[Califreak]

I don’t know if I’m doing it wrong or what but every time I’ve used the bread machine the loaf comes out with a very thick hard crust.

I use a stand mixer and loaf pans now.

I kept the bread machine in case my stand mixer breaks-just for mixing/kneading purposes.

I only bake bread because I hate store bought and chemicals and preservatives.

For me, bread was hard! It took me a long time to turn out something edible that didn’t resemble a brick!

[metmom]

I’ve been baking bread for years, and don’t remember how my first loaves came out, but based on my other attempts at baking, they had lots of room for improvement.

I’m better with a sewing machine or stove top than an oven.

[mass55th]

I brush butter on the top of my bread before I put it into the oven to soften the crust. I did a search, and found basically the same advice for people who use bread machines:

Remove it from the bread machine, brush some butter or margarine over the top with a pastry brush. Or you can rub a partial stick over the top, and cover over with a cloth. This makes a soft crust.