Breadmakers - Worth it?
Discussion
I think it is a "smell of fresh bread" thing. Nothing nicer. 
That said, I don't have one. Too little work surface area to leave it out, so it would get left in the cupboard to rust. Making your own dough isn't hard, and kneeding it is quite therapeutic. Or, if your food processor has a dough hook, it'll do a better job than you can in no time at all.
Edit- speeling
That said, I don't have one. Too little work surface area to leave it out, so it would get left in the cupboard to rust. Making your own dough isn't hard, and kneeding it is quite therapeutic. Or, if your food processor has a dough hook, it'll do a better job than you can in no time at all.
Edit- speeling
Edited by grumbledoak on Friday 22 February 17:04
I always do mine using the original tools however my mother swears by her bread maker. I make the time to knead the dough by hand and let it rise, knead again put in a tin, allow to rise and then throw in the oven as I think it makes a better quality bread - but thats only my opinion. Theres only me to feed and two loaves gets me through the week. For me its not price as it probably costs me more than going to a supermaket, its about taste and fun.
The good thing about making your own bread is being able to control what goes into it. I use locally ground whole wheat flour, live yeast and very little salt. Occasionally I include herbs and/or olives and have tried Indian spices on occasion for a bit of a change - experimenting can be fun but don't do it first time if you are expecting guests as it doesn't always work. Whether you do it the old fashioned way or with a bread maker I think its worth it - my way takes more time but for less capital outlay but I am in contact with my food - 10 minutes of kneading can be very theraputic (sp?)
The good thing about making your own bread is being able to control what goes into it. I use locally ground whole wheat flour, live yeast and very little salt. Occasionally I include herbs and/or olives and have tried Indian spices on occasion for a bit of a change - experimenting can be fun but don't do it first time if you are expecting guests as it doesn't always work. Whether you do it the old fashioned way or with a bread maker I think its worth it - my way takes more time but for less capital outlay but I am in contact with my food - 10 minutes of kneading can be very theraputic (sp?)
Edited by Bob the Planner on Friday 22 February 18:06
Bought the panasonic about 9 months ago, its in danger of being worn out !
Havnt bought bread since.
Ten minutes in the evening gives you a fresh loaf in the morning thats much nicer than mass produced s
te.
Plus I use the dough function for rolls to chuck in the freezer in case we do run out of bread.
And the other night I made pizza dough to make homemade pizza with that evening.
In short, buy one, you will never look back !
Havnt bought bread since.
Ten minutes in the evening gives you a fresh loaf in the morning thats much nicer than mass produced s
te.Plus I use the dough function for rolls to chuck in the freezer in case we do run out of bread.
And the other night I made pizza dough to make homemade pizza with that evening.
In short, buy one, you will never look back !
Not necessarily worth it financially, but Yes, for nice bread it's worth it.
I don't have a bread machine, but we got a Kenwood Chef which comes with a dough hook. It takes the effort out of kneading. Tonight's loaves are plain white with poppy seeds on top, and another mixed white/wholewheat with pumpkin & sunflower seeds in, and sesame seeds on top. The smell is amazing, I can't wait for breakfast!
PS: You should try making bread by hand, get a tin of Allinson Dried Yeast, any supermarket-brand bread flour. Tiny bit of butter and/or olive oil salt and sugar. That's it, apart from water. It takes a few goes, but you'll love it.
I don't have a bread machine, but we got a Kenwood Chef which comes with a dough hook. It takes the effort out of kneading. Tonight's loaves are plain white with poppy seeds on top, and another mixed white/wholewheat with pumpkin & sunflower seeds in, and sesame seeds on top. The smell is amazing, I can't wait for breakfast!
PS: You should try making bread by hand, get a tin of Allinson Dried Yeast, any supermarket-brand bread flour. Tiny bit of butter and/or olive oil salt and sugar. That's it, apart from water. It takes a few goes, but you'll love it.
Furyous said:
What price bread that is as fresh as is humanly possible?
I have a Panasonic SD254, and like others haven't bought bread since. As standard, it produces a half-tin loaf.
Cost/Saving: I don't know the current cost of a fresh loaf, but based on "last-remembered" the machine is probably 5-10p less, all things included. The gap opens significantly if you need special bread (gluten-free, rye, etc.), but you wouldn't bank on turning a profit.
Taste: Wow, is the simple answer. Trust me, you have forgotten what real bread is supposed to taste like.
