When to remove paddle from bread machine: The trick to no more holes!

Bread machines have become a huge convenience in our life. All it takes is for you to add the bread ingredients in the bread machine, press a few buttons and in a few hours, the whole house smells of freshly baked bread with zero effort on your part. I mean, who wouldn’t want that?

I do love making bread by hand, and if it’s a more complicated recipe then I will definitely opt for hand-making bread instead.

But, when I want to make a simple white loaf, I leave the bread-making in the trusted hands of my bread maker.

As much as I love my bread maker and how easy it’s made my life, I do have one pet peeve when it comes to bread makers; the bread machine paddle hole! If you’re a bread maker owner, you will know what I am talking about, and it’s annoying, right?

If you are like me and hate getting the holes at the bottom of your loaf and have been wondering when to remove the paddle from the bread machine or how to remove it, then you’ve come to the right place.

I have discovered many tips and tricks that will make your bread less hole-ly. You need to put some time and effort into perfecting these tips. So, if you are a ‘put all the ingredients, press start and forget it’ kind-of-person then what are you doing here?

Just kidding, keep reading, we have a few tips for you too.

But, if you are invested in finding out how to remove the bread machine paddle then take a look at these bread machine hacks!

When Do You Take the Paddle Out of the Bread Machine?

Tip 1: Before The Final Rise

The best time of when to remove paddle from bread machine is before the final rise. It is definitely possible to remove the kneading blade from the bread maker before the bake cycle, you just need to time it well. This can be tricky to get right the first few times, but once you do, it’ll be a total game changer.

If your machine alerts you between each stage, then removing the bread paddle from the bread machine is easy.

My Panasonic SD-2511 bread maker shows me on the screen at which stage my dough is at which makes it really easy to determine when my bread will begin rising.

Most bread makers will have two rise stages; knead – rise – knock back – rise. My Panasonic only has one long rise cycle, so I don’t really need to keep a timer.

 If it’s not as easy to tell the different stages with your bread maker, then take a look at the manual.

The manual should have a timeline of each step, so with some simple maths, you’ll be able to work out when your bread begins it’s final rise.

Once you press ‘start’ on your machine, put a timer on. By doing this, you are trying to see how much time passes between you starting your machine to when the final rise begins. 

It’s crucial that you don’t just walk away from your bread machine, otherwise, you’ll miss your chance of when to take the paddles out of the bread machine. You should hear your bread machine start up for a few seconds. This means it’s knocking the dough back down and it’s ready to begin the final rise. Don’t worry if it’s already begun rising! Work fast so you don’t disturb the dough too much.

If you get the timing right, open the lid of your bread maker, pull the dough to the side and remove the kneading paddle.

I have tried to take the dough out of the bread pan completely but that didn’t go too well. Pulling it to one side is definitely the easiest way to remove the kneading blade.

Despite what other blogs might say, there is really no need to remove the dough completely and place it in a bowl in order to take the paddle out of the bread machine – it’s unnecessary and it can get super messy.

Once you remove the bread paddle, lay your dough back down. Don’t worry if your dough looks a bit rough at this stage, it will smooth out as it’s rising.

Now you know how to get the bread maker blade out of a bread machine before its final rise!

 Follow these 3 easy steps and you’ll become a pro in removing the bread machine paddle in no time.

The final result is just amazing. No (obvious) hole! You’re dreaming if you think you’ll get a loaf of bread without a hole at all, so don’t be disappointed if you still find a hole under the loaf. This small hole forms because of the rod that holds the paddle and it’s unavoidable. But, on the bright side, it is much better than having a huge paddle hole. If you do have the time to remove the paddle, it is totally worth it. You get a beautiful finish to your loaf with no tear or rip going through the middle.

Not convinced? Take a look at what your loaf will look like if the paddle isn’t removed.

Tip 2: Baking The Bread In Your Oven

I’ll always take hand made bread over anything else, but on a lazy day, I take full advantage of my machine and will use the bread machine to knead the dough for me. I will set my bread maker to the ‘dough’ setting and let it knead and rise the dough. This is a great trick if you still want to add a personal touch to your loaf.

By allowing your bread machine to do all the hard work for you, you can add your personal touch by shaping it any way you want and baking it in the oven. If you’re feeling super lazy though but still want to add style to your loaf, invest in the Zojirushi bread maker. One of the reasons why I love it is because it has a horizontal bread pan. This is a great feature, as it allows you to shape your loaf. Another reason why I love the Zojirushi bread maker is because it is one of the few two paddle bread machines out there. This dual-paddle bread machine kneads the bread to absolute perfection.

