My bread rises all gnarly-looking, and I'm stumped. Here are the ingredients, which I am careful to add in the correct order, at room temperature:

1/2 cup water; 3/4 cup evaporated milk; 2 tbsp. unsalted butter; 2 tbsp. honey; 1-1/2 tsps. salt; 1/3 cup oatmeal; 2 cups bread flour; 1 cup whole-wheat flour; 2-1/4 tsps. dry yeast; 1/2 cup flaxseed.

I have tried to solve the problem in all of the following ways:

Tried a different bread machine, plugged into a different electrical outlet;

Added flax at different times during the baking cycle--in initial mix, during first knead, during second knead, when machine beeps;

Tried fresh, organic flaxseed and boxed flaxseed;

Tried different brands of flour;

Tried fresher yeast from the organic grocery and packet yeast from the store;

Selected different bread settings on the breadmachine;

I'm convinced the problem is with the flaxseed, although my neighbor, an expert breadmaker, says this does not make sense.

ANY IDEAS?

I'm having problems with Peter Reinart's whole wheat sandwich and hearth breads. The bigas and soakers are too dry and the dough doesn't rise much when proofing or in the oven. I'm weighing the ingredients and using a new package of instant yeast. Any ideas would be welcome.

Does the age of flour effect its part in the proving or fermentation of bread?

I have been working with the Cook's Magazine "Almost No Knead" recipe, which seems pretty slick to me. Trouble is, after baking the recipe a number of times, I feel there is an either/or issue resolving hydration vs rise and shape stability. I do my second rise on a parchment sheet lowered into a bowl (boule?) shaped like the rounded loaf I hope for. When the second rise is complete, I remove the parchment sling, slash the loaf, then lower it into the 6 quart dutch oven for baking. The loaf is about an inch less in diameter than the pot.

Now for the tragic outcome: The loaf subsides into something like a very thick Frisbee. It springs pretty well and the interior is uniformly holey. Tastes great. But.... I'd like a nice upstanding loaf that is a good deal rounder. I don't want a basketball, but should I reduce the hydration to make a stiffer dough? Is there just something inherent in the no knead regieme that makes a more slack dough? Anyone have strategies for "stiffening the spine" of my boules without giving up their nice moist chewiness?

Thanks for your ideas.

Hello,

I'm a newbie to this site, but not a newbie to baking. I recently moved to an Alaskan "Homestead" and am cooking on a wood stove (no oven...)I have a sourdough starter that is about 15 years old. It has always made great pancakes, but I have never had success with biscuits or bread. They are always dense and do not rise well. They get tough skins on them before they rise much at all. This happened even in my suburban homes. Yesterday I made a batch of sourdough "soda" bread from Ruth Allman's Book: Alaska Sourdough. It called for 4 cups starter, etc. and 8-10 cups of flour. I could barely knead in 4 1/2 cups flour. The dough was a nice texture when I got done kneading, but it never rose. I slit the tops and "baked" it on the wood stove anyway. (I put the pans on trivits on the cook surface and cover them loosely with foil. Then I just keep the fire stoked.) There was some expanding during cooking, but the bread was heavy and pasty when I cut it open.

So, I followed the recipe (other than not adding as much flour). Any ideas on how I can improve the rising? Anyone else cooking on stove tops? I've had good luck in a cast iron pot with a regular soda bread -no sourdough- but my husband loves!! sourdough and I'd really like to make a good loaf.

Thanks.

M