My first attempt at making bread.... what happened???

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Ok ok it WAS from a box, but hey that's a start, right! I am on a mission to learn how to make bread and figured I'd do my very first one with a mix from a box. It was labeled as "sweet bread"... Here's what it looked like. See the problem was it never puffed up into a loaf, what did I do wrong?

 

[Arcnadius]

Check the box for an expiration date. If it was a yeast bread, the yeast may not have activated due to age or water temp. If it wasn't a yeast bread, then maybe the baking powder was old or maybe the mixed batter sat too long before going into the oven. Not really sure, but don't get discouraged from trying again. Maybe you could use the end product to make a bread pudding or egg bake.

 

[becstalls]

Modern granulated yeasts supposedly do not need to be "proofed" (you take the warm water or other liquid that the recipe calls for, a bit of sugar and the yeast and let them steep together. The yeast will activate and make the mixture look like foamy beer). But my experience has been that breads are most successful when you proof the yeast regardless of whether or not you "need" to.

 

[Katy]

I bake a lot of bread and I always proof my yeast whether the recipe calls for it or not. Is yours a yeast bread?......or a quick bread? It's hard to know what went wrong unless you share a bit more detail on the process you used and what kind of bread it is.

 

[Judy]

I can understand thinking a box mix would be safe. For a yeast bread, though, I don't agree. More than once, I've had supposedly fresh yeast fail to grow when proofed. Probably stored wrong somewhere along the line.

I'd make bread pudding out of that.

 

[Raen]

I don't know what happened there, but if you want to make awesome bread that's basically foolproof and really, really easy and delicious, makeno-knead bread . Everyone will be impressed out of their minds, and you can be all smug and awesome, and it will have taken no time at all.

 

[bigmike&nan]

Quote:
YUP this is great bread, if some part of the printed recipe leaves you guessing just watch the video:

WhiteMountainRanch, I would guess from the photo that maybe the pan was a little too long and big for the volume of dough you used. Next time try a regular metal bread pan or if you have smaller cast iron skillets (I own about 20 ranging from 5 inches in diameter to 14 inches in diameter), they smaller diameter ones make wonderful baking pans.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Yes I think it was considered a yeast bread, it came with a little packet of yeast and told me to mix it in with warm water and sugar in the dough, then let sit for an hour... but it never puffed. The other thing was when I tried to kneed it, it was all sticky... I kept coating my hands in flour but like 3 grabs and it was all sticky again...

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
Sounds like old or improperly stored yeast.

 

[bigmike&nan]

Quote:
The most common mistake folks make when using yeast is they get the water too warm or too cool. Yeast grows best at body temperature, ie 98.6 - if you stick your fingers it the water it should neither feel hot or cold - body temp... I use a little buttermilk in place of water - and I warm it in the mircrowave... And I stir it and check it until it's neutral feeling, neither hot or cold. Then add my yeast and sugar and mix well to disolve. The results are amazing.

Keep at it, I've got a cousin from Michigan on Facebook - the other night she asked me if I ever made anything that didn't turn out perfect (based on all the photos I post). I laughed myself silly and then replied to her... The answer is YES, everyone goes thru a learning curve with stuff. And doing bread is fun, but it takes a little practice. I like warming my mixing bowl and kitchen up - after I get my dough made I don't let the kitchen be cool or drafty. Yeast needs a nurturing environment. Stay with it. Pretty soon you'll be posting your own made from scratch bread photos.