Bread Machines

[Dedpuhl]

Anyone here make their own bread or have any experience with bread machines? Which are the worse? Which are the best?

 

[gigapet]

"its great. I love it."

 

[Orsorum]

Make sure it has three speeds.

 

We have a bread machine. It has about three inches of dust on it. We used it for about three months.

 

[Feldenak]

Just used our bread maker this past weekend. Made an Italian herb bread to go with the spaghetti, homemade sauce, and a bottle of wine.

Quite tasty.

 

[Kenazo]

My wife and I have a black and decker, one of the ones where the loaf is made the horizontal way. I don't care for it. My parent's have the same one, but that makes a Vertical loaf... much better. Get a vertical loaf!

 

[moonshinemadness]

The bread machine we had made it taste funny :s rock on hand made

 

[NickE]

We've got a Panasonic and it's great - they generally do very well in comparative tests.

 

[MrBond]

The bread is always way more "dense" than regular bread in my mom's (vertical loaf). You really can't make a sandwhich out of it without getting WAY more bread then you want.

She mostly uses it to make dinner rolls. My dad always said that while my mom's dinner rolls were pretty good, they were never quite as good as his moms. Since she's started using the breadmaker, he now says they are as good or better

She uses it to mix/kneed the dough, then cooks them normally in the oven.

 

[Dedpuhl]

Ok so I need to get a vertical loaf.

Any recommendations on the brand? I see that one person recommended Black & Decker...

 

[CaseTragedy]

my parents have some breadmaster thing. sometimes when i return on the weekends (and if i'm not too lazy), i make bread. it has a timer setting so i can wake up to fresh bread. pretty neat but i wouldn't buy one myself.

 

[igowerf]

My mom uses hers mainly to just knead bread for her. She's baked bread using it before and it IS denser than normal bread. It's still good though.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: gigapet
"its great. I love it."

hahaha....

 

[austin316]

Originally posted by: Orsorum
Make sure it has three speeds.

This same model? No, Frank, this exact one.

 

[amnesiac]

See if you can dig up a comparison on Cook's Illustrated; they generally have the best empirical comparisons of kitchen products that I've seen.

 

[StageLeft]

We have a vertical black and decker. I haven't used it in months but that's only because the bread is so good that I end up cranking through half a loaf in one sitting just eating it raw with or without any spread on top. Not kidding the stuff is like crack and makes me fat.

You can make various different types of bread with it - my favorite was always the quick stuff (start to finish takes no more than 2 hours). Throw the ingredients in and hit the button and you truly do end up with a real honest to goodness loaf of bread. I liked the two hour version because it was insanely dense. Damn though is it ever good after you've just finished baking it and it's still warm.

My advice would be to tread softly if you're concerned about calorie intake

 

[BD231]

The only reason I don't have a bread maker is because the bread is just to damn good as well. I'd eat it over birthday cake ANY day, and that's a risky temptation to have around considering the amount of bread you can make in one batch.

You've been warned!

 

[dullard]

I've seen several (my own as well as my parents and in-laws). All made wonderful breads. I've never seen a horizontal one so I don't know anything about them. The density all depends on the temperature of ingredients and amount of yeast you use. Thus if you don't like the density - adjust it until you find the density you like.

Just get a basic machine. There is no reason to spend a small fortune on one. They knead and the heat. Simple tasks - so simple machines work just fine.

 

[Squisher]

epinions/bread machines/all




BTW-my wife is the "master baker" so I don't knead a bread machine

 

[PG]

I have a cheap vertical one but can't remember the brand, got it at Wal-Mart for about $25 on sale. Warm bread is great, but as others said, it'll fatten you up quick if you don't have some self control.

 

[Kelemvor]

No idea which kind we have but it works fine. I've never used a bad one. Just go to your local Boston Store and pick one up. Use it a few tiems and if you don't like it, take it back.

 

[Dedpuhl]

Originally posted by: PG
I have a cheap vertical one but can't remember the brand, got it at Wal-Mart for about $25 on sale. Warm bread is great, but as others said, it'll fatten you up quick if you don't have some self control.

No worries. I've been on atkins and I'm looking to make some of the "atkin's-approved" breads....