Breadmaker?

[music-and-ski]

Does anyone have a breadmaker they like? I had a cheap Hamilton Beach that worked well for several years before committing suicide by jumping off the counter. I bought the new model of the same machine and my crusts are too hard now.


I'm experimenting with a higher hydration ratio, maybe it will help. But, since I make bread every 2 days, I could probably afford a different breadmaker.

 

[braumeister]

Haven't used it in a while, but I always thought the Zojirushi did a wonderful job. Bought mine in 2004 so that's long gone, but the current version appears to be this one:
Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker

 

[fosterscik]

We've used a Panasonic breadmaker for over 20 years. In that time we wore out the first and the second is probably 6 or 7 years old. It was used very heavily when our kids were teens. A bullet proof design but the model we have/had (SD-YD250) seems to have been discontinued.
Too bad I would have bought a 3rd when this one wears out. We'll probably buy another Panasonic because of its longevity. The SD-R2550 appears to be it's replacement and I'd probably choose that.

 

[CaptTom]

Mine will "walk" a bit when mixing the dough. I'm careful not to put it too close to the edge, and I've been lucky so far. But I can certainly see it jumping to its death some day.

I'm not really sure if the brand, or dryness of the dough, will make a lot of difference. Get a brand you like based on other features, and restrain it from walking somehow. Maybe a non-skid pad under it, or put it someplace where it can't reach an edge.

I'm impressed that you make bread every 2 days. Good for you! I love bread, but I can't justify making it that often.

 

[Winter]

We have used the Zojirushi style as well. I have had as many as three at a time, used for making doughs and breads for large crowds. The appeal to me is the double kneading paddles and the traditional sized loaves. My kids went through a loaf a day back when they were teens. I found my second and third machines in thrift stores for $10 and $15.

They have definitely gone up in price, wow, but with the cost of artisan breads these days it would pay for itself in no time if you are a dedicated user.

I have also had other brands that were the typical bread machine weird loaf and just used those for dough and baked the bread in the oven so I could have a traditional loaf.

 

[audreyh1]

I had a National/Panasonic and a Zojirushi back in the day when I was a major breadmaker. Family members inherited them. As far as I know they are still working.

I quickly got to where I used the bread machine for dough only, and I did the final shaping and rise and baking in the oven. The bread machines are brilliant for this. I made lots of different traditional artisan type breads and shapes. Regular recipes were easily adapted to the machine - most just a change in order of steps. I even adapted a recipe for Christollen to the machine with great results.

 

[Chuckanut]

I have a basic Oster bread maker. I use it mostly for making pizza dough. It is well over 10 years old, probably over 15 and continues to work well. I did have to buy a new bread pan for it about 5 years ago when the bar that rotates the kneading paddle got frozen in place for some reason.

The Oster has a setting to knead and raise the dough but not bake it. I use this for my pizza dough. Occasionally, I will make a loaf with it, but I rather like the overnight rise method which gives bread a better flavor, IMO. On hot summer days I can put the Oster outside on the patio and let it heat the great outdoors rather than my kitchen and living area. That's a nice feature.

 

[More Cowbell]

DH has a Zojirushi Home Bakery Maestro® Breadmaker BB-SSC10 which makes the small 1 lb loaf, which is a nice size for the 2 of us. Before that, a National (circa 1992) which lasted a very long time. The National made a 1.5 lb loaf. There was at least one other bread machine before then, I don't recall the brand. But DH likes the Zojirushi the best.

 

[CaptTom]

...I quickly got to where I used the bread machine for dough only, and I did the final shaping and rise and baking in the oven...

Me too. I never liked those bread-maker-shaped loaves, but having the machine knead and rise is a big help.

One thing I've found with bread machine recipes is that they always have you put the ingredients in the "correct" order to allow the time-delay option on the machine. I never use that option, so for me it's liquids and sugar (if any) then yeast, then dry ingredients. This gives the yeast a few minutes to proof before I start the cycle.

 

[audreyh1]

I had good luck with the yeast dropping into the dough later.

Yeast doesn’t need to be proofed anymore. That’s a remnant of the old days when they needed to prove that the yeast was good before continuing with the bread making. Yeast also doesn’t need sugar to feed on. The flour is all it needs.

 

[CaptTom]

It could be my imagination. it seems if I prove the yeast, even for a couple of minutes, the end result is a better rise. If so, it's a small improvement. Following the order recommended in the manual works very well, too.

Either way, I've found that kneading and rising in the machine is more reliable, probably because it's a controlled temperature. Especially in winter. I do have a "proof" setting on my oven, which I'll use for the last rise when needed, but it's much easier to let the machine do the first rise.

