Bread makers - yes or no?

[bendmeoverbackwards]

Following on from the soup maker thread - if you have a breadmaker and is it worth it?

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MNHQ

Yes and no.

I love the smell of fresh bread baking. And eating the fresh bread isn’t bad either 😉 I think the production of bread changed in lockdown 1.0 to keep up with demand and we found it was going off in a few days. The bread-maker bread seems to last a lot longer, which is always a plus.

Downsides - it takes up space on the counter, it joined the corner of the kitchen that isn’t useful as it’s just appliances - coffee machine, bread maker and microwave. The model we have has the kneading arm at the bottom and it bakes with that in, so you have a hole in the bottom of your loaf. You also have to plan a bit more, so realise you need bread for lunch and start making it the night before or in the morning. If you forget to put your bread maker on, you’ll find yourself nipping to coop/the petrol station/Tesco express to grab a loaf anyway.

Another Panasonic here still going 15 years on. Yes, it's expensive but it will outlast everything else. I go through phases in what I make but use it most for dough for rolls, pizza and foccacia.
For the best ever bread knife which will slice even the freshest loaf in super thin slices without squishing you need this
jonoknife.co.uk/. It's amazing!

[quote bendmeoverbackwards]Anyone got this one? Think it’s the cheapest I can find

www.argos.co.uk/product/4009186?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=30f62ea9-9626-4cac-97c8-9ff3921f8558&istItemId=ixilqlirq&istBid=t&&cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59157%7Cacid:598-923-9094%7Ccid:9568021390%7Cagid:98508738856%7Ctid:pla-889624023119%7Ccrid:423285393779%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:4873986123198372366%7Cdvc:m%7Cadp:%7Cmt:%7Cloc:9045971&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=9568021390&utm_term=4009186&utm_content=shopping&utm_custom1=98508738856&utm_custom2=598-923-9094&gclid=CjwKCAiAgJWABhArEiwAmNVTB5RO3AHH6mlbaRTE8mwXuhIuX4KjEIxv7k2A0hab7FE-HJOwRZnmfxoCSIcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds[/quote]
All the Panasonic models are very similar. The basic programmes are all the same on all the models. You pay extra for a different colour or the addition of a rye paddle or raisin / nut dispenser. You don't really need the latter (if you're around, you can add the extra ingredients at the appropriate point in time or just put them in from the start (the raisins just get a bit bashed by the mixing paddle so aren't as plump as if you put them in midway through).
If you don't mind white and don't want to make rye bread, then this model is still awesome and a lot cheaper:

www.argos.co.uk/product/4239781

For the seasoned bread makers out there, what do you store your bread in? I have a bread bin but I mean some sort of bread bag or tin? Can't seem to find a good reasonable price one ?

A bread bin! Why would you need a bag or tin?

We got given a Panasonic one about 4 years ago and haven't bought a loaf since.

The paddle does pull a lump of bread out of the bottom of the loaf, but I've started not greasing the paddle, so it stays in. Then I just gently ease it out once the loaf has half gone. Much less damage to the bread that way.

@Wigeon I'd wondered if it might get mouldy quicker if just put directly into the bread bin.

I just put it in a big lock lock bread box. It gets a little sweaty in there but it's easy to keep clean

@GalaxyGirl24 - ah, I see. Afraid bread usually isn’t around long enough to go off in our household! Seems to do fine in the bread bin. You can always make small loaves in the breadmaker if you think you won’t go through a larger one quick enough.

Our bread never goes mouldy. Stale, yes, but not mouldy. I leave it on the counter for a crispy crust, or if I put it in a giant zip lock bag, the crust will soften.

Yes to ours. I tried to get a pricey Panasonic at the start of the first lockdown but they were sold out everywhere.

Then I spotted a €50 one in Lidl a couple of weeks later, so I persuaded DH to go to the store first thing to grab one.

I have to admit I've never used it myself as DH is the bread maker in this house, but he loves it and really enjoys experimenting with different breads.

When it finally goes to the great bread maker in the sky we'll invest in a Panasonic, because we know we'll use it regularly.

We store our bread (all bread, both homemade and from the shop) in the bread bin. When the bread has gone stale you can use it for all sorts: pizza bases, bruschetta, croutons, bread crumbs for fish or whatever, bread & butter pudding, breadsticks, bread sauce, panetone... It only gets wasted here if it's mouldy. Shop-bought bread goes mouldy really quickly.

No. Total waste. Bought one when we were a family of 4 and i was making 2 loaves a day. Were now 5 and have 3 teens so all id do would baking bloody bread.

Yes love our Panasonic, had it a bit over a year. Use it for bread, pizza dough, fruit loaves etc. Well aware of the fact that bread made by hand is far nicer, but with two young kids we just don't have the time, and we get through a lot more bread, so it's been a great purchase for us. The bread is far nicer than supermarket bread which is what we had been relying on before getting it. If it were just the two of us we'd do a mixture of fancy bakery bread and handmade bread, but that was no longer viable.