Honestly, is it worth buying a bread machine for sourdough?

[BlackandWhiteFurryAnimal]

I only eat sourdough really. Most of the time bought from a local bakery at £4 a shot but very delicious.

I’ve looked online at bread machine recipes - like the way they do the kneading for you - but there seems a lot of to-ing and fro-ing to the fridge and back again, checking etc.

Did it work for you? 😀

*I should add I don’t really get on with kitchen appliances, generally speaking. My so-called “soup maker” just screamed at me like a rocket going to mars - and didn’t do what I wanted. I’m also disabled so a lot of faffing stresses me ….

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No, sourdough doesn't need a machine. You only knead briefly at intervals.

Check out the 5 minute bread book for sourdough without a machine.

If you can make bread I don't think you need a machine - my neighbour makes sourdough without a machine.

Well that’s all very interesting. Could save me a packet on a machine that is disappointing or annoying in sone way (my general experience speaking here).

I think a bread maker is mostly good because it does the kneading for you. I don't think sourdough needs much kneading does it?

I've been umming and ahhing over getting a bread maker, so that I can stop buying supermarket bread full of additives....

I've got a Panasonic breadmaker. I think it's got a sourdough setting and it it hasn't I'd be surprised. Anyway, it absolutely can't make it. If it's got one or not.

I really wouldn't buy a bread maker. You can make bread around your routine. Slow proving bread (which includes sourdough) is better for you and tastes better.

I have a kenwood mixer with a bread hook that does the kneading. Much more flexible than a breadmaker.

We are living with my FIL (temporarily!) who has a bread maker and it’s honestly been life changing. I’ve done sourdough in it and it’s absolutely fine. Our house can easily get through a loaf of bread a day and having the ability to throw in the ingredients overnight and wake up to fresh bread is amazing.

Can’t say the same about the soup maker or the air fryer.

I love my bread maker - it’s the one gadget I w really used ( also got Panasonic). Not sure I’d get one if I just ate sourdough though ( mine does do sourdough) as it’s probably the easiest bread to make.

I bought a pack of sourdough bread mix (Panasonic bread maker) and found it really unexciting. I’ve tried more salt which improved it a bit . Now using up the packs with olives and rosemary. Probably need a start from scratch recipe

I found I needed quite a lot of practice at sourdough but now its really easy, it just needs a bit of time especially if I haven't used my starter for a while (it lives in the fridge and sometimes I don't use it for a couple of months so it takes a while to get going again).

Surely the main faff with sourdough is the starter? Well it was for me when I tried to make it. And the bread machine can't help with that.

I do have a bread machine and use it regularly so it was a good purchase for us. Bulky though so you need to be sure you'd use it as it takes up loads of room.

i have a bread machine but don’t use it for sourdough. Sourdough is best if it has a long slow prove which a machine doesn’t do. It’s very easy to make but just takes a long time (off basically leaving it to do its thing!)

I think I might ask my local sourdough baker for some sourdough starter 😳 and then try to bake a loaf one day. I’m 60+ and I’ve been meaning to do this for about 25 years! I’m not expecting miracles at first attempt but it may be an interesting experience 🙂

@70isaLimitNotaTarget - definitely try just your own ingredients rather than the packets. I started with the packets but found I got a much nicer loaf when just did it myself and it was as consistently successful and easy as a packet.

the Panasonic has heaps of recipes in its instruction booklet