Bread Machines

[Pellice]

I've been trying to reason myself out of a bread machine for a week! It's not working, I really want one. What are your experiences with bread machines? And is the Zojirushi really that superior? Their mini-maker for 1 lb loaves is (somewhat) on sale right now.

 

[braumeister]

Bread machines are kind of a mixed bag. While they do what they claim, they're a novelty that tends to wear off and most people stop using them after a while. Honestly, it's not that much effort to make your own homemade bread from scratch without a machine.

OTOH, they do work, and I've never had a complaint about the Zojirushi I bought years ago. Makes good bread with hardly any effort. I just don't eat much bread any more (hardly any, actually). When I do want some I make sourdough bread from scratch.

If you actually eat a fair amount of bread, by all means get one. I think you'd be very happy with a Zo, maybe less so with other brands.

 

[Fedup]

I used to want one, now I don’t because my family doesn’t eat much bread anyway. I gave my pasta maker and espresso machine away recently, so no more acquiring stuff.

 

[easysurfer]

Had a bread machine several years ago. Results were hit or miss. A lot of variables to getting a good result. Sometimes, a loaf would turn out perfect. Other times the loaf would turn out half the size of what I expected.

I just go the cheap, ready made route now .

 

[jim584672]

The biggest downside is putting on too many calories. You don't want to let it go stale, next thing you know you put on a pound.

 

[MRG]

We've had several and donated them away. Want delicious home made bread? Google no kneed bread in the Dutch oven.

I don't like one trick ponies.

 

[Beldar]

We use ours for making pizza dough (rarely anymore). The "making bread at home" fad wore off for us years ago.

_B

 

[tmm99]

I would get a cheap one. That's what we did. I don't think it makes a huge difference in comparison to a Zojirushi, plus a lot of people buy a bread maker, use it for a while, and abandon it after the novelty wears off.

This cheap one (1/3 price of a Zojirushi) worked perfectly fine for us.
https://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-Prog...537904929&sr=8-1&keywords=sunbeam+bread+maker

And this recipe book
https://www.amazon.com/Bread-Lovers...d=1537904974&sr=8-3&keywords=book+bread+maker

We used to bake "roman bread" out of this book all the time (diced onions, rosemaries and tons of olive oil on top and bake like pizza in the oven) when we used to eat more carbs. It was easy and unbelievably good. We tried many recipes out of the book (different loaves of bread as well as making fruit preserves, etc. Oh, it even showed to make your own "biga" (pre-fermenting for Italian bread) and all of them were very good.

 

[cbo111]

In my experience, the main problem was that, while tasty when warm and fresh, the bread turned to into a heavy chunk of lead in about 12 hours. So, like others mentioned, you either gain weight or throw away a lot of bread. The one really cool thing was setting it up to mix and bake while away at work. Upon returning home, that smell hits you as you walk in the door. Yummy!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Paid 80 and used it for a year. Sold it recently for 20. I usually avoid appliances that only make 1 thing.

 

[HadEnuff]

If you don't have experience making bread without a machine, I'd suggest you make some first without the machine. If you are interested, it's very easy, especially if you are willing to mix the ingredients the day before and let the rising occur overnight in a fridge. This considerably reduces the amount of time you need to spend kneading the bread. I can tell you how to do this, if you want. IMO, the results you'll get this way are way way better than what you'll get from a machine.

 

[Music Lover]

Like many have stated, the novelty wore off making bread. But I use it on a regular basis to make pizza crust.

 

[Music Lover]

Paid 80 and used it for a year. Sold it recently for 20. I usually avoid appliances that only make 1 thing.

No coffee maker?

Bread makers make more than bread...pizza crust, pasta, dough for example.

 

[audreyh1]

I had great luck with bread machines, and my last one was a Zojirushi and it was good. I only used them to prep and proof the dough, did the final shaping by hand, and baked the bread in the oven. Came out great. I made awesome ciabatta and French bread, bagels, pizza, etc.

But we eat very little bread these days and I’m off gluten. So no baking.

 

[pb4uski]

There is one that we inherited from a friend who no longer used it in the bottom of the pantry collecting dust.... hasn't been used in years.

