I have to use 2 T less liquid in mine. I watch and if the dough is too dry due to low humidity etc., I then add the water back in a teaspoon at a time, but most of the time I don't add anything back in. My one breadmaker is a square baker pan and it makes more crust than we like so I use it for a dough machine and first rise then bake it in the oven after the second rise. The other one I bought from a friend has a regular loaf baking pan, but I have to watch it when it shapes it for the second rise it does not do a good job so I have to help it along, so the loaf isn't skinny on one end and fat on the other. I also find I have to add more yeast to the bread dough, so use a combination of bread yeast and regular yeast. You just have to play with it. I am going to try a little more salt in my next loaf as while my crust doesn't fall in, it is pebbly and not smooth as I would like it to be. Bread tastes good and it seems to happen whether I do it in the bread machine or in the oven.

I use both recipes from scratch as well as some mixes. We like the Royal Hawiaian (sp) bread with just a light sweet taste to it. Hubby dearly loves that one. I have also made hamburger buns using the dough feature, but am not impressed with the recipe I have for them. They sure don't stay fresh over a day it seems, and I hate stale bread whether it is bought or homemade.

It might be nice if we all shared our bread recipes in the recipe section, we might get some new ideas, how about it?

I use only King Arthur flour, but I also add two tsp. of vital wheat glutin from the grocery store. It solved my problems.

I love the Z bread machine! I agree that it sounds like a thermometer problem. Just do what the others suggested: use the kneading portion of the bread making and then finish in the regular oven in one or two loaf pans. There is NOTHING in the world that smells like homemade bread. Hope you solve your problem.

I no longer use a bread machine,tho both of mine worked fine.

The crust on loaves from either machine made a harder crust than I liked.

A friend said to use the end of a stick of butter,rub it over the crust lightly,then cover with a clean towel,when bread came out of bread maker.Made it perfect !

I can't bake a decent loaf in my bread machine either. So I let the machine do the mixing and first raising, then I put in a regular loaf pan for baking.

Sounds like you maybe needs to decrease the liquid a little.

I know my Zojirushi heats my water but I warm it first before putting in the pan. Also add my butter to the water. Usually your type problem arises when flour or yeast isn't fresh. Check after it mixes a few minutes and you will know if you need to add or reduce flour or water. Good luck!

I have your same machine. Try the machine on another setting. For instance, if you're making wheat bread usually, bake a loaf of French bread or make rolls or pizza dough = really anything that uses totally different settings. Occasionally I have to do this to get the computer in my machine to reset itself. It's not a bad deal to have a new type of bread on occasion and it has solved all my problems with my machine. My machine just seems to get tired of making the same old recipe all the time and forces me to do something different. Then it happily goes back to making my favorite perfectly.

Have you by chance switched types of yeast, i.e. from active dry yeast to bread machine yeast (fast acting or instant)? Instant rises faster and so it's possible it could be rising too much and collapsing.