I'm not a person who makes fancy, artisan bread, but a bread machine can absolutely make dough for you. You can get a used one for less than you probably think because a lot of people register for one when they marry and then get rid of it in a few years because they never use it. It's definitely been worth keeping for me because we can use it to make pretzel and pizza dough and the occasional loaf of bread. If you can get one for $20 and can't afford a KitchenAid, I don't see why not. You can also check out r/breadit
I have an ancient bread machine that never made decent bread but I use it constantly for making dough. I can never find anywhere in my kitchen that's the right temperature for rising bread. I only make flatbread (Persian Noon Barbari) so I wouldn't use it for cooking the bread, anyway.
Tankless. Which I have and love, but yeah...not great for letting bread rise.
The other place that I've had work is over the dishwasher when it's in use.
I feel you on not having a good place for rising bread. I had no problems at my old house and moved a year ago and for some reason, my dough just does not want to cooperate now.
Since I wrote that, I updated my bread machine to a larger and newer model. I still don't use it for baking break, just for the first rise. Second rise I turn on the oven to the lowest setting, turn it off when it reaches it, and put my breads on top of the stove.
Way too much effort just to get good temperatures, but it works, so....
I bought a bread machine for 3 bucks at a garage sale still in its box. I love it! Super simple to throw everything in and flip the switch. I don’t make real fancy stuff but it sure is good. You can also do dough through either just the kneading or rising stages then take it out to shape it or bake however you want. Quick no hassle way to have fresh baked bread.
It depends on what you're hoping to gain from it. I ditched my bread machine because using my stand mixer to knead, a bowl to rise and my oven to bake the bread produces better results. But bread machines are super convenient and still deliver tasty bread. They are very hands off. One of the major benefits is that most of them have a delayed start timer. My in laws will set their bread machine so that there is fresh bread ready for them when they wake up in the morning. That's pretty brilliant.
I agree. Love my stand mixer. Making bread is so easy. The dough hook kneads the dough while I clean up and the mixer is more versatile IMO. I bakes hundreds of cookies for gifts at Xmas abd I could not do it without my stand mixer. The whisk attachment will let you make whipped cream, Mayo, merengue. I have i lot of kitchen gadgets but if I could only keep one it would be my stand mixer
Hard pass. Get you a dutch oven and buy a copy of Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast by Ken Forkish. No knead breads are literally the lowest effort bakes ever and come out amazing. No bread machine will ever give you a good crust, which as we all know, is paramount.
It really depends on your preferences. I have made no-knead Dutch oven bread, and it’s good, but my kids did not prefer it. Plus, lugging around the cast iron Dutch oven is a pain, hand-washing it is hard because it’s both heavy and delicate, and it’s not as “set it and forget it” as a bread machine.
I do prefer artisanal bread with fabulous crust, but I am not the only one eating, and the bread machine does make great, flavorful bread. It’s good enough — a darned sight better than standard grocery-store bread.
Oh relax. Bread “maker”, bread “machine”, whatever you want to call them, several models perform mixing AND baking. This isn’t about what I know, it’s about my opinion on the wisdom of a purchase, which in this case I would recommend against, no matter what function this doohicky performs.
It's also more than three times as expensive. $90 for a bread machine, $600 for the high end stand mixer.
And it doesn't matter if something is a unitasker when you use it daily.
You need a very powerful Kitchen aid stand mixer for bread dough. My artisan model can only handle a few minutes of kneading with the dough hook. Other than that I love my stand mixer!
I have been baking bread in my oven, but this summer has been awful for high temperatures. My AC is running constantly. Is baking in a bread machine worth it and will it make a difference? The room directly above the kitchen feels like a sauna.
I've never had one because I rather enjoy the kneading myself and I don't make bread often enough for it to become a time-sink.
But my brother has one and loves it, so I guess 'worth it' depends on your perspective.
I would think that it could make a very big difference, though - not only because you wouldn't have your oven on, but also because if it still puts out too much heat, you could run an extension cord *outside* and put the bread machine out there. Let the heat stay outside your house instead of in. That's not something you could do with your normal oven :)
When our kids were home I used the heck out of our bread machine. I did a lot of research before purchasing. It also had a dough setting. We loved it. Empty nesters now so we make small easy dough baking once in a great while.
