommends 60% hydration. When I make bread by hand, with a good Canadian flour (Costco), I usually make it with 55% hydration. The hydration level will effect the crust colour and doughiness of the bread, made with the bread machine.

The e.manual for the SD255/254 can be downloaded
Here. Strangely no longer available on the Panasonic site.
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Postby Oddley » Tue May 12, 2009 2:10 pm

I received my sd-254 this morning. I have been making bread by hand for years, but it is getting a bit much now, so I decided to try the bread machine.

    Image

This bread came out fine, for the first try, the top crust started out crispy but then went soft. This bread was made with 60% hydration plus I followed the instruction, with the recommended order that I put the ingredients in the bucket. I'll have to have a play with the recipe.

I chose the sd-254, instead of the 255, because if I need to make rye bread, I can easily do it by hand. If I want to make say fruit bread which I do sometimes, I can put in all the extra ingredients first, it won't do any harm. So all in all I am happy.
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Postby poppikin » Tue May 12, 2009 3:30 pm

Hello Oddley

Glad you're happy. What is so frustrating is that I should be happy.
Yes that was my thinking getting the 254 not the 255.

Can you please explain what you mean about % hydration when you said

"It seems to me, that it might be the water content of the dough that is the problem. The basic recipe from Panasonic is 65% hydration, Jenny recommends 60% hydration. When I make bread by hand, with a good Canadian flour (Costco), I usually make it with 55% hydration. This bread was made with 60% hydration "

and how do you achieve it?

Very many thanks for your info - interesting.
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Postby Oddley » Tue May 12, 2009 4:41 pm

I used this recipe for a large loaf.

Basic/XL/Dark Crust


    I wrote:Breadmaker Bread (Panasonic)

    550 g Strong White Bread Flour
    330 g water
    1 1/4 tsp Yeast
    1 1/2 tsp Salt
    2 tsp Sugar
    25 g Butter

    Calories = 1.7 cal per gram

    After cooking, total weight = 813 g

A formula would explain it better than any words
    I wrote:Percent x Bread Flour
    --------------------------- = Water to use
    100

    60% x 550g
    --------------- = 330g Water
    100
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Postby porker » Wed May 13, 2009 9:46 am

I love good bread ... and living out in the country I find that usually all the nice bread is long gone by the time I get to the shops ;-(

I also have tried many times over the years to make my own ... and gave that up as a disaster ;-(

So now this thread has gotten my attention, is this Panasonic sd254 really the business? will it really make great bread? I'm so so tempted, but my wife will go mad if I produce another gadget to just gather dust! On the other hand if I can set the timer on it to produce a great loaf of bread for breakfast or for tea, I think I might just get away with it.

Please help me decide.

Cheers

:wink:
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Postby Oddley » Wed May 13, 2009 11:02 am

Hi porker

The bread I made yesterday was very nice, especially for a first loaf. I'm not going to kid you, I have made better by hand, but the bread machine bread was the equal to what I can buy round here. Much easier than by hand too, bung it all in and switch on.

My Second attempt.

    Image

This bread was made on timer. As you can see, a better rise than the first attempt, the same recipe but I added 10 g bread improver. The crust sides and bottom crisp, the top a little soft. I think I will up the hydration a little to get a softer dough, then maybe a better rise, therefore a crispier top crust. Needs playing about with.

The SD-254 makes good bread for me, that is all I can really say.
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Postby porker » Wed May 13, 2009 11:17 am

Thanks Oddley, It was the fact that you bought one that convinced me I needed to pay more attention ;-) I've done no research on these at all, so I take it the Panasonic is king?

Is amazon the cheapest at 65GBP?

Cheers

:)
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Postby Oddley » Wed May 13, 2009 11:26 am

Amazon £65 free postage. That's where I bought mine from.
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Postby poppikin » Wed May 13, 2009 11:36 am

[color=indigo][quote="Oddley"]Amazon £65 free postage. That's where I bought mine from.[/quote][/color]

hello porker

You will see on here that I have just bought mine and am not having much success.

I still think it is the best machine and Amazon the best price.

But, although 100 or so people raved about it on Amazon some did not and got short scrift from Panasonic when asked for help.

I bought mine despite the bad reviews and still think I will succeed but have a look at this link for the interest. This is for 1 star review but also look at 2 stars etc.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews ... addOneStar

poppikin[quote][/quote]
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Postby porker » Wed May 13, 2009 11:41 am

That loaf looks good enough to eat ... I've just ordered one, the sd254 for 61GBP, my local supplier wouldn't be outdone ;-)

Unfortunately I'll be out of the country for a few days so it will be a couple of weeks until I get playing with my new gadget.

What supplies do I need to have in stock, when I get back?

Cheers

:)
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Postby porker » Wed May 13, 2009 11:46 am

Sorry poppikin, I was posting and missed your post. I'm hopeless at making bread by hand, so I hope I can give the sd254 the full 5*'s, time will tell.

Keep us posted on your progress, I know from experience it can be so disheartening, when all around are having it easy.

Cheers

:)
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Postby poppikin » Wed May 13, 2009 1:14 pm

Hello porker

Good luck.

Disheartening to think I started this thread and everyone else seems to be doing OK.

I have just made my fourth from same Panasonic recipe. Sides are burnt, top is soggy and risen less than before.

Here is a link to download the original Panasonic manual which will come with the machine and will tell you ingredients you asked for etc.

http://safemanuals.com/user-guide-instr ... C/SD254-_E

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Last edited by poppikin on Wed May 13, 2009 5:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby jenny_haddow » Wed May 13, 2009 1:54 pm

Sorry to hear you still have problems poppikin. Why don't you try a different recipe. I posted mine earlier in the thread, it seems to work in all my bread machines.

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