Anyone have tips for Zojirushi Bread machine?

[MeaganS]

I was able to score a 2lb zojirushi bread machine off Craigslist for really cheap. I've wanted one for years but could never justify it. But now that I have it, all my bread is turning out horribly! Does anyone have a tried and true plain white bread recipe? Or tips? I consider myself a fairly competent cook so this is pretty discouraging.

I keep the yeast and salt separate, so it's not that...

[SoCal_Bear]

Did you start off trying recipes developed for Zoji? https://www.zojirushi.com/app/recipe/breadmakers

There a little troubleshooting blog here for Zoji: https://www.zojirushi.com/blog/?p=4617

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by calbear

[MeaganS]

5 minutes ago, calbear said:

Did you start off trying recipes developed for Zoji? https://www.zojirushi.com/app/recipe/breadmakers

There a little troubleshooting blog here for Zoji: https://www.zojirushi.com/blog/?p=4617

 

So I've tried making the one on the side of the machine a few times and each time it was a brick. I hadn't looked at that troubleshooting thing. I'll have to give it a go. I think I'll try the recipe on the side one more time. It's been a few weeks. I'll post back how it turns out. 

[MeaganS]

... And now dd10 is going around placing bets with her sisters on whether it will fail or not. Jerk. 😂

[GoodGrief3]

Well, I never really loved mine for regular bread. It was great for banana bread though :-)

[MeaganS]

13 minutes ago, GoodGrief3 said:

Well, I never really loved mine for regular bread. It was great for banana bread though 🙂

Oooh, we love banana bread. Whats your go to recipe for it in the Zo?

[GoodGrief3]

4 minutes ago, MeaganS said:

Oooh, we love banana bread. Whats your go to recipe for it in the Zo?

There was a recipe that came in the instruction book that we tweaked a bit. My machine has been gone for a while though because the heating element stopped working. I'll Google and see if I can find it.

[GoodGrief3]

Here's one, though it seems a little different than what I remember. But maybe our tweaking made it different? I remember fewer eggs and we added sour cream. I always put chocolate chips in it too.

I saw a site called Bread Dad that seemed to have bread machine tips.

https://www.zojirushi.com/app/recipe/banana-bread

Edited December 28, 2020 by GoodGrief3

[Calm37]

I just got a cheap bread machine for Christmas and it is a learning curve. Keep the crust on light for sure. One of the things I remember from the past, when I used to make bread regularly in a machine, is to check the feel of it in the middle of the kneading process. It should have that "just sticky" feel. Your fingers should cling for a second but no dough should come off. Hard to explain, but often bread needs some adjustment, more flour or water, at that point. 

I also recently read to let the bread cool down more slowly than just grabbing it out of the machine at the end and dumping it right out on a rack. The top won't wrinkle as much. Haven't tested that one out.

[MeaganS]

8 minutes ago, Calm37 said:

I just got a cheap bread machine for Christmas and it is a learning curve. Keep the crust on light for sure. One of the things I remember from the past, when I used to make bread regularly in a machine, is to check the feel of it in the middle of the kneading process. It should have that "just sticky" feel. Your fingers should cling for a second but no dough should come off. Hard to explain, but often bread needs some adjustment, more flour or water, at that point. 

I also recently read to let the bread cool down more slowly than just grabbing it out of the machine at the end and dumping it right out on a rack. The top won't wrinkle as much. Haven't tested that one out.

OK, so the dough I just started is almost done kneading and is tacky but not sticky. So good start I hope!

Dh is actually quite an accomplished baker. I don't really find enough joy in it to be as big into it as he is. But I've picked up some things. Which is why this is so frustrating! But here's hoping the first few were just user error. 

[Toocrazy!!]

I got a bread machine for Christmas, a different brand though. But the tip I read was to weigh the flour instead of just measuring a cup. Different flours weigh differently per cup. Maybe that’s a complete beginner tip though! I don’t bake often😀

[Tenaj]

1 hour ago, MeaganS said:

So I've tried making the one on the side of the machine a few times and each time it was a brick. I hadn't looked at that troubleshooting thing. I'll have to give it a go. I think I'll try the recipe on the side one more time. It's been a few weeks. I'll post back how it turns out. 