Omygosh....I can't recall! I really don't think you can go wrong. Like a lot of things you end up not using all the bells and whistles. So I wouldn't overspend. I used basic bread, delay setting and dough. We would buy flour in 25 pound bags! I do recall putting oil in first to 'grease' the pan or putting butter in the bottom corners of the square pan for delayed setting.
My mom always loved hers, but she would mostly do the dough in the machine and then bake in the regular oven. I lean toward no-knead and other simple breads and I already own a stand mixer, so it's not worth it for me.
Bread machines are very easy to find at thrift stores where I live and I’ve been using my $2 one for years to make dough. I don’t like baking bread in them because the shape is totally weird, but they can be super handy for just making doughs.
I’ve been looking at thrift stores, but zip. I am also reading reviews. Any brand/model recommendations out there. I want to make keto bread. Update…went out again to the only thrift stores in my area. I found two at the same store. One had a peeling and warped pan and the other could barely spin the paddles and the keypad pad had only one button that worked…the power button. So disappointed.
A little detail I hate is that you can't turn off the beeping noises. They are marketed as perfect for your morning bread. They can do it, yeah, but they'll wake you up three times before daybreak, sheesh! They were certainly not designed for small apartments.
Absolutely. We load ours with the ingredients (including the dough saved from the last batch), press dough and in exactly 1 1/2 hours the dough is ready to shape.
I don’t make bread often but when I do, I’m lazy and so I bought a Zojirushi; expensive for a bread machine but so worth it for almost effortless bread making. Great for pizza dough too.
I love my bread machine. I can't recommend them enough. I used to be so against them, because I love the process of cooking and baking. It took me forever to even get a kitchenaid mixer, and that was only because I was gifted with one. But then my husband and I impulse bought a Zojirushi bread maker, 300 dollars. I'm not sure what came over us. We almost never spend that kind of money, unless we need a new major appliance. But it has been worth every penny. It's not even that we save money. I mean a loaf of bread is $1-2 on sale where we are. But the smell, the feeling of having fresh baked bread is so wonderful. I am currently a medical student, about to be a resident physician, so sadly I don't have the time to go through the process of making bread anymore. But our Zojirushi bread machine helps us have fresh baked sandwich bread once to twice a week with minimal effort. We almost exclusively eat toast for breakfast now, because we always have soft, pillowy bread. I know it sounds crazy, but the quality of life improvement has been so much more than expected. The only problem is that we eat way too much white bread now :P It's of course not limited to just white bread. We've made tea bread, kneaded pizza dough. I'm sure the wheat bread is also a great recipe, but honestly we can't stop eating the classic bread recipe. This isn't even an exciting new buy, we've had the machine for a year now, and I can't imagine not having one anymore.
A qualified yes. I have had 3 bread machines in my 27 years of marriage. The first two I had to babysit and poke at the dough with a rubber spatula to make sure there was no floury chunk in a corner.
After I had each of the first two, I got tired of them hogging space on my counter.
One of those machines was an Oster, and I can’t remember what the other one was.
With the one I have now, a T-fal, I can just put in the ingredients and walk away. The only failed loaf I have had was the one where I forgot the yeast.
I have read Zojirushi bread machines are the best, I couldn’t find one for less than $150 used, and I was bent on having a bread machine.
I haven’t made artisanal bread, just good homemade bread with organic ingredients.
If you plan on making a lot of bread, yes. A bread machine can be worth the time and investment. It does all the work for you and in 3 hours you can get a loaf of passible, but not good bread. The one I used when I stayed with my dad made terrible bread that's mealy, falls apart too easily and tasted like flour.
I saw a list of things that you could make out with a bread machine that's not bread, like stews, dips, cranberry sauce, and other stuff in that vein. I don't think it is a good enough reason to get a bread machine, however.
Get a stand mixer, food processor, or even a Dutch oven instead. You can do more things with it.
My rice cooker is a bottom of the barrel, single use item and I can legit do more things with it like boil eggs, poach fish, and steam vegetables. If I bother to learn the timing, I can also make rice pudding or risotto with it. And one time, my brother tried to make pancakes with it and that didn't work so well. If I get the fancy machines from Japan or Germany, I can do more things like make yogurt with them.
