Do I really need a bread maker? 🍞

[Abuye]

Specifically, the Panasonic YR-2540 which is £170 😳

I am shortly going back to work after mat leave, if that changes things!

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They are really useful, but mine is from Lidl, does everything I'd ever need it to, makes a better-shaped loaf than the Panasonic ones which come out weirdly vertical, and cost £50.

Errol, are the oatbran flatbreads of your husband’s devising gluten free? And if so could you please share the recipe? Thanks!

I have had my Panosonic breadmaker for around 25 years and use it every week. It makes fantastic bread. I very rarely buy any bread. I make sour dough as well once a week but not in the breadmaker. I need it for my teens and packed lunches!

Pleased to have helped people with the idea of paddle removal

If it helps with timings the front of the Panasonic recipe book has timings for each stage of each bread programme so you can work out roughly when to remove it.

Before I scoff it...first wholemeal, secondhand fastbake I've had a week..

I’m voting for it too. I am a bread addict though. I have a kenwood bought secondhand. Hubby has perfected a malted seeded granary small loaf on the fast bake program. Switch on in morning ready a cooled by lunch. Also make pizza dough, sweet doughs for cinnamon buns, orange buns chilli buns etc. Freeze some as they can be warmed from frozen

I wouldn't bother with a breadmaker again. I paid £100 for a Panasonic one in a Black Friday sale that should have been £200 and have just sold it on FB for a tenner.
It took 5 hours to make a fairly small brown loaf. I can get a lovely one from Lidl for £1.70. If I used any of the speedier recipes, the bread didn't even taste freshly made and went stale pretty quickly.

How often will you make bread?

I find making it by hand no effort - just needs time to leave it to prove etc and then go back to it.

I used to have a breadmaker but got rid of it after a few years as I rarely used it as the bread just never came out quite right.

Hand made all the way here

No0ooO0ooOooOo0oOooO0oo (yes)

No, they do have some flour in (just oatbran would make a sort of Scottish oatcake I would think). But they seem to be low gi (he sometimes uses a CGM, other breads spike it) and are useful for cheese sandwiches which can be shoved in a pocket or my handbag when we’re out walking, and also quite good toasties. He started with wholemeal pitta dough and adjusted to more and more oatbran. I may as well give the recipe for anyone who wants to try them (My young adult dd thinks they’re inedible!)- as I said I really don’t think it needs a breadmaker.
its 350ml water, 1tsp sugar, 2tbps olive oil, 360g oatbran, 90g flour and 2tsp yeast, 45 min pitta dough program. This should form a dough which is neither too dry nor too sticky - we sometimes have to adjust the water a bit for different oat/flour. Roll into roughly 10” squarish and cut into 9 (or make like pittas).bake about 18 mins 200c with bottom heat.
cool, carefully slice (they don’t puff up so this takes a bit of skill), freeze or store in a bag to prevent them drying out.