Bread

Panasonic Bread Maker Sourdough Loaf (SD-YR series) recipe

Name: Panasonic Bread Maker Sourdough Loaf (SD-YR series)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 h
Total time: 29 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 60g plain yoghurt; 80g rye flour; ½ tsp salt (I use kosher); 80ml water (20°C); 0.1g dried yeast (I use Allinson's Easy Bake yeast. Measure with the sourdough starter spoon); 215g sourdough starter; 400g strong white bread flour; 1 tsp salt; 150ml water; ¾ tsp dried yeast; 215g sourdough starter; 300g strong white bread flour; 100g strong wholemeal bread flour; 1 tsp salt; 170ml water; ¾ tsp dried yeast

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Panasonic’s yoghurt and yeast sourdough recipe has been updated for the SD-YR2550, SD-YR2540 and SD-YR2530 bread makers. The new version produces a larger loaf with a slightly lower hydration.

Prep10m
Stand24h
Cook5h
Total29h 10m

bread-maker

Panasonic has, in my opinion, done a good job of recreating sourdough in a bread maker. It’s not real sourdough by any stretch but it’s deeply flavoured with a substantial crust.

On the plus side:

The “starter” takes just 24 hours to ferment
The loaf takes 5 hours to make
It’s pretty hands-off

However, if you're after authentic sourdough, where the sourness comes from a long, slow ferment, this isn't it. I’ve got a traditional sourdough recipe, where the bread maker helps out, but you’ll need an active starter and it’s definitely not hands-off.

I’ve made several loaves using the new Panasonic recipe and they taste identical to the old one. I'll probably stick with the previous quantities as the taller loaf struggles to fit into my small bread bin and the slices poke out of my toaster.

Speaking of shape, my loaves usually slope on one side so I tested moving my bread maker to the centre of the house, away from the window. Boom - a nice even loaf. The Panasonic website recommends adding 10-20ml more water to prevent sloping but that never worked for me. Hoicking the bread maker around isn't convenient but thankfully I don't mind an asymmetrical loaf.

Notes

The ingredients make 215g of starter, if you scrape every last bit out with a silicone spoon. This takes ages so I add a few extra grams of each ingredient to save myself time later on.

The water for the sourdough starter needs to be 20°C. When I guessed the temperature without using a thermometer, I ruined my starter.

The starter doesn’t need to be used straightaway - it'll keep in the fridge for up to one week and can be used straight from the fridge - no need to let it come up to room temperature. It can't be frozen.

If your machine doesn't have a yeast dispenser, add the yeast directly into the bread pan, but keep it separated from the salt.

Recipe

Panasonic Bread Maker Sourdough Loaf (SD-YR series)

Prep10m
Stand24h
Cook5h
Total29h 10m

Makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients

Sourdough starter

60g plain yoghurt
80g rye flour
½ tsp salt (I use kosher)
80ml water (20°C)
0.1g dried yeast (I use Allinson's Easy Bake yeast. Measure with the sourdough starter spoon)

100% white flour

215g sourdough starter
400g strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
150ml water
¾ tsp dried yeast

75% white flour

215g sourdough starter
300g strong white bread flour
100g strong wholemeal bread flour
1 tsp salt
170ml water
¾ tsp dried yeast

Method

Sourdough starter

Add 60g of plain yoghurt, 80g of rye flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, 80ml of water (at 20°C) and 0.1g of dried yeast into the plastic cup that comes with the bread maker. Stir to combine then place into the bread pan.
Select the sourdough starter programme:
- SD-YR2550: menu 23
- SD-YR2540: menu 24
- SD-YR2530: menu 22
The starter will ferment for 24 hours. Make sure to select the correct menu option otherwise the cup will melt and the starter will be ruined.

100% white flour loaf (see ingredients for 75% white loaf)

Once the 24 hour cycle has finished, remove the starter from the bread maker and put the normal blade in the loaf tin. Add all of the starter (around 215g). It should have a slightly sour, alcoholic smell.
Add 400g of strong white bread flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and 150ml of water to the loaf tin then put it in the bread maker. Add ¾ teaspoon of dried yeast to the yeast dispenser. Select the sourdough loaf programme, which takes 5 hours (you can delay when the bread maker will finish by up to 9 hours):
- SD-YR2550: menu 13
- SD-YR2540: menu 13
- SD-YR2530: menu 12
When the programme finishes, shake the loaf out onto a rack and allow to cool before slicing. If the loaf won't come out, leave it for 5-10 minutes then try again.