"fivsonsmom" > wrote in message
. com...
> Hello, I am a newbie to this group. I appologize in advance for the
> length of this post, but I don't know how to ask the questions without
> telling everything.
>
> I would appreciate very much if somone could help me with a problem
> making bread with my breadmaker. It is a Welbilt ABM 6000, and before
> last night, I had made two loaves with it that came out fine. Last
> night was my first attempt to make a batch using a recipe as opposed to
> a mix. It did not turn out well, lol. In fact, it didn't rise hardly at
> all, and ended up being about a half inch tall. There is a lot of humor
> to be seen in this, but for the long haul, I would like to be able to do
> it right the next time.
>
> This is the recipe I was using: (my explanation of what happened along
> the way comes after the recipe)
>
> --------------------------------
> Ciabatta Bread
>
> 1 1/2 cups water
>
> 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
>
> 1 teaspoon white sugar
>
> 1 tablespoon olive oil
>
> 3 1/4 cups bread flour
>
> 1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
>
> 2 loaves 3 hours 30 minutes 2 hr 0 mins prep
>
>
>
> 1. Place ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order
> suggested by the manufacturer.
>
> 2. Select the Dough cycle, and Start.
>
> 3. Dough will be quite sticky and wet once cycle is completed, resist
> the temptation to add more flour.
>
> 4. Place dough on a lightly floured board, cover with a large bowl, and
> let rest for 15 minutes.
>
> 5. Lightly flour or use parchment lined baking sheets.
>
> 6. Divide into 2 pieces, and form each into a 13x14 inch oval.
>
> 7. Place loaves on prepared sheets, dimple surface, and lightly flour.
>
> 8. Cover, and let rise in a draft free place for approximately 45 minutes.
>
> 9. Preheat oven to 425 degres F.
>
> 10. Dimple dough for a second time, and then place loaves in the oven,
> positioned on the middle rack.
>
> 11. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
>
> 12. During baking, spritz loaves with water every 5 to 10 minutes for a
> crispier crust.
>
> --------------------------
> I put the ingredients in the machine in this order: bread machine yeast,
> bread flour, sugar, salt, olive oil, water. When I went to spread it
> out after it's time in the machine, it was very, very sticky. I didn't
> add any flour to it, but had some difficulty spreading it out, and even
> getting it out of the machine intact. I don't currently have a real
> "board" to use, so I used a plastic cutting board, lightly floured.
> When I went to form it into loaves, it was still very sticky, and the
> loaves were more like 10 x 14 due to the shape of the cookie sheet I was
> putting them on. Was this a problem? I covered them with baking pans
> and let them rise on top of my oven, thinking this would be a warmer
> place to do it, and would help it rise. It sure didn't seem to rise a
> whole lot. When it says "Dimple" I assume that means touch it allover
> lightly? Maybe this was the problem? Anyway, when it was done, it
> looked a whole lot more like a cracker on steroids than bread. I would
> really appreciate any help you can offer, thanks in advance.
>
> Peggy


Cibatta is a very sticky dough. It isn't suppose to puff up like a loaf of
Wonder Bread, but 1/2 inch isn't right either. I would say that one of
two things happened. You didn't let it rise long enough or the yeast was
bad. What I don't understand is that in nearly every bread recipe I have
seen it says something like this" "Let rise in a warm, draft-free place for
about 90 minutes or until double in bulk." The time is just a suggestion
based on the author's experience in his situation. You have to let it rise
sufficiently no matter how long it takes. If after a reasonable amount of
time, say three or four hours at room temperature, the dough has not risen,
then the yeast is dead. I would get a fresh supply of yeast and start over.
You can get instant dry yeast (bread machine yeast) in one or two pound
bricks for about $2/pound at any of the warehouse stores (Sam's, Costco,
etc., or at GFS Marketplace). Even my Meijer store carried the large
package at one time. It is available online at the King Arthur Flour
website. I had bad luck with yeast from grocery stores when I bought it
there - probably because of improper storage.