Ingredients: Store bread, particularly sliced loaves are quite worrying - surprisingly high levels of sugar, salt, and modifiers (this of course depends on where you get your bread). You know exactly what's in your homemade bread, and how little fat, sugar and salt is in there.
Life: My half loaf can last up to four days, remaining at a slightly higher quality than a store loaf.
Downsides are:
- Hassle factor: A standard white loaf takes four hours, plus 30 mins cooling. Others take longer. Get one with a timer (most do), and get used to a bit of planning. Also, it helps to find it a permanent spot on the counter top rather than hidden in a cupboard.
- It only makes one shape of loaf. You can use it to prepare the dough only, then shape the loaf before baking it in the oven. But it would be nice to be able to automatically create something different.
- Out of the machine, the loaf is imperfect. It's not "purely-shaped" as the mixing bowl (in which it is also baked) has to be shaped for both. Also, the paddle stays inside, which creates an odd effect in the base of the finished loaf. And I'm not totally impressed with the top crust finishing.
Bottom line is I'm sold on it. In fact I'm going progress to start making 'proper' bread in the oven, that's how impressed I am.
Cost/Saving: I don't know the current cost of a fresh loaf, but based on "last-remembered" the machine is probably 5-10p less, all things included. The gap opens significantly if you need special bread (gluten-free, rye, etc.), but you wouldn't bank on turning a profit.
Taste: Wow, is the simple answer. Trust me, you have forgotten what real bread is supposed to taste like.
Ingredients: Store bread, particularly sliced loaves are quite worrying - surprisingly high levels of sugar, salt, and modifiers (this of course depends on where you get your bread). You know exactly what's in your homemade bread, and how little fat, sugar and salt is in there.
Life: My half loaf can last up to four days, remaining at a slightly higher quality than a store loaf.
Downsides are:
- Hassle factor: A standard white loaf takes four hours, plus 30 mins cooling. Others take longer. Get one with a timer (most do), and get used to a bit of planning. Also, it helps to find it a permanent spot on the counter top rather than hidden in a cupboard.
- It only makes one shape of loaf. You can use it to prepare the dough only, then shape the loaf before baking it in the oven. But it would be nice to be able to automatically create something different.
- Out of the machine, the loaf is imperfect. It's not "purely-shaped" as the mixing bowl (in which it is also baked) has to be shaped for both. Also, the paddle stays inside, which creates an odd effect in the base of the finished loaf. And I'm not totally impressed with the top crust finishing.
Bottom line is I'm sold on it. In fact I'm going progress to start making 'proper' bread in the oven, that's how impressed I am.
Rich - your negatives on breadmakers is why I now only use mine to mix and sometimes rise the dough. It's less messy and mixes really evenly and you can shape as you wish and not get that hole from the paddle in the base. Minor niggle for me.
Mine has an audible bleep to tell me when I can take it out to do the above.
Mine has an audible bleep to tell me when I can take it out to do the above.
bint said:
Rich - your negatives on breadmakers is why I now only use mine to mix and sometimes rise the dough. It's less messy and mixes really evenly and you can shape as you wish and not get that hole from the paddle in the base. Minor niggle for me.
Mine has an audible bleep to tell me when I can take it out to do the above.
That's what I do too - an hour and a half in the machine, then whip it out, shape it in to either a loaf or rolls, leave by the radiator to rise and bung in the oven for 15-25 mins (dependent on size and shape. Couldn't be easier, and I find the bread is less dense that way than leaving the machine to do the whole job, although my machine is a quite old hand-me-down from my sister.Mine has an audible bleep to tell me when I can take it out to do the above.
I have no idea whether it is financially 'worth it' to make my own bread, but on the one or two occasions that I've bought bread in the last 6 months, I've ended up throwing it away (even the 'premium' loaves). On flavour and convenience alone, it's worth it. I seriously think it's easier and quicker to bung the ingredients in the machine (less than 2 minutes) then shape the rolls (less than 5 minutes) than it is to go and buy a loaf.
bint said:
Rich - your negatives on breadmakers is why I now only use mine to mix and sometimes rise the dough. It's less messy and mixes really evenly and you can shape as you wish and not get that hole from the paddle in the base. Minor niggle for me.
Mine has an audible bleep to tell me when I can take it out to do the above.
Agreed, and to put my comments in context, I'm very much at cub scout level when it comes to cooking. Hence why I haven't already graduated to "full baking" - I've bought the book, but haven't planned properly/built up the bottle so far. Looking at the book, I realised that I haven't even seen a cottage loaf in at least 20 years, much less tasted one, so that's the target.Mine has an audible bleep to tell me when I can take it out to do the above.
