• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Bread Dad
  • Bread Machine Recipes
  • Bread
  • Banana Bread
  • Quick
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Bread Machine Recipes
  • Bread Recipes
  • Banana Bread Recipes
  • Sweet Quick Bread Recipes
  • Cookie Recipes
  • Bread Mixes
  • Cookbooks & Bread Tools
  • Bread Machines – Favorites
×
Home

Why Is My Bread Machine Bread So Dense?

Unfortunately, there are many reasons for a bread machine bread to come out too dense. Below are some of the most common reasons with potential solutions. FYI – If you like to bake homemade bread in your oven, many of these problems can also occur with oven-baked breads. However, if you are looking for bread recipes, please visit Bread Dad’s bread machine recipes or oven baked bread recipes sections.

Read the manufacturer’s instruction manual for your bread machine to make sure you are operating your bread machine safely and effectively. Always wear oven mitts when dealing with a hot bread machine, hot oven, etc.

Reasons & Solutions

  • Not measuring the ingredients correctly. Don’t “eyeball” your ingredient measurements. Incorrect ingredient measurements are the cause of many bread machine problems. Use measuring cups and spoons correctly (i.e. the ingredients are level with the brim of the cup/spoon and not over/underfilled). Many people (esp. in Europe) like to use a kitchen scale in order to get the most accurate ingredient measurements.
  • Old or stale yeast. Expired yeast or moisture contaminated yeast will have trouble growing properly and this can lead to dense bread machine bread. Always relatively new yeast & store it in an airtight container. For longer storage, the airtight container (sealed tight) should be stored in a refrigerator or freezer,
  • Too much flour. The dough will have trouble expanding properly if you use too much flour. Measure ingredients accurately.

  • Not enough liquid. Similar to the flour problem above, you need to measure your recipe liquids (i.e. water or milk) accurately.
  • Too little sugar. If you remove sugar from the recipe (i.e. to reduce calories), you can throw off the recipe. Yeast uses sugar in part to fuel its growth. Best results are based on using the amount of sugar stated in a recipe.
  • Too much salt. If you accidentally added a tablespoon of salt when the recipe called for a teaspoon, you will be hurting the yeast’s ability to grow.
  • Old flour. Stale or moisture contaminated flour can lead to bread having trouble rising properly. Always use fresh ingredients for the best results. Store all ingredients in airtight containers.

  • Removing ingredients from a recipe that were added to help the dough to rise (i.e. eggs). Eggs are often added to baked goods to help the rise of the dough or batter.
  • Using the wrong yeast. Use the type of yeast called for in the recipe. Bread machine/instant yeast is different than active dry yeast. One needs to be preactivated before use (active dry yeast) and the other does not (bread machine/instant yeast).
  • Using cold refrigerator temperature liquids. Using cold liquids slows yeast growth and this can lead to a dense bread machine bread. Follow a recipe’s instructions regarding the temperature of the liquid ingredients.
  • Baking in a cold winter temperature kitchen. Yeast likes kitchen temps of 75-80 degree F. If the kitchen is too cold, the yeast will have trouble rising quickly.

  • Using all purpose flour instead of bread flour (if bread flour is called for in the recipe). Breads made with all purpose flour breads (versus breads made with bread flour) tend to be denser breads because all purpose flour has less gluten than bread flour. Gluten helps trap the CO2 bubbles put out by the yeast. More gluten means more trapped bubbles (which equals an “airier” less dense bread).
  • Placing salt on top of or next to the yeast. Salt kills yeast so it must be placed away from the yeast in the bread pan. I like to place the yeast in the middle of the bread pan (in a “crater” on top of the flour) and the salt on the side of the bread pan (far away from the yeast).
  • Recipe is too “small” for your bread machine. For example, trying to make a 1 lb loaf in a bread machine that makes only 1.5 lb and 2 lb loaves. The 1 lb ingredients will be spread over a wider than expected area and thus the loaf will be very short and overly crusty.

  • Using the wrong bread machine setting. Different settings have different time lengths for mixing, kneading & baking. Use the settings called for in the recipe. The wrong setting may give the dough too little time to rise (so the dough rises less than expected).
  • Older machines can slowly fail and have trouble controlling the baking temperature, properly mixing/kneading ingredients and/or regulating the time needed for mixing/kneading/baking. These problems can results in overly dense bread machine breads, undercooked breads, bread collapses, etc. If you need a new bread machine, you should check out the page on Bread Dad’s favorite bread machines.

