24 Common Bread Machine Mistakes

This page looks at 24 common bread machine mistakes. Beginning bread machine users should read this list. It will help you to avoid potential bread machine “disasters”. Of course, once you have learned to avoid these common bread machine mistakes, you are ready to master some of the many bread machine recipes on Bread Dad!

1. Not realizing bread machines can differ significantly. They are not all the same!! Some have large bread pans, some have small bread pans, some make horizontal loaves, some make vertical loaves (that do not look like traditional loaves), some can only make sandwich bread (and not banana bread & cake), etc. Moreover, some machines claim that they can handle 1.5 or 2 lb loaves but this is based on the manufacturer’s smaller internal recipes (and not on the loaves created by many online recipes). Therefore, do careful research before buying a machine to see if the bread machine can make the bread & baked goods that you desire. FYI – I have created a page on Bread Dad where you can see the sizes of various bread machine bread pans. This allows you to determine the loaf size that best fits your machine.
2. Not reading your bread machine manual. Bread machines differ so you need to learn the ins & outs of YOUR specific machine.
3. Not using the correct machine setting. For example, the number 1 error that people make when creating a bread machine banana bread is using the WRONG setting. They often use the “quick” or “quick bread” setting designed for fast/rapid sandwich bread recipes that use yeast… and NOT the “quick bread” or “cake” setting designed for moist quick breads (e.g. banana bread & pumpkin bread) that use baking soda/powder. These are two totally different settings with different mixing & baking lengths. Check your manual for the correct settings to use on your machine.
4. Making a recipe that is too large for the bread machine. For example, some people try to make a 2 lb loaf when their machine has only a 1 lb or 1.5 lb loaf capacity. Moreover, some bread machines claim to have a 2 lb capacity. However, this is based on the manufacturer’s smaller internal recipes (and not on many online recipes). This means that “2 lb” bread machine might be able to handle 1.5 lb online recipes. FYI – Unless you have a giant 2 paddle bread machine, you are better off starting with my 1.5 lb recipes and seeing how much room is left in your bread pan before moving to my 2 lb recipes.
5. Placing your machine near the edge of the counter. Some machines move & shake (a lot!) during the mixing & kneading process and can “walk” off the edge of the counter. This can lead to a damaged/broken machine.
6. Not exploring popular recipes with many visitor COMMENTS (not just many recipe ratings). The comments show that the recipe has been actually tested by people (and not just people randomly clicking on ratings). You can read all of the positives & negatives associated with that recipe. In addition, some of the comments may show if that recipe works well with your particular bread machine.
7. Adding ingredients in the wrong order. Most bread machine recipes usually add the liquids first then the dry ingredients (with bread machine yeast being added last). Adding the ingredients out of order can lead to mixing problems, etc.
8. Not measuring ingredients properly. “Eyeballing” ingredients leads to baking problems. You will have more success if you use measuring cups/spoons (not regular dining spoons & cups) or metric measurements (such as grams & milliliters). Also make sure to use ingredients that have been leveled off (flattened) in the spoon/cup. No mountains of ingredients in the measuring spoon/cup.
9. Making ingredient substitutions not tested by the recipe author. For example, different flours can affect a bread’s rise. In addition, different flours can require different amounts of liquid in order to make a loaf. If you experiment with untested ingredient substitutions, you increase the chances of a baking disaster.
10. Adding “extra” ingredients (e.g. an extra 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour because you want more fiber) can throw off a recipe’s liquid-to-dry ingredient ratio. This can cause the dough to become too wet or too dry.
11. Removing “unwanted” recipe ingredients. For example, if you reduce or eliminate the salt in a recipe, you can cause the yeast to grow faster than expected and this can cause bread to rise too quickly & too high and then collapse in the middle.
12. Using old or expired ingredients. Old ingredients can spoil and taste bad. In addition, old ingredients (in open containers) can absorb moisture from the air and this excess moisture can throw off recipes.
13. Using old or expired yeast. Old or expired yeast will not rise properly. FYI – If you are having a potential yeast problem, you should check out my How To Test Yeast page. This yeast test will show you if your yeast is alive & active or dead/expired. It will save you from a few bread disasters!
14. Not using the correct type of yeast. For example, active dry yeast is different from bread machine yeast or instant yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be preactivated in liquid for 5-10 minutes before use (whereas bread machine yeast & instant yeast do not need to be preactivated). Most bread machine recipes use bread machine yeast/instant yeast and not active dry yeast.
15. Adding extra yeast because you think it will make your bread fluffier. If you add more yeast than what is called for in a recipe, it usually results in the bread dough rising too high and then collapsing back on itself.
16. Placing yeast next to or on top of salt. The salt will slow yeast growth or even kill all of the yeast. Make sure to place the salt away from the yeast (e.g. yeast in the middle and salt on the side of the bread pan). This keeps the salt & yeast separated until the machine starts to mix the ingredients.
17. Placing the bread machine yeast in liquid (e.g. water or milk). This will cause the bread machine yeast to activate prematurely. Many home bakers like to make a little pocket in the flour to hold the yeast (so it does not fall into the liquid before the machine starts). Remember, bread machine yeast & instant yeast do not have to be preactivated in liquid (unlike active dry yeast).
18. Using cold water or milk instead of warm water or milk. Yeast does not grow properly in cold liquids or extra hot liquids. The water/milk should be around 105-115 F. If you use a cold liquid (e.g. milk) when making your bread machine bread, the bread will have trouble rising (see the Hawaiian bread picture lower down on this page).
19. Skipping recipe steps. If you skip a step in the recipe instructions (because you are missing a tool or ingredient), you are more likely to have a baking problem.
20. Ignoring your kitchen’s temperature and humidity. Hot & humid conditions can add excess moisture to the dough & cause the yeast to rise more quickly than expected. Conversely, a cold & dry kitchen can slow yeast growth.
21. The altitude of your home can cause problems. If you live in a high altitude area (e.g. parts of Colorado), you will probably need to adjust bread recipes (because many online recipes are made by bakers living in low altitude areas). For example, in high altitude environments, yeast can rise more than expected and thus there is more potential for bread collapses. For more information on how to adjust your recipes, you should read this King Arthur Baking article.
22. Not adjusting the dough (by adding a little extra flour or water) if the dough looks a little too wet or too dry during the mixing & kneading process.
23. Opening the machine lid during the baking process. You do not want to let out the heat when baking your bread. It is okay to open the lid during the mixing & kneading phases but it is NOT okay to open the lid during the baking phase.
24. Forgetting when your bread machine is expected to finish. This leads to you not being around when the baking process is done & you need to remove the bread from the bread machine. This will result in the bread being over-baked and/or burnt due to the extra time in the hot bread machine. You need to remove the bread from the bread machine when the baking process is done and the machine “beeps” that it has finished.

If you can think of additional common bread machine mistakes, please post them in the comment section below.

Hawaiian Bread Made With Warm Pineapple Juice (Left) And Cold (Pineapple Juice (Right)

Video – Why Bread Dad Loves Bread Machines

Reference Sources

1. Wikipedia, Bread Machine
2. Wikipedia, Yeast

Please use the comment box below to add more common bread machine mistakes. Thanks!