I just wanted to make it clear that automatic breadmakers aren't perfect. Just very, very good. And most seem to have a "Dough-only" option.
bint said:
Rich - your negatives on breadmakers is why I now only use mine to mix and sometimes rise the dough. It's less messy and mixes really evenly and you can shape as you wish and not get that hole from the paddle in the base. Minor niggle for me.
Mine has an audible bleep to tell me when I can take it out to do the above.
If you're using it for dough only, an alternative is to do like Ordinary Bloke does and use a Kenwood Chef or a KitchenAid with a dough hook. They are a lot more versatile as you can use them for making cakes etc, and they last forever. Mine has an audible bleep to tell me when I can take it out to do the above.
(Interesting fact - you can get away with far, far less kneading than the 10 minutes that is usually recommended: kneading in a few short 15 second bursts spread out over a couple of hours has the exact same effect. Handy to know if you don't want to fork out for a stand mixer or breadmaker)
Coq au Vin said:
...an alternative is to do like Ordinary Bloke does and use a Kenwood Chef or a KitchenAid with a dough hook...
I used to enjoy kneading by hand when I was having a bad time at work, it gave me something to punch! Anyone thinking of buying a breadmaker should try doing it by hand first, it's fun...HiRich said:
bint said:
Rich - your negatives on breadmakers is why I now only use mine to mix and sometimes rise the dough. It's less messy and mixes really evenly and you can shape as you wish and not get that hole from the paddle in the base. Minor niggle for me.
Mine has an audible bleep to tell me when I can take it out to do the above.
Agreed, and to put my comments in context, I'm very much at cub scout level when it comes to cooking. Hence why I haven't already graduated to "full baking" - I've bought the book, but haven't planned properly/built up the bottle so far. Looking at the book, I realised that I haven't even seen a cottage loaf in at least 20 years, much less tasted one, so that's the target.Mine has an audible bleep to tell me when I can take it out to do the above.
I just wanted to make it clear that automatic breadmakers aren't perfect. Just very, very good. And most seem to have a "Dough-only" option.
However should you find a machine that works, or opt to make your own by hand, the results are well worth it. I only stopped as I was eating too much bread
Tried both bread machine and the old fashioned way... A decent bread machine mixes OK, but I don't think it cooks anything like as well compared to being cooked in an oven. If we didn't already have a bread maker I would get the Kenwood with a dough hook and cook bread in the oven..
thanks
graham
thanks
graham
I thought I'd bounce this back up again, I have just freecycled my old Cookworks (Tesco) breadmaker and replaced it with the oft recommended Panasonic SD255 with automated raisin/seed dispenser.
I got it home on Thursday night and since then have made a 100% white loaf (the only bread flour I could get in M&S!), a white fruit loaf and a 50/50 wholemeal/white loaf. I'm very impressed with the new one. The old one was a bit of a pain and I'd given up using it - digging the paddle out the bottom of the bread had become a pain and I'd lost interest in using it.
So....one shiny new Panasonic is sitting on the the work surface and is producing MUCH better bread than the old one ever did.
As we're skint, I'm using a mix of bread flour and ordinary cheap (ASDA value) flour as recommended on a money saving website and so far it's looking great. The fruit bread is fantastic, and I'm just baking fruit rolls for the freezer which hopefully will make good travelling food for motorsport weekends.
I like the idea of knowing what I'm eating (even with Asda cheap flour) and I'm not keen on the salt levels of cheap shop bought bread. I'm also hope it will stop me having to go to the supermarket and buy bread and then spending £25 at the same time!
I got it home on Thursday night and since then have made a 100% white loaf (the only bread flour I could get in M&S!), a white fruit loaf and a 50/50 wholemeal/white loaf. I'm very impressed with the new one. The old one was a bit of a pain and I'd given up using it - digging the paddle out the bottom of the bread had become a pain and I'd lost interest in using it.
So....one shiny new Panasonic is sitting on the the work surface and is producing MUCH better bread than the old one ever did.
As we're skint, I'm using a mix of bread flour and ordinary cheap (ASDA value) flour as recommended on a money saving website and so far it's looking great. The fruit bread is fantastic, and I'm just baking fruit rolls for the freezer which hopefully will make good travelling food for motorsport weekends.
I like the idea of knowing what I'm eating (even with Asda cheap flour) and I'm not keen on the salt levels of cheap shop bought bread. I'm also hope it will stop me having to go to the supermarket and buy bread and then spending £25 at the same time!
Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff