Bread machine reccomendations

[Nightscroller1]

Hello

Looking to buy a bread machine as a gift, doesn't need to be fancy and looking to spend a maximum of £100.

Just want it to be easy to use and produce good bread. The kneeding (sp?) etc can be done by the person whose receiving it.

They also have ice cream machines etc etc so thinking they'd like this!

Thanks so much

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Personally, I’d much rather the machine did all the hard work.

I’d always recommend the Panasonic ones, but they’d be above your budget.

John Lewis currently have a Tefal on special offer for £99.99, and Lakeland have Black Friday deals on their own brand ones.

I'd be the same re work, but the person is retired due to health reasons but still young and able from the waist up so I'd quite like to put them to work! Thanks so much for the recommendation, I'll look it up!

Lakeland does a machine for about £90.

Isn’t the whole point of a bread machine that it does the kneading?

Oh @TribulationPeriwinkle I'm not entirely sure hence asking on here for recommendations I thought it was to ensure it cooked correctly! Can you confirm it is the whole point of a bread machine?!

A bread machine does everything except measure out the ingredients and throw them in. Everything.

Throw all the ingredients in, set the programme, wake up to the smell of freshly cooked bread. No effort required.

However, bread is a big subject. Is this someone you could get interested in the finer points of making bread by hand? There are courses out there, as well as loads of books and other information.

I basically use my machine for kneading and first rise these days. It's a Panasonic. To be honest if you think they would like to get into bread making then I would personally prefer a cast iron Dutch Oven in the right size to do a smaller loaf like this Dutch Oven

IMO bread is always better baked in the oven and not in a machine, but it is the kneading bit that I find trickiest

A bread machine with no kneading is... an oven.

Yes, the whole point of a bread machine is that it mixes, kneads, proves and bakes.

Don't think there is s bread machine that expects the owner to knead!

Anyway, I have a Panasonic which is brilliant. Think their cheapest models are ~ £100ish

Ha well that was a bit silly of me not to realise! But you can all enjoy lording that one over me by all means. Glad I asked Mumsnet (genuinely as I'd have zero clue!!)

Thanks for the recommendations re Panasonic, will have a look and perhaps increase budget!

I have a Morphy Richards bread machine that also makes jam, it’s really really old and doesn’t have a model number on it but it’s amazing. Maybe the newer versions are as good or better?

I agree it’s best when you use it to knead and prove, mostly because the shape of the finished loaf isn’t the most aesthetically appealing when cooked in the machine. I usually do just leave it to do the whole process, slice when cool and then freeze the individual slices. It really makes you appreciate how rapidly bread goes stale, within hours, without all the preservatives.

You def can get them for under £100. I just treated myself to a new Panasonic one which was midrange price (£150).
I got mine because I struggle to knead due to bad wrists but I love baking...and fresh bread! A machine takes all the faff out of things.

Id make sure the person is really likely to use a breadmaker though as generally they are massive and do take up alot of space.

No one’s lording it over you. I second the Panasonic recommendation. I’ve had mine for years and it’s still going strong. Especially the kneading 😏

Does this person live on their own or do they have a family? If the former then look at the size of the loaves that are made. Bread baked in a bread maker does not have a long shelf life so you cannot keep it very long.
The loaves baked are unsliced, so the person receiving the present needs to be good at using a knife to slice the bread.

We got this one last year. While I love baking bread from scratch, I also don't have the time when I wfh to do all the steps and work.

This one does 500g - 1kg loaves, the small one last 2 days for 1-2 of us.

It has an overnight function but I found out that it's not the greatest. I need my breakfast when I get up, not 1 hour later when the bread is cool enough to eat. I tried timing it that it finishes early but if you don't take it out, the machine works like an oven, it's still heating the bread. I know set it that it finishes before I go to bed.

It's fairly small, one reason for us getting this model, we have a small kitchen.

www.johnlewis.com/tefal-pf240e40-pain-delices-bread-maker-silver/p111777695?s_ppc=2dx_mixed_technology_BAU&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA57G5BhDUARIsACgCYnxmUmiLqcrznjnuEZbfZ-PJQyWUMKuOwX_OJ3DVRM0-HC9JC5HxYkIaAsiyEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Bread machines are quite versatile (and a lot of fun). I had a Morphy Richards and it made jam as well as pasta dough. I preferred to use the machine for the kneading and first rising then making the dough it into buns or baking it in a tin.
They might appreciate a bread machine recipe book too. You can make all sorts of artisan bread from around the world.

Thanks so much everyone!

Do bread machines only make loaves or can they make rolls/naps too? Or is that remove the kneaded dough and shape and bake in oven?

If you want rolls, you set the bread maker to make the dough and then shape and bake them yourself.

Panasonic is the way to go. Worth every penny. I realise this is for a gift, but you can get very good prices on second hand, hardly used. Also worth a look on eBay for "refurbished" ie. customer returns which are essentially brand new if your budget is a bit tight. Still over £100 though. Like this one:

Don't know why that has "pardon our interruption" in it

I honestly think that a retired person with time to spare would be better off with a good book about bread making and some tools and ingredients. (Happy to provide a list!). Bread makers make OK bread, but no fun really. Good for the time poor.

Has anyone used the Tefal model on John Lewis sale? Recommended?