 

[Pellice]

If you don't have experience making bread without a machine, I'd suggest you make some first without the machine. If you are interested, it's very easy, especially if you are willing to mix the ingredients the day before and let the rising occur overnight in a fridge. This considerably reduces the amount of time you need to spend kneading the bread. I can tell you how to do this, if you want. IMO, the results you'll get this way are way way better than what you'll get from a machine.

HadEnuff, this is intriguing. Please do lay it out if you have time, either here or by PM; I recall the NY Times had a famous recipe for no-knead bread.

I really like the idea of learning more about baking and different kinds of wrappings and crusts.

Did you know the Anglo-Saxon root of the word "lady" is derived from "loaf-baker"?

 

[Pellice]

I had great luck with bread machines, and my last one was a Zojirushi and it was good. I only used them to prep and proof the dough, did the final shaping by hand, and baked the bread in the oven. Came out great. I made awesome ciabatta and French bread, bagels, pizza, etc.

But we eat very little bread these days and I’m off gluten. So no baking.

Audrey, could you say what the advantages of doing it this way would be?

 

[sdtech]

We had two "cheaper" versions before we bought a Zojirushi. There IS a big difference. If you really want to make bread get one. If it's just for a little interest, just buy bread at the store. Pizza dough is wonderful on a Zojirushi.


Why is it a good machine? It keeps internal temperatures precisely for each step and a two knead/proof cycle is standard. Larger size probably helps too.

 

[audreyh1]

Audrey, could you say what the advantages of doing it this way would be?

A heckuva lot less work and mess!

 

[GalaxyBoy]

I have started doing the no knead method and bake sourdough about once a week or ten days, making three loaves at a time and freezing two. It really is very little work, although you have to be around the house all day to do up to five minutes of work at a time over several hours.

I still use the old bread machine to make pizza dough every few weeks because I rarely remember to start it by hand soon enough.

 

[LOL!]

Bread machines were all the rage decades ago. We have one and it made good bread.

But nowadays, bread is not healthy no matter how it is made, so we don't eat it.

 

[Pellice]

A heckuva lot less work and mess!

Yes, but I think you are speaking of the pans for mixing, rising, etc. Is it also a better outcome to see loaves shaped more traditionally and, perhaps, conveniently?

 

[Pellice]

Bread machines were all the rage decades ago. We have one and it made good bread.

But nowadays, bread is not healthy no matter how it is made, so we don't eat it.

I have zero confidence in dietary advice at this point. Bread has been a dietary staple for millennia. There are new studies that show no differences in outcomes in diets that contain bread, contain butter, contain most anything. Dietitians simply parrot whatever is current. We can all find our own way.

And there are outright deceptions. Anyone who has traveled in the Mediterranean area has encountered the centrality of breads to these cultures. I have a number of older cookbooks from these areas, and every single one has a chapter that begins "Bread is the FOUNDATION of the __________ diet" and giving multiple recipes for breads of various sorts, mostly since the 18th century from white wheat flour. Most Med cultures have breads for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and mostly commercially baked white bread. When I see "Mediterranean Diet" advice that omits bread, I have to laugh.

 

[ransil]

Have one sitting in the kitchen, been sitting thete 10 years, has not made anything in that time.

 

[Fedup]

I have zero confidence in dietary advice at this point. Bread has been a dietary staple for millennia. There are new studies that show no differences in outcomes in diets that contain bread, contain butter, contain most anything. Dietitians simply parrot whatever is current. We can all find our own way.

And there are outright deceptions. Anyone who has traveled in the Mediterranean area has encountered the centrality of breads to these cultures. I have a number of older cookbooks from these areas, and every single one has a chapter that begins "Bread is the FOUNDATION of the __________ diet" and giving multiple recipes for breads of various sorts, mostly since the 18th century from white wheat flour. Most Med cultures have breads for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and mostly commercially baked white bread. When I see "Mediterranean Diet" advice that omits bread, I have to laugh.

Wheat in Europe maybe different from wheat in USA. One of my kids friend is gluten sensitive in USA but not in Europe.