Can anyone help me with a question about making dough in a Panasonic, please?
I've always baked a wee bit of bread- one fail safe recipe, basically- but I was away with friends at New Year and they made wonderful bread, so I've bought a couple of books and have got stuck in.
My problem is that I'm time poor. I want to come home and throw the dough in the oven; so I did a bit of research and bought a really good Panasonic bread machine; and I've made a couple of perfectly fine loaves in it. BUT I really want it to make the dough for me, so I can then bake it in the oven. And, to my consternation, the timer, which I had checked out, doesn't work on the dough cycles. And it always asks you to switch off the machine when the cycle is finished.
So, my question is this. If I put the dough cycle on and go to bed/work and not switch the machine off at the end of the cycle, how much trouble can I get into? Can I just leave it in the pan, and turn it out, shape it and leave it an hour before baking it. Or do I have to take it out of teh machine as soon as it's done?
Why on earth wouldn't they make the timer work for the dough cycle?? If your machine is new and this is how you want to use it, I'd suggest trying to return it and buy one with a timer on the dough cycle.
If you mean to set the dough kneading before you go to work/bed and leave it in the machine for hours after the dough cycle is finished, your bread will be overproofed (risen too long) and likely fall. To delay baking after rising, you need to retard the dough at cool temps to slow the yeast down during the delay.
Without a timer on the dough cycle, your options as I see them are (1) to set the machine on regular bake cycle with the timer, but time it so you can catch the dough after its rise but before the machine starts to bake. Your manual should give you some clue as to when this happens on the normal bake cycle of your machine, or (2) have the dough cycle finished before you go to work or bed, remove the dough when it's finished and place it in your fridge overnight, then when you get up or home from work take the dough out and let it rise to room temp before baking in the oven.
That I seem to have collected over the years....none of them have a dough cycle timer, so as was said earlier, either time it to be ready to come out for a rise then bake, OR make the dough, form your loaf and put it in the fridge for the day, then bake it when you get home. I prefer the machine to do the dough for me alot of the time too, so I do alot of that kind of baking on my days and weekends off!
Good Luck!
Got one of those timer plugs for lights? Plug your macine into it. Set to provide power to mix up your dough and turn it off again. In your case the freshly mixed dough is waiting for you when you get home. You just have to figure out how to keep the yeast away from the liquids. (Maybe it can float on a soda cracker) (or work in a yeast paste when you get home) (or have it mixed early on and use a lot less yeast.)
I've used a outlet timer with coffee makers. That way I don't have to get up and wait for the coffee to drip. The hot coffee and aroma is waiting for me when I come down the stairs. :)
"Panasonic" reminds me of my first clock radio...
Don't know about the Panasonic's instructions for ingredient order, but many bread machines keep the yeast away from liquids by putting liquids in first, then flour, then make a small well in the top of the flour in which you put the yeast. There's enough flour that the top and yeast stay dry overnight.
edited to add: Great idea!
What fantastic advice from all of you. I really appreciate it. I'll work it through and see how I do....