Panasonic SD-2501 Questions & Answers (page 5 of 10)

We bought Panasonic SD-2501 when we were told that our daughter could be gluten intolerant. Fortunately, she is not, but we found out only after paying over $200 for the only breadmaker that promises gluten-free bread. I tried a lot of recipes from the book, but so far it did not manage one nice loaf. Some looked OK but did not taste nice - too sweet and generally tasteless. Others did not rise evenly or did not mix all the flour in. Some recipes ended up as bricks (same flour, same yeast, works in conventional oven). Then I thought I'll try to use premix. Unfortunately, there are no proper instruction how to do it. Just now I tried the Lauke mix. Well... the finished loaf is barely half a tin high, but what is worse, it did not bake. After 5 hours (well over one hour t the beginning "resting" - i.e. doing absolutely nothing, but there is no option of skipping it) the bottom and 1/3 of the sides of the loaf ended barely light yellow, the top simply raw. There is no way that you can add baking time in the machine, because the machine won't work again until it cools under 40°C. I finished baking the bread in the conventional oven at 200°C for another 30 minutes! I have no idea if I was unlucky to buy a dud machine, but from the reviews, I can see I would not be the only one. Of course I am going to contact the company, but from what I read here I, do not expect much help from them.

Hi George, I haven't yet had a loaf fail on me in the time I have been using this machine. Not sure what is happening, but I can tell you what I have used, and maybe try that?
*Firstly, I am in Australia, and have been following the OZ recipe (that is the recipe on the left, there is a NZ recipe on the right, unsure if there is much difference in that?) I also set it to "Medium" for the crust.
*So, following the OZ recipe, I have been making the White Loaf (Menu 01 - it is the first recipe listed in the manual) in the Large size.
*I have been using Lowan Instant Dried Yeast in the 280g canister (in the bakery aisle in the supermarket). I always keep this in the fridge, as it keeps the yeast fresh.
*I use Wallaby baker's flour in the 5kg bag. The recipe says to use 520g of flour - I used Google to work out how much this converts to in Australian Standard cup measurements and it's 4 cups + 2 Tablespoons. I have used this amount every time, with good results.
* I didn't actually have any powdered milk in the pantry when I purchased my bread maker and was too excited to test out a loaf, and it worked beautifully and tastes nice, too - so I just haven't bothered buying any milk powder and have always made my bread without it. Not sure if that makes a lot of difference?
*The butter I just cut a rough 20g off a large block. The block I buy has 50g measurements marked on the side of the paper it is wrapped in, so I just cut off 50g, then roughly guess where 20g would be.
* Only other thing I can suggest, is that when I measure out every cup and spoon measurement, I use the back of a butter knife to push away any excess flour/salt/sugar/etc that is sitting up a bit high. That way I can be sure I have an exact cup/spoon measurement.
Not sure if this is very helpful, but it may be worth giving it a try? Good luck, and I hope you can work something out - when working well, it is a great little machine!

Have you tried adjusting the darkness of the crust? I always bake mine on medium, but I'm sure if you made it darker, it would increase the cooking time?

Thanks for the suggestion but on the programme I use(P 10) there is no option to use the darker crust setting.The only solution I have found is to have my oven on at 200 C and pop the loaf in there for 5-10 mins.Not very convenient.

This bread maker "rests" for the first 30 minutes of cooking, and will begin to mix, then bake after that. Is that what you meant?

Yes thank you very much xx

Hi....I have never experienced the problem and I make bread about 4 times a week. Try changing the bread mix. I only use Laucke bread mix and that comes in gluten free as well. I also add two teaspoons of powdered milk and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of bread improver. Have you tried going on a forum and asking or even send an email to Panasonic. Good luck

Hi Harmnyentertainer
thank you for your response. I hadn't realised Lauke were now making GF flour. What does the powdered milk do? Also do you know if the b read improver is GF. I am assuming this is available at a general supermarket>
Thanks again
Trish

You could try filling it with dry rice for 24 hours. That's how people dry mobile phones that get a dip.

Did you change any other ingredients?

My bread machine is very dependent on the measurements of flour, water, yeast and sugar in particular being accurate. I had a similar problem ages ago and found out the measure I used to to measure the water was the different to the measurement of the panasonic water measurement container. Also your scales could be out. I use bread improver too.

no I haven't changed anything and have followed the directions exactly, it's a mystery!

I read in the manual that this is normal?

I have a similar problem. The paddle has become looser with time and now the machine makes a dreadful row when mixing :-( Bread doesn't seem to mix so well either.
I've had mine a bit longer than you and reckon I'll just need to replace it. It is on the go most days

I am sorry but I have no equipment to measure it. With the lid on, very little heat escapes, and I suppose the temperature inside is controlled via sensors. According to the specification, the power consumption is 505-550W. The bake phase is only about 50 minutes.

You have have probably highlighted an issue. We made 1 slice of bread maker bread the equivalent of 2 slices of normal bread. Although smaller, you tend to cut them a bit thicker so we found the serving size satisfactory. We found this worked for both toaster and sandwiches by just cutting the big slice of breadmaker bread in half.

Hi, make sure you are using fresh yeast, otherwise you could try contacting Panasonics customer service line to see if they have any trouble shooting tips. All the best!

Have you tried adding a tablespoon of bread improved to the mix when adding ingredients. I have always done this with great results.

I cover my loaves with a clean teatowel and that seems to keep them fresh for longer.

Hi Freya, haven't had this issue but haven't used the French setting. Have you tried using the normal 01 setting with this mix to see whether it is the bread mix or setting? Good luck

Hi Peter, is the dough getting stuck to the sides of the pan, because the texture is too wet or too dry? If it is too wet, try adding small amounts of flour; if too dry, small amounts of water. (best to do this in first 5 mins of first kneading cycle). Regarding the pan surface, are there any visible signs the non-stick has been affected (eg scratches, peeling etc)? Has the pan been left to soak, during washing, over the years? Other sites suggest this damages the non-stick and best to wipe and rinse with detergent and water. Good luck!

Thank you for your help in this matter.The pan is scratched and I do soak it after use. Maybe a new machine is the answer.

Hi F.K, could be a problem with the yeast (quantity or quality), causing the loaf not to rise or to over-rise and then collapse. Suggest using a fresh pack. Another possibility is too little or too much water. Suggest opening the lid a few minutes into the kneading cycle to check the consistency. If is too dry, add water; if too wet, add flour. I use mixes and the manufacturer commented last year that the quality of the wheat harvest was poorer last year and slightly more water was required to produce a good loaf. Good luck!

Look at this google search link http://tinyurl.com/paleo-recipe-PSonic It will be great to use with paleo flour

I'm surprised. I sometimes have a quick peek during the knead but I never leave it open for more than 30 seconds. My understanding is that you can't pause it, and turning the power off would reset the process. I don't think I'd want to do that unless I was giving up on that loaf!

I haven't done this (yet) but at a guess, the extra large setting would cook the medium quantity of ingredients for longer, therefore over cooking it. Try it and tell!

Juliana see the answer to the same question posed by Leroy just two days before you.

I had a similar problem, so I took the container out and located the sensor of temperature ( a large screw mid front section) and used a kitchen paper, dampened with cold water, kept it on the screw for few secs. This made the sensor believe it was cooled down, allowing me to restart baking before my bread sunk too much. I hope it helps other bakers with similar issues. :o)