Reference Sources

  • Wikipedia, Bread
  • Wikipedia, Bread Machine
  • Wikipedia, Baker’s Yeast

Related Recipes

  • Bread Machine All Purpose Flour Bread
  • Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread
  • Bread Machine Multigrain Bread
  • Bread Machine Oatmeal Bread
  • Bread Machine White Bread
  • Bread Machine Whole Wheat Bread

Primary Sidebar

White Bread Recipes

  • Honey Bread
    Honey White Bread (Bread Machine & Oven Recipes)
  • Soft White Bread Recipe
    Extra Soft White Bread Recipe (Sour Cream Bread)
  • buttermilk bread recipe
    Buttermilk Bread Recipe (Soft White Bread)
  • bread machine white bread
    Bread Machine White Bread Recipe – Soft & Buttery (+ Video)

Click for More Bread Recipes

Footer

** Follow Bread Dad on YouTube for my latest recipe videos **
 

I want to thank EVERYONE who leaves a comment in our recipe comment sections!! Beginners learn a lot from your tips & recipe variations. Below are some of our recent noteworthy visitor comments.

  • Lauren listed a ton of useful lessons learned when making my Bread Machine Banana Bread. Please see the comment section on that page to read Lauren’s five helpful tips – “I’ve made this recipe twice and want to share my errors from the first time around so others don’t make the same mistakes!…These are all tips that are already written in the recipe, but because the recipe is so full of info, I missed some of it. Best banana bread I’ve ever had! Great recipe!“
  • Martha (who always has great suggestions!) posted a couple of nice sandwich ideas for my High Fiber Bread Recipe – “I am about to make my second loaf of this wonderful bread. This time I’m going to try your suggestion of replacing 1/4c of the flax with multi-grain cereal since I’m all about the healthy eating. This bread is a hearty, yet softer wheat bread. It’s perfect for a garden fresh tomato sandwich, or a BLT. Thanks for another winner, Breaddad!“
  • Micaela posted a wonderful comment & discussed how my Flour Tortilla Recipe allows people to skip using lard – “Thank you for your flour tortilla recipe. I’m 75 young and for 70 of those years I have never used anything but lard. Today I used your recipe and was so happy I did. Followed it to the T. Wonderful taste and so very soft. Will never by lard again. So easy and delicious. If I could I would give you 10 stars! So deserving“
  • Ashe left a very nice note about my Eggless Banana Bread Recipe – “I can’t believe how good my bread came out! The texture is the most complex I’ve ever had making banana bread — it’s moist and spongey with a delicately crisp crust. The flavor is slightly more mellow than with an egg-based recipe, but I think that’s lovely, too. Sometimes you want a flavor explosion and other times you need something mildly sweet. Both variations have their strengths, so I’m thrilled to know I can still make my favorite treat without eggs.“
  • Gaye made a fantastic pepperoni & cheese version of my Bread Machine Cheese Bread – “I made this recipe with additions and it turned out so good. So good I made sure to write them down to keep for the future. I added 1/2 of a chopped onion,sauteed. Sautéed chopped pepperoni slices, a heaping t. of Italian Seasoning, & chopped olives.“

For more visitor tips, recipe variations & humorous baking stories, please visit Bread Dad’s Noteworthy Visitor Comments page.

Interesting Bread Products

At no extra cost to you, we make a small commission if you buy products via the links below. As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases.

  • Bread Mixes – Packaged ingredient kits for breads such as Buttermilk White Bread, Black Russian Bread, Italian Country Bread, etc.
  • Bread Deliveries – Bake from frozen delivery service for sourdough bread, etc.
  • Bread Machine Cookbooks – Popular bread machine recipes.
  • Popular Bread Machines – Here are some of the best-selling bread machines.
  • Sourdough Breadmaking Kits – These kits help you to make delicious sourdough bread.

Legal Disclaimer
By utilizing any of the recipes or information on this website, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions in our legal disclaimer.

Be safe when preparing, handling, consuming and storing food. Do not eat or taste raw dough or batter. Our recipes may contain common allergens such as dairy, eggs, wheat, tree nuts and/or peanuts. Always check for potential food allergies before serving food. Use caution with young children as all foods have a potential choking risk. 

Material on this website may not be copied or reproduced without the written approval of Bread Dad. All rights reserved. This website is copyright protected under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

 

About Us | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Legal Disclaimer

Copyright © 2023 · Bread Dad