 

[tizod]

For those with walking units, I found the silicone drying mats (Amazon has many) to be great for the unit to not walk, save the counter, and quiets the process as well.
Plus, to address the crust...I rarely baked from the bread maker and if you pull it out then can egg wash, milk and more the crust to make many different styles. Can do it within the breadmaker, but thats just...not the same. Good baking!

 

[music-and-ski]

Thanks everyone.

Using ChatGPT and advanced searching in Reddit I discovered that the best solution for a crust that is too hard is to decrease the flour. My recipes were calling for a 65% hydration ratio, I bumped it up to 68%, then 74.5%. I'm going to try 76.5% next!

The other ideas to cope with a hard crust is to remove it 10 minutes early (not feasible for me since I don't set an alarm clock anymore) or add oil, but I like my french bread without any oil.

I wish ChatGPT existed 35 years ago when I first bought a bread maker. More than that, I wish the manuals for the bread makers had better troubleshooting guides. I think perhaps the low humidity around here, especially in winter, mucks with recipes that might work in other places.

 

[music-and-ski]

Mine will "walk" a bit when mixing the dough. I'm careful not to put it too close to the edge, and I've been lucky so far. But I can certainly see it jumping to its death some day.

I'm not really sure if the brand, or dryness of the dough, will make a lot of difference. Get a brand you like based on other features, and restrain it from walking somehow. Maybe a non-skid pad under it, or put it someplace where it can't reach an edge.

I'm impressed that you make bread every 2 days. Good for you! I love bread, but I can't justify making it that often.

We make a small 1lb loaf. Toast at breakfast for two people over two days plus one lunch it's usually gone. If not, I tell the remaining loaf "CROUTONS FOR YOU BABY" since without preservatives they're reaching the end of goodness after 2 days.

Getting the prep down to 3 minutes and timing it a few times with a stopwatch really helps with motivation.

 

[old medic]

Does anyone have a breadmaker they like? I had a cheap Hamilton Beach that worked well for several years .....

We had a HB that survived over 20 years, and went to my sister when we downsized and moved. We may get back into baking once the house is done, the only bread I bake now is in a Dutch Oven while camping.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

I had a National/Panasonic and a Zojirushi back in the day when I was a major breadmaker. Family members inherited them. As far as I know they are still working.

I quickly got to where I used the bread machine for dough only, and I did the final shaping and rise and baking in the oven. The bread machines are brilliant for this. I made lots of different traditional artisan type breads and shapes. Regular recipes were easily adapted to the machine - most just a change in order of steps. I even adapted a recipe for Christollen to the machine with great results.

This.

I've made many hundreds of loaves of various types. I don't do much baking of bread anymore, but mostly because of the carbs.

I started off with a bread machine which made round loaves, but discovered after a while (this is back in the 90's) that while the bread machine did a good job of making dough, it is far far superior to do the proving and baking in the oven.

I typically used a pizza stone w/corn meal (to prevent sticking) and made fantastic breads this way.

Eventually I got a Kitchen Aid 6-quart professional stand mixer, so just gave the bread machine away and used that for mixing dough (and a whole lot of other things).

 

[pb4uski]

We have a Bread Machine bread maker in Florida that I use fairly frequently. However, when I don't have access to that, quite often I'll just buy frozen loaves the dough at the grocery store and bake them in a bread pan.

 

[jollystomper]

DW has a Toastmaster automatic breadmaker that she has used for probably 15- or so years and loves it. It still works fine (at least, she has never sought o but another one to replace it). She also uses a Kitchenaid Mixer to make bread dough for stuff baked in the oven.

She makes bread a couple of times a month, usually for social events (the quantities are too much for just the two of us ), and it is always well received, something she is "known for" in our social circle.

She grew up in a culture that did not have "written" recipes, and learned to cook like that - everything is measured by sight. But it comes out great.

 

[music-and-ski]

DW has a Toastmaster automatic breadmaker that she has used for probably 15- or so years and loves it. It still works fine (at least, she has never sought o but another one to replace it). She also uses a Kitchenaid Mixer to make bread dough for stuff baked in the oven.

She makes bread a couple of times a month, usually for social events (the quantities are too much for just the two of us ), and it is always well received, something she is "known for" in our social circle.

She grew up in a culture that did not have "written" recipes, and learned to cook like that - everything is measured by sight. But it comes out great.

I can't imagine making bread in a bread maker "by sight" unless I were to watch the initial knead so I could add some flour or water to get the consistency right. I've pushed the hydration ratio up to 76.5% (vs 74.5%) which is less than 10g difference in the water amount for 280g of flour, only 2 tsp diff. And the resulting loaf is hugely different. At 76.5% I've been getting a huge openness in my french loaves, typically with a gigantic bubble at the top of the loaf that has to be discarded to get to the big open french loaf underneath it. At 74.5% (9g less water) the loaf is less open and I don't get that big bubble at the top. I wouldn't trust a difference of 9g of water to anything but a weigh scale.