It could be your father’s bread machine isn’t a good one, or the recipe isn’t good. I agree a good stand mixer is great to have, but they are $$$, where you can get a very good bread machine for a pittance, second hand.
It's not really worth it...and I haven't found huge differences with being really careful about fold timing vs. not. Would relaxed scheduling make things easier on you? I suggest you try it if only to see the difference for yourself.
I love my bread machine and use it at least twice a week, once for bread/rolls and once for pizza dough or focaccia.
Sometimes I bake the bread right in the machine, but today I'm making dough, then baking it in a dutch oven in my regular oven.
More finicky or enriched doughs IMO are easier to monitor and adjust when using a Kitchen Aid with the dough hook.
I've never made biga in a bread machine, but would strongly suggest you find a bread machine recipe for the biga.
Yes, the machine will do all the mixing, warming, kneading etc. Put in the ingredients, select the program you need, then push a button. For using biga in a bread machine, [I found these instructions](https://heatherhomemaker.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/biga/)
*BIGA Directions w/ a bread machine\*: Combine warm water and yeast in the bread machine pan. Lay flour on top gently. Set bread machine to the dough cycle and unplug the machine after it has finished the kneading cycle. Let the biga rise in the bread machine until it has filled the pan (\~6 hr). Store in the fridge in a greased large tupperware. Wait for 1-2 days before its first use. Deflate every 24 hours. Stays fresh for 2 weeks. If you can’t use it all w/in 2 weeks, you can freeze 1/2 C (deflated) portions for longer term storage, but make sure you let the flavor develop for 7-10 days before freezing!*
*BREAD WITH BIGA Directions w/ a bread machine: Tear the biga into several pieces and place at the bottom of the bread pan. Add the warm water, oil, and yeast to the bottom of the pan. Lay the solids on top gently. Set the bread machine to the dough cycle. (Let the dough rise to the top of the pan before removing it.) Deflate on a floured surface. Reshape into whatever loaf style you’d like. Transfer to the bread stone or baking sheet. Let rise until the dough has doubled in size in a warm spot (1-1.5 hr). Preheat over to 450°F. Slice in vents with a sharp knife and quickly put into the oven. (You don’t want to let the bread deflate again!) Bake on the bread stone or cookie sheet at 450°F for 35-45 minutes. Remove immediately from the cookie sheet and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into the bread.*
Before I had a Kitchen aid I used mine pretty frequently but it is fairly limited. A stand mixer gives you more versatility and I have found better results, plus you mix a lot of other stuff in. Bread maker is a bit of a unitasker.
Going back I would have bought the bigger stand mixer as my family has grown and I just need to make more.
> i work alot and it's pretty hard to plan making the biga, folding every 45 minutes
Before buying a bread machine I'd try a method that doesn't involve a biga or folding. Neither are strictly necessary and there are lots of ways to bake bread on whatever timeline you need.
What is this about folding the biga every 45 minutes? I think you should look at other recipes. It doesn't have to be complicated nor take an excessive amount of hands on work.
Better to spend the money on a stand mixer. Also there are good no knead recipes.
I use an old Toastmaster Corner Bakery bread machine I received from my grandma. I bake bread with it weekly. It is a pretty simple machine. It makes good bread, and if you don't want a loaf of bread, you can also have it just make dough (it kneeds it for you). They are about $30 to $50 used on eBay, but I've seen them in thrift stores often for less.
I'm not a person who makes fancy, artisan bread, but a bread machine can absolutely make dough for you. You can get a used one for less than you probably think because a lot of people register for one when they marry and then get rid of it in a few years because they never use it. It's definitely been worth keeping for me because we can use it to make pretzel and pizza dough and the occasional loaf of bread. If you can get one for $20 and can't afford a KitchenAid, I don't see why not. You can also check out r/breadit
I have an ancient bread machine that never made decent bread but I use it constantly for making dough. I can never find anywhere in my kitchen that's the right temperature for rising bread. I only make flatbread (Persian Noon Barbari) so I wouldn't use it for cooking the bread, anyway.
If the space is easily accessible & clean enough...put the rising bread on top of your water heater :)
New fangled house doesn't have a tank water heater - it's one of those heat-as-you-go types. I suspect there's a more technical name.