Through trial and error I found out that I needed to decrease the baking time for most breads in my Zo.  I can't remember how I figured this out but I think there was a blog or maybe a site that sold zo's here in the states and published their recipe and used the way to set up your own program to get the bread to come out well.  I'm sorry, I can't remember the website . . .maybe Breadbeckers?  Anyway, every bread machine I ever had seemed to have the baking phase set too long for our tastes which is why I loved my Zo when I got it.  I haven't used it in a long time though.  Our family got too big to make one loaf at a time practical.

[Ausmumof3]

 Can you buy premix at all?  They are really easy and then you could figure out if it’s a machine problem or a recipe problem.  The type of flour is really important too, not enough gluten and there won’t be enough stretch and it will be more dense and cake like.

[Tenaj]

1 minute ago, JanOH said:

Through trial and error I found out that I needed to decrease the baking time for most breads in my Zo.  I can't remember how I figured this out but I think there was a blog or maybe a site that sold zo's here in the states and published their recipe and used the way to set up your own program to get the bread to come out well.  I'm sorry, I can't remember the website . . .maybe Breadbeckers?  Anyway, every bread machine I ever had seemed to have the baking phase set too long for our tastes which is why I loved my Zo when I got it.  I haven't used it in a long time though.  Our family got too big to make one loaf at a time practical.

Adding in:  I think it was the Urban Homemaker's recipe that I started with.

 

[RootAnn]

Love my breadmaker, but like @Patty Joanna, we make the dough in it & then take it out, shape it, let it rise, then bake it in the oven. Comes out perfect everytime.

[Emba]

How old is your yeast? Could it be a yeast problem?

[MeaganS]

1 hour ago, Emba said:

How old is your yeast? Could it be a yeast problem?

I'm not sure. We store it in the freezer and it works just fine for all our other baked goods so I don't think it is the problem, but maybe?

So the loaf I did yesterday turned out...not great. I mean, it wasn't inedible or a total brick but still pretty dense. I was careful to follow the instructions exactly and even watched a few youtube videos. I think a bread machine might just not be for us. As I mentioned before, dh is actually a pretty accomplished baker, so maybe our standards are too high? Or I really could just be bad at it. At least I got a good deal and will easily be able to sell it for as much as I bought it for or more, so no harm done.

[Emba]

37 minutes ago, MeaganS said:

I'm not sure. We store it in the freezer and it works just fine for all our other baked goods so I don't think it is the problem, but maybe?

So the loaf I did yesterday turned out...not great. I mean, it wasn't inedible or a total brick but still pretty dense. I was careful to follow the instructions exactly and even watched a few youtube videos. I think a bread machine might just not be for us. As I mentioned before, dh is actually a pretty accomplished baker, so maybe our standards are too high? Or I really could just be bad at it. At least I got a good deal and will easily be able to sell it for as much as I bought it for or more, so no harm done.

One last thought on yeast, and keep in mind that I don’t have a bread machine: is it instant yeast? Instant yeast rises faster, so I just wonder if it is rising too long on the preset cycle and then falling and getting dense. Maybe try one last time with active dry?

Or sell it. I had one years ago but I really just liked it to make my dough for me, I hardly ever baked it in the machine. I’d put the dough in a regular pan, proof it, and bake it. 

[SoCal_Bear]

On that first link, those recipes were developed for specific models. It might help to try a recipe for your specific model. Clearly the one of the side of the machine isn't working. Also, are you weighing your ingredients?

[SoCal_Bear]

I just realized what you are saying above...are you using instant/quick rise/bread machine yeast? If dense, it sounds like it is a yeast problem. There really is yeast sold that is optimal for bread machines.

ETA: https://www.breadmachinepros.com/blog/what-is-bread-machine-yeast/

 

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by calbear