why does my bread fall apart and crumble?

[herbalwriter]

I know a lady who grinds her own wheat berries and makes moist, soft, dense bread that holds together as if it's made from fine flour. She does not have a machine. I use a machine, but I set it on dough and bake it in a loaf pan. My bread has a really large crumb and falls apart, like it's dry. I have tried adding extra butter and baking it for less time...right now, 25 min. at 350 degrees.

How long do you bake your bread? does anyone else have a dry bread problem??

[Apple-Saucy]

I always had a problem using the bread machine to mix dough....there is nothing like mixing with your own hands so you can feel the dough changing and stop at just the right time. Your dough is probably being under or over kneaded in the machine.

[herbalwriter]

Pardon my ignorance - but can too much or too little kneading make that big a difference in texture? I didn't realize that. Would that be an over-or under-kneading problem? :think

I don't have much kneading experience so doing it myself would result in weird textures, too. :giggle ...at least, at first.

[Apple-Saucy]

I would guess it's under kneaded. Overworking the dough would produce stiff "tough" bread. Under Kneading it would result in something more of a quick bread texture crumbly and not held together real well. Kneading the dough works up the gluten which is basically "bread glue"

the best way to learn how to make good bread is to ditch the machine and get your own two hands on it. The dough should be smooth and elastic when kneaded properly (by elastic I mean you should be able to poke it with your finger and the dough come back into shape in short order)

[herbalwriter]

I used to add gluten but it contains ascorbic acid, which my son is violently allergic to when it's used as a preservative. So I had to ditch the aa and that made this crumbly problem worse. So that would make sense that it would be too little gluten - iow, too little kneading. :yes

Loathe to give up the machine here...could I let the machine do the first kneading and the rise, then I could knead it extra before the second rise?? :shifty

[Apple-Saucy]

it literally takes like 15minutes to knead bread...

[herbalwriter]

I know. :O I just tend to be on my way out the door when I dump all the ingredients in the bread maker. :shifty

[CakeLady]

FWIW, I never had luck using a bread machine. I now grind my wheat and make it myself....I love the way it turns out. I would have to agree that maybe it's not being kneaded long enough.

[herbalwriter]

Well, next time I will go for kneading! After the grinding that will be a great workout. :P~ (I have a hand grinder.)

[CakeLady]

Have fun! :giggle Let us know how it turns out.

[herbalwriter]

It may be awhile...we may be living on biscuits for awhile... :giggle