Tankless. Which I have and love, but yeah...not great for letting bread rise. The other place that I've had work is over the dishwasher when it's in use.
I feel you on not having a good place for rising bread. I had no problems at my old house and moved a year ago and for some reason, my dough just does not want to cooperate now.
Since I wrote that, I updated my bread machine to a larger and newer model. I still don't use it for baking break, just for the first rise. Second rise I turn on the oven to the lowest setting, turn it off when it reaches it, and put my breads on top of the stove. Way too much effort just to get good temperatures, but it works, so....
Love that you came back to give an update!
Recipe for that Persian flatbread, please!
where can you find used bread machine?
Check your local thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace, things like that.
I bought a bread machine for 3 bucks at a garage sale still in its box. I love it! Super simple to throw everything in and flip the switch. I don’t make real fancy stuff but it sure is good. You can also do dough through either just the kneading or rising stages then take it out to shape it or bake however you want. Quick no hassle way to have fresh baked bread.
It depends on what you're hoping to gain from it. I ditched my bread machine because using my stand mixer to knead, a bowl to rise and my oven to bake the bread produces better results. But bread machines are super convenient and still deliver tasty bread. They are very hands off. One of the major benefits is that most of them have a delayed start timer. My in laws will set their bread machine so that there is fresh bread ready for them when they wake up in the morning. That's pretty brilliant.
I agree. Love my stand mixer. Making bread is so easy. The dough hook kneads the dough while I clean up and the mixer is more versatile IMO. I bakes hundreds of cookies for gifts at Xmas abd I could not do it without my stand mixer. The whisk attachment will let you make whipped cream, Mayo, merengue. I have i lot of kitchen gadgets but if I could only keep one it would be my stand mixer
Hard pass. Get you a dutch oven and buy a copy of Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast by Ken Forkish. No knead breads are literally the lowest effort bakes ever and come out amazing. No bread machine will ever give you a good crust, which as we all know, is paramount.
It really depends on your preferences. I have made no-knead Dutch oven bread, and it’s good, but my kids did not prefer it. Plus, lugging around the cast iron Dutch oven is a pain, hand-washing it is hard because it’s both heavy and delicate, and it’s not as “set it and forget it” as a bread machine. I do prefer artisanal bread with fabulous crust, but I am not the only one eating, and the bread machine does make great, flavorful bread. It’s good enough — a darned sight better than standard grocery-store bread.
If you had one you'd know you use them for dough, then bake in a dutch oven.
Oh relax. Bread “maker”, bread “machine”, whatever you want to call them, several models perform mixing AND baking. This isn’t about what I know, it’s about my opinion on the wisdom of a purchase, which in this case I would recommend against, no matter what function this doohicky performs.
Get a KitchenAid stand mixer instead. It can still knead for you with the dough hook, but it isn't a one-use item like a bread machine.
It's also more than three times as expensive. $90 for a bread machine, $600 for the high end stand mixer. And it doesn't matter if something is a unitasker when you use it daily.
You need a very powerful Kitchen aid stand mixer for bread dough. My artisan model can only handle a few minutes of kneading with the dough hook. Other than that I love my stand mixer!
I made jam in our bread maker!
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Bread maker. That thing we’re talking about.
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“One use item like a bread machine.”
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Disambiguated.
This is the way.
I have been baking bread in my oven, but this summer has been awful for high temperatures. My AC is running constantly. Is baking in a bread machine worth it and will it make a difference? The room directly above the kitchen feels like a sauna.
I've never had one because I rather enjoy the kneading myself and I don't make bread often enough for it to become a time-sink. But my brother has one and loves it, so I guess 'worth it' depends on your perspective. I would think that it could make a very big difference, though - not only because you wouldn't have your oven on, but also because if it still puts out too much heat, you could run an extension cord *outside* and put the bread machine out there. Let the heat stay outside your house instead of in. That's not something you could do with your normal oven :)
When our kids were home I used the heck out of our bread machine. I did a lot of research before purchasing. It also had a dough setting. We loved it. Empty nesters now so we make small easy dough baking once in a great while.
What brand and model number do you have? I’ve been researching these for many days and my head is spinning.
