bread making rolls problem

[bartyarmy]

Why are my rolls I've just made turn out like little bricks

[Bromsgrove]

Hello. Two possible causes come to mind,
You have not kneaded the dough sufficiently. If doing this by hand the feel of the dough should change, hard to describe this, but it should start to feel almost silky and lighter. Secondly perhaps you cooked it before it had risen adequately. Always cook in a pre-heated oven. Hope this is of help

[bartyarmy]

Hi thanks for that ,I should've said I used a breadmaker machine with the dough setting this took 1.30 hr to finish should I need to nead it again I left it for 30 with a cloth over it and a warm place help please

[Bromsgrove]

Hello again . I've no experience of bread making machines but if you follow the kneading times it gives, that should be fine. As regards a time for rising, if you are using an easy blend yeast you will only have to leave it to rise once, for a fresh yeast you will need to knock the dough back and knead a little before reshaping and leaving to rise again. To see if the rolls are ready to cook ,touch lightly, with a little finger, the indent you make will soon disappear.

[Jillius]

bartyarmy, I have a breadmaker and i always follow the instructions carefully but only on one occasion has it been like proper bread ! God knows why.
I still like it though covered in thick butter....mmmm !

[Jugglering]

No, you don't need to reknead the dough - just shape into small balls (the size of a lime), plonk them onto a floured baking tray, spaced well apart, cover with a damp tea-towel or a plastic bag to stop the rolls drying out and wait until they have doubled in size (leave them in a warm place). When they are ready (as Bromsgrove describes) pop the tray into a preheated oven - Gas 5, 180 deg C for about 15 minutes or so. If you tap them on their bottoms and they sound *hollow*, then they are cooked. Allow to cool before eating !

If they turn out like *little bricks* then you might be overcooking them, not allowing them to prove (ie rise till doubled in size) or baking them at too high a temperature.

I often use my breadmaker just to make the dough for bread, then I remove the dough from the pan, knead it lightly and pop into either a greased bread tin or separate out into little balls for making bread rolls.

[bartyarmy]

many thanks to you all I'll take on all the advice for next time ,I think the temparture was too high but the book said 230c as you said it should be 190 ish .cheers

[tufty7]

My lad made bread rolls at school today , he got 10 out 0f 10 for them , although the teacher didnt taste them , I did , they were er er er a little heavy but very nice...........

[yeastman]

Hi, From my observations, many recipes for bread makers, just don't work . There are too many variables. The different makes of flour have different protein contents, so you can actually use the same recipe each time, but with different makes of flour and get different results.
Most people don't use a thermometer to work out there water temperature and just put in 'luke warm' this will of course also vary from dough to dough. The warmer a dough is, the faster it will prove and vice versa. If the water is too hot the yeast will be killed.
Then you see recipes that say a cup full of this or that and a tablespoon of the other. These again will vary from dough to dough. Plus have you seen how many different sized cups are on the market?
My advice is therefore to use a set of digital scales (the cheapest are only about �12) and to weigh everything.
Buy a cheap thermometer and make your dough to the same temp each time. (I can give you the formula)
Find a recipe that works with the flour that you use and stick to it,. ( can give you a general recipe that will only need the adjustment of water content to suit your flour).
Finally, use fresh yeast, if you can't get it from a supermarket or your local baker, you can buy it on ebay.