Bread Machines - Advice???

[skibum]

Hi,

I'm fed up with the sweet and sugary bread that seems to be the norm over here in the US and I'm thinking of getting a Bread Machine to make my own 'proper' bread.

Any hints, tips or advice on what machines are good, what kind of recipes work well and generally if it is worth doing?

Traditionally I tend to go either for a crusty farmhouse white or a multigrain type of bread.

[Piglet]

Not sure if you can get it in the US but we have a Panasonic SD255 which really is the Rolls Royce of breadmakers. Pretty foolproof to use, makes consistently good bread and has a good recipe book comes with it.

They sell them in our local Costco in the UK so that might be worth a look.

I love having home made bread, we also make bread by hand at the weekend or if we've got time but for day in day out it's bread out of the breadmaker and it's fab...

[Nigel H]

I can highly recommend them as a gadget. I make all my own bread and pizzas with mine and it's *proper* bread - not that airy fairy stuff that seems to pass off as bread now in supermarkets. They will do what you want them to, IMHO,

I make all sorts of bread, rolls, loaves, tea breads, white, brown.

All of the breadmakers will come with a recipe booklet which I would think would be a good starting point.

I've got a Kenwood and I've had 3 in 7 years - the paddle keeps breaking on it, so I wouldn't recommend this model. My dad has a cheap (£30) Morphy Richards which seems to do the same as my Kenwood and so far hasn't broken.

[grumbledoak]

You can actually do it by hand, you know? There is quite an art to kneading it well, and a food processor will do a better job in 2 minutes, but it isn't hard. Certainly worth a try, and free!

[tomash]

grumbledoak said:

You can actually do it by hand, you know? There is quite an art to kneading it well, and a food processor will do a better job in 2 minutes, but it isn't hard. Certainly worth a try, and free!

+1

I make my own pretty much all the time.

The main secret is to kneed it the first time till its feels like your own ear lobe. Basically you need to get the gluten to react and form chains that will support the matrix the yeast makes.

As for bread makers then cheep s chips is best cos all they really have to do is "mix prove mix prove bake" How hard is that.

[Tanguero]

I have just had to replace my Panasonic bread machine - after 13 years!!!
(ETA - That's 13 years of daily use)

I have gone straight for another Panasonic. I can't recomend them highly enough.

Edited by Tanguero on Tuesday 28th October 08:48

[Piglet]

grumbledoak said:

You can actually do it by hand, you know? There is quite an art to kneading it well, and a food processor will do a better job in 2 minutes, but it isn't hard. Certainly worth a try, and free!

As I say above, I do both, but making bread by hand requires you to be around for a couple of hours to allow for proving. At the weekend if I'm home, it's fab, but for a wet wednesday when it's dark when I leave the house and dark when I get back you can't beat the 5 minutes it takes to load up the breadmaker at night and bung it on the timer.

[eightseventhree]

Another +1 for the Pannasonic.

Everyone in my family has one just about, and mine has been making 3 loafs a week for the past year solid now!

also used it to make pizza bases and other exotic breads!

[filski666]

Piglet said:

Not sure if you can get it in the US but we have a Panasonic SD255 which really is the Rolls Royce of breadmakers. Pretty foolproof to use, makes consistently good bread and has a good recipe book comes with it.

They sell them in our local Costco in the UK so that might be worth a look.

I love having home made bread, we also make bread by hand at the weekend or if we've got time but for day in day out it's bread out of the breadmaker and it's fab...

another recommendation for the Panasonic here! Only problem is you will eat a lot more bread as it is so nice!

[skibum]

Thanks for all the advice

Looks like the consensus is the Panasonic. The only one I can find on sale here is the SD-YD250 which by my calculation is 5 less than the one suggested

http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/sho...

The only thing that is holding me back at the moment is the size of the things and where I can keep it. My kitchen is approx 6ft x 6ft and surface space is at a premium!!

[Piglet]

Hmmm interesting the one you link to has a yeast dispenser, does that mean that in the US you don't get the "normal" quick dried yeast that we get in the UK?? With the "normal" yeast you just bung it in the bottom of the machine, it doesn't have to be added at a specific time.

The UK panny's (and that one by the looks of the picture) are taller rather than wider so they take up less counter space than some other models but I do know the problem of a small kitchen!

[HiRich]

Although different from the one all of us seem to have bought, it seems to have all the features you need.

You definitely need to find the space, to stop it becoming another useless gadget. Remember it will take about 4 hours for a standard loaf, so you have to get into the habit of planning to use it. The taste (and price) makes it so worth it, though. A few things to bear in mind (based on my experience with the SD255):

• Bread has to come out as soon as it's ready (otherwise it steams and goes squidgy). Timer helps, but planning is essential. Also, it really helps to let the bread cool for up to 30 mins once released.
• The loaf size is probably a bit small (about 500g, half an English Tin). But that just means that you use it twice as often and get fresh, hot crusty bread twice as often.
• The crust setting is not as good as they would have you think. The top stays a bit soft (the crusty end piece is bloomin' fantastic).
• As an all-in-one, the paddle leaves a hole in the bottom of the loaf, which is a bot of a pain.
• Try different yeasts - makes quite a difference.
• Start by following the recipes closely, to learn what affects the quality of the bread. Particularly in winter, you may need to use warmer water (add a spot from the kettle) rather than icy tap water which will stop the yeast from getting to work. When you can consistently turn out good loaves you can try experimenting.
• Once you're used to it, try to move onto proper homebaking. Buy a decent cheap book & some baking tins. You can then think of the machine as a standby, and you'll get better bread.

Having said all that, it's still a great piece of kit. You'll appreciate the taste, and (in the UK at least) it's much cheaper. On thumbnail costings I've almost recouped the outlay in a year (£40 cost, 40p cheaper per loaf, even allowing for electricity).