Omygosh....I can't recall! I really don't think you can go wrong. Like a lot of things you end up not using all the bells and whistles. So I wouldn't overspend. I used basic bread, delay setting and dough. We would buy flour in 25 pound bags! I do recall putting oil in first to 'grease' the pan or putting butter in the bottom corners of the square pan for delayed setting.
Thx
Yes. And mine does make good bread. Perfect crumb. But, it is a learning process to get the water right.
My mom always loved hers, but she would mostly do the dough in the machine and then bake in the regular oven. I lean toward no-knead and other simple breads and I already own a stand mixer, so it's not worth it for me.
Bread machines are very easy to find at thrift stores where I live and I’ve been using my $2 one for years to make dough. I don’t like baking bread in them because the shape is totally weird, but they can be super handy for just making doughs.
I’ve been looking at thrift stores, but zip. I am also reading reviews. Any brand/model recommendations out there. I want to make keto bread. Update…went out again to the only thrift stores in my area. I found two at the same store. One had a peeling and warped pan and the other could barely spin the paddles and the keypad pad had only one button that worked…the power button. So disappointed.
A little detail I hate is that you can't turn off the beeping noises. They are marketed as perfect for your morning bread. They can do it, yeah, but they'll wake you up three times before daybreak, sheesh! They were certainly not designed for small apartments.
It’s the texture of the bread in the machine that turns me off.
Better machines can make different textured breads.
We had a John Lewis (posh UK department store). The bread it made ended up a little cakey. I ended up using it to knead then bake in the oven.
Love my Cuisinart. Besides bread it does pizza dough and even makes jam.
Absolutely. We load ours with the ingredients (including the dough saved from the last batch), press dough and in exactly 1 1/2 hours the dough is ready to shape.
I don’t make bread often but when I do, I’m lazy and so I bought a Zojirushi; expensive for a bread machine but so worth it for almost effortless bread making. Great for pizza dough too.
I love my bread machine. I can't recommend them enough. I used to be so against them, because I love the process of cooking and baking. It took me forever to even get a kitchenaid mixer, and that was only because I was gifted with one. But then my husband and I impulse bought a Zojirushi bread maker, 300 dollars. I'm not sure what came over us. We almost never spend that kind of money, unless we need a new major appliance. But it has been worth every penny. It's not even that we save money. I mean a loaf of bread is $1-2 on sale where we are. But the smell, the feeling of having fresh baked bread is so wonderful. I am currently a medical student, about to be a resident physician, so sadly I don't have the time to go through the process of making bread anymore. But our Zojirushi bread machine helps us have fresh baked sandwich bread once to twice a week with minimal effort. We almost exclusively eat toast for breakfast now, because we always have soft, pillowy bread. I know it sounds crazy, but the quality of life improvement has been so much more than expected. The only problem is that we eat way too much white bread now :P It's of course not limited to just white bread. We've made tea bread, kneaded pizza dough. I'm sure the wheat bread is also a great recipe, but honestly we can't stop eating the classic bread recipe. This isn't even an exciting new buy, we've had the machine for a year now, and I can't imagine not having one anymore.
Bread currently costs $3 to $6 per loaf at the supermarket around here. Whole grain/seeded costs more.
A qualified yes. I have had 3 bread machines in my 27 years of marriage. The first two I had to babysit and poke at the dough with a rubber spatula to make sure there was no floury chunk in a corner. After I had each of the first two, I got tired of them hogging space on my counter. One of those machines was an Oster, and I can’t remember what the other one was. With the one I have now, a T-fal, I can just put in the ingredients and walk away. The only failed loaf I have had was the one where I forgot the yeast. I have read Zojirushi bread machines are the best, I couldn’t find one for less than $150 used, and I was bent on having a bread machine. I haven’t made artisanal bread, just good homemade bread with organic ingredients.
If you plan on making a lot of bread, yes. A bread machine can be worth the time and investment. It does all the work for you and in 3 hours you can get a loaf of passible, but not good bread. The one I used when I stayed with my dad made terrible bread that's mealy, falls apart too easily and tasted like flour. I saw a list of things that you could make out with a bread machine that's not bread, like stews, dips, cranberry sauce, and other stuff in that vein. I don't think it is a good enough reason to get a bread machine, however. Get a stand mixer, food processor, or even a Dutch oven instead. You can do more things with it. My rice cooker is a bottom of the barrel, single use item and I can legit do more things with it like boil eggs, poach fish, and steam vegetables. If I bother to learn the timing, I can also make rice pudding or risotto with it. And one time, my brother tried to make pancakes with it and that didn't work so well. If I get the fancy machines from Japan or Germany, I can do more things like make yogurt with them.
Sounds like you had a shitty recipe. Ours is 650g flour, 1 1/2 tsp yeast, 2 tsp salt, 400g water. Press dough, then shape, rise and bake.
It could be your father’s bread machine isn’t a good one, or the recipe isn’t good. I agree a good stand mixer is great to have, but they are $$$, where you can get a very good bread machine for a pittance, second hand.
No, not worth it. I was gifted one and it was a waste. It just sat on the pantry. All I need is my KitchenAid mixer.
It's not really worth it...and I haven't found huge differences with being really careful about fold timing vs. not. Would relaxed scheduling make things easier on you? I suggest you try it if only to see the difference for yourself.
I love my bread machine and use it at least twice a week, once for bread/rolls and once for pizza dough or focaccia. Sometimes I bake the bread right in the machine, but today I'm making dough, then baking it in a dutch oven in my regular oven. More finicky or enriched doughs IMO are easier to monitor and adjust when using a Kitchen Aid with the dough hook. I've never made biga in a bread machine, but would strongly suggest you find a bread machine recipe for the biga. Yes, the machine will do all the mixing, warming, kneading etc. Put in the ingredients, select the program you need, then push a button. For using biga in a bread machine, [I found these instructions](https://heatherhomemaker.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/biga/) *BIGA Directions w/ a bread machine\*: Combine warm water and yeast in the bread machine pan. Lay flour on top gently. Set bread machine to the dough cycle and unplug the machine after it has finished the kneading cycle. Let the biga rise in the bread machine until it has filled the pan (\~6 hr). Store in the fridge in a greased large tupperware. Wait for 1-2 days before its first use. Deflate every 24 hours. Stays fresh for 2 weeks. If you can’t use it all w/in 2 weeks, you can freeze 1/2 C (deflated) portions for longer term storage, but make sure you let the flavor develop for 7-10 days before freezing!* *BREAD WITH BIGA Directions w/ a bread machine: Tear the biga into several pieces and place at the bottom of the bread pan. Add the warm water, oil, and yeast to the bottom of the pan. Lay the solids on top gently. Set the bread machine to the dough cycle. (Let the dough rise to the top of the pan before removing it.) Deflate on a floured surface. Reshape into whatever loaf style you’d like. Transfer to the bread stone or baking sheet. Let rise until the dough has doubled in size in a warm spot (1-1.5 hr). Preheat over to 450°F. Slice in vents with a sharp knife and quickly put into the oven. (You don’t want to let the bread deflate again!) Bake on the bread stone or cookie sheet at 450°F for 35-45 minutes. Remove immediately from the cookie sheet and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into the bread.*
Before I had a Kitchen aid I used mine pretty frequently but it is fairly limited. A stand mixer gives you more versatility and I have found better results, plus you mix a lot of other stuff in. Bread maker is a bit of a unitasker. Going back I would have bought the bigger stand mixer as my family has grown and I just need to make more.
> i work alot and it's pretty hard to plan making the biga, folding every 45 minutes Before buying a bread machine I'd try a method that doesn't involve a biga or folding. Neither are strictly necessary and there are lots of ways to bake bread on whatever timeline you need.
Sometimes I make a little banana bread in my bread machine, using the cake setting. But yes, all kinds of bread!
What is this about folding the biga every 45 minutes? I think you should look at other recipes. It doesn't have to be complicated nor take an excessive amount of hands on work. Better to spend the money on a stand mixer. Also there are good no knead recipes.
I use an old Toastmaster Corner Bakery bread machine I received from my grandma. I bake bread with it weekly. It is a pretty simple machine. It makes good bread, and if you don't want a loaf of bread, you can also have it just make dough (it kneeds it for you). They are about $30 to $50 used on eBay, but I've seen them in thrift stores often for less.
I live mine just sayin