How to Remove a Stuck Bread Machine Paddle

The downfall with leaving your bread maker paddle in the bread machine is that it can be a nightmare taking it out of the actual machine, and sometimes, the bread machine paddle gets stuck in the bread. I really struggle sometimes to pull the paddle out. Especially when I’ve had it sitting out for hours. The dough hardens like concrete! So, how do you get a stuck bread machine paddle off your machine? Some good ol’ boiling water and soap should do the trick! If you let it soak for a while, this should help loosen the paddles and soften any stuck dough left on the pan.

Another tip which one of my lovely readers mentioned is to use a piping nozzle to cover the shaft where the paddle is inserted into. Many times, even if you’ve removed the paddle from the machine, the bread dough still gets stuck in the groves of the shaft. To prevent that from happening, place a small piping nozzle over the shaft. When the bread is ready, you’ll only have a small hole at the bottom and it’ll be it much easier to clean the shaft.

Bread Machine Paddle Removal Tool

I have lost count of the amount of times the bread maker paddle gets stuck in the loaf when I take it out. This can either go two ways; you pull it out clean with no bother, or you try and pull it out but it’s stuck all the way up the loaf, making it hard to take it out without tearing half of the delicious loaf.

There are a few tricks you can try that will remove the bread maker kneading blade, leaving your lovely loaf intact.

Use a Chopstick/Skewer

A chopstick or a skewer comes in handy when your bread machine paddle gets stuck in your loaf. If you don’t have either, something long and thin, like a pencil, will do too. If there is a tiny hole at the bottom of your loaf and the kneading paddle is nowhere to be seen, roll up your sleeves and start digging! But no, seriously, start picking away at the crust around the hole. Once you’ve picked away the crust and have found the flat side of the paddle hole, pop in your chopstick or pencil. The direction of the flat side of the paddle hole indicates which side the blade is at. When you’ve found which side the blade is located in, start pulling the bread maker blade out slowly, trying not to tear the loaf too much.

Paddle Removal Tool

If your paddle gets stuck in your loaf far too often, you can get yourself a dough hook remover. This is a perfect tool that helps take the bread maker blade out your loaf without destroying the bottom of it. Although it’s not ideal getting the whole paddle stuck inside the loaf, at least now you know how to remove it and what tools you can use.

Bread Maker with Collapsible Paddle

If you’re one of those people who want their bread machine to do all the work, then investing in a bread machine with collapsible paddle is ideal for you. This way, you don’t need to keep track of your timer or worry that your bread will come out with gaping holes at the bottom. Bread machines need a kneading paddle, so you won’t be able to bread maker without a bread maker blade. There is no way of avoiding some sort of indent on the bottom of your loaf.

However, you are able to get bread makers with collapsible paddles. Collapsible kneading paddles should minimise the hole at the bottom. The great thing with collapsible paddles is that they collapse automatically before the bake cycle. Your loaf won’t come out with a paddle hole at the bottom, but it will come out with a slight indentation of where the paddle was. You’re not getting an entirely smooth edged loaf but, I guess, we can’t have it all!

Take a look at some of the best bread makers out there with collapsible paddles!

Breville BBM800XL

This Breville bread maker is an absolute favourite of mine. Aside from being one of the best bread makers out there, it also has a collapsible paddle which gives you the perfect finish to your loaf. This is a durable, modern, stainless steel bread maker with an LCD screen that offers 13 bread settings for you to choose from. It has 4 loaf size options, adjustable time and temperature settings for every stage of the bread-making process, as well as a great automatic fruit and nut dispenser. It might be a bit on the pricey side, but trust us, it’s worth every single penny.

If you want to find out more, see my full review on the Breville BBM800XL.

Breadman Professional Bread Maker

The Breadman doesn’t just have 1 collapsible kneading blade, but 2! Not only is this a 2 paddle bread machine, it also offers a dual pan baking system, which makes this bread maker quite unique. With the dual bread pan, you can either make two 1 pound loaves or one 2.5 pound loaf.

This bread maker comes with 4 paddles. Two collapsible kneading blades that you use for the big loaf and 2 non-collapsible ones that are placed for the 1 pound loaves. There are also 13 settings to choose from as well as having an automatic fruit and nut dispenser.

Now you know when to remove paddle from bread machine!

So, now that you are master of knowing when to remove the paddle from the bread machine, you can enjoy your loaf of bread without any massive holes at the bottom. Timing it right will be a challenge but once you nail it, you’ll be removing the paddles from the bread pan with your eyes closed!

If you’re sitting there thinking, ‘Why would I buy a bread machine just to end up baking my bread in the oven anyway”, then a bread maker with collapsible paddles is the one for you. Out of the 2 bread makers with collapsible paddles we reviewed, the Breville BBM800XL takes the win by far.

It is a little bit on the pricier side, but, the collapsible bread maker paddle mechanism is far better than the Breadman and it’s a very durable and stylish machine that will give you top quality, hole-less bakery standard bread every time.