Bread not turning out at all! 5th Attempt!
Okay, here goes...
I am new to this site, I found it searching for answers for the problem I am having. Today was my 5th attempt at making a loaf of bread, but its just unedible. Heres whats happend, from the start.
I am a complete beginner, even more of a beginner, than a beginner. I have had my bread machine for about a year and half, never had problems. I have been using it almost every day the last two months, sometimes twice a day, sometimes not at all, but its used frequently, and probably more often than I should. Its just a basic Breadman machine, nothing fancy. Not sure what information is useful so I am laying it all out for ya!
In June I purchased bulk active dry yeast off amazon. I knew I wouldnt get through all of it before it expired, but it was still cheaper than the store. So I froze half and put the rest in the fridge and left the second packet unopened on the basement stairs.
About a week and half ago, I made some pizza dough in the bread machine and it overflowed, starting smoking and I had to take it out, shut the machine off etc and I just wiped the dough off the heating element when it was cooled, with just a dry tea towel and it came right off. Tried the machine the next day and it was fine.
This past weekend I ran out of the usual King Arthur flour I used and Target only had Gold Medal. So thats what I bought. The first loaf I made I tried a new French Loaf recipe from the Breadmans handbook (only ever use recipes from that book). It didnt turn out at all. Didnt rise, flat, doughy on the inside, bubbly looking texture. Utterly gross. I thought maybe I had mis read the recipe and thought I would try again the next day.
Next day, different loaf, one I had made many times, the bread came out the same. Sometimes i can be careless about the water temp, so I thought maybe it was that, maybe it was me putting it on the wrong setting, perfectly possible with 3 kids running around, I do things like that all the time! Or maybe is was the yeast, because I knew at some point this would happen with the yeast.
So I tried again, paying attention to the water temp and the setting and the same thing.
I tried with the frozen yeast and the same. So I opened the second package and the same thing!!!
I am about to go try making some bread rolls using only the dough setting to see if its the bread flour or yeast or if its the actual bread machine. The machine is getting hot, and appears to be functioning in its usual manner. The only big difference is the flour im using, but the bread is utterly unedible, I cant imagine it being solely the flours fault, because how would anyone buy it if it were that bad?
Please can anyone offer some advice. My next move is to buy different yeast and the KA flour again to try and eliminate the problems. I can only find a sales or replacement parts number for Breadman, I havent called yet, as I want to eliminate the flour and yeast first.
Advice much needed. Thank you.