advice on breadmaker

[notenoughsocks]

Hello

Just came over from inflation thread. Now bread is so expensive I am beginning to come round to the idea of a bread maker. Does anybody have any idea about costs for ingredients and power?

Also, just in case I do think it is a good idea, any ideas on which model?

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MNHQ

panasonic

I get bread from a local mill which is delivered free and works out at 35p per loaf, then add one teaspoon of yeast, one teaspoon of salt and sugar and water. The power for the machine around 10p per loaf.

I Like the french bread which takes longer but no sugar required.

I make pizza once a week and it is fab pizza and costs, 50p for the bag of flour but I get four pizza from the one bag. Then tomato sauce which I use a box with olives 59p this makes two pizza and then cheese 60p for mozze, around £1.10 for a wonderful tasty pizza

Another vote for Panasonic. There are cheaper machines around but the build quality is not as good and you end up spending quite a lot replacing buckled tins etc. I've had such machines in the past!

I buy flour from supermarkets and always get the best quality I can on the basis of 'garbage in, garbage out' :) For a basic white loaf I would use (Tesco prices shown)

400g extra strong white bread flour - Allinsons 43p
1 sachet Hovis easyblend yeast - 13p
Water
a little sugar
Knob of butter
salt
Tablespoon Marvel skimmed milk powder.... all the above maybe 10p
Total ingredients around 66p

My 'basic' programme takes 2 hours and 10p sounds about right. Costs aside, what you get is a far fresher and tastier loaf than you can buy in the shops. Doesn't last quite as long as shop-bought because you're not adding as many preservatives.

Another vote for Panasonic. I'v e had mine years, use it several times a week, never fails.

If you are near a Lidl, they do good, cheap bread flour.

Another vote for Lidl bread flour. I have a cheapo Goodmans breadmaker (£40) that I use 3 times a week and have done for 8 years, still going strong. The pricey ones are not always the best, my mum has had a Tesco one for the last 2 years and that is fine too.

chil - can i ask why you put marvel milk powder in your bread? Is it to make it soft or soemthing similar?

Yes. The butter means it lasts longer and, combined with the milk powder, I get a very fluffy loaf!!! If I want a more 'rustic', slightly coarser texture I leave out the milk powder and use oil instead of butter. Particularly good for wholemeal loaves, I find... which can be a bit heavy-going if you're not careful

Thanks all for your help. I think I might be coming round to the idea....

Panasonic.
I make 80% wholemeal with flour/salt/splash of oil and quite a lot more water than it says in the recipe book I think. Never heavy.

Panasonic. I have had three different brands and this is by far the best.

Panasonic here too - had mine for 10 years and counting and use it probably 5 times a week.

Lidl bread flour is great - much cheaper than anywhere else but makes a great loaf.

I used to buy flour direct from a mill in 16kg bags (about £5 / bag) but moved away and haven't found a suitable replacement where I am now.

Once you've got used to bread maker bread shop bought bread is just not as good.

You need to keep the machinne out though and ready to use is my advice. I have lots of friends who have breadmakers and never use them because it's too much hassle to get them out of the cupboard.

Yet another happy Panasonic user. Have had my breadmaker for over 10 years. The one with the nut/seed dispenser is nice but not essential.

Panasonic definately, I use mine daily sometimes twice a day if we're having pizza!
I have had it a year. My only regret is I didn't buy one 5 years ago.
I would go for the latest model though that you can find in John Lewis, my sister has just bought it and it has a harder wearing finish to the inside of the bucket. I have the one before which is fine but it is getting a bit marked inside the bucket and i don't even do seed breads!

oh, and I would recommend an electric knife to cut it, I had no luck using a regular bread knife, i don't like door step sandwhiches. If i hadn't bought a kenwood electric knife to cut it I would have gone back to buying shop bread by now. I think it is because the bread is so beautiful and fresh, it is hard to cut unless you have brilliant bread knife!
A kenwood knife will cots about£14.00

I bought a Panasonic thanks to the reviews on here and haven't been disappointed.

The bread is better quality and cheaper. My kids get full up on much less of the home-made bread than plastic bread, which makes it cheaper again.

I didn't need an electric knife, but bought a value bread knife from Asda which does the job on bread that has cooled.

I have a monstrously sharp & vicious serrated knife for bread use only. Best trick is to leave it for half a day to calm doen and get a decent crust & stabilise a bit

Another Panasonic here.
I tend to make dough with it and make rolls. I freeze them on the day I make them and they taste wonderfully fresh - have them with soup and take them for lunches.

Liskey, would you mind telling me how you make rolls? Do you leave the dough to rise in the breadmaker and then take it out and shape it, or do you rise the rolls separately?

And the same question for pizza dough. How does that work? Do you make it into a pizza shape and then let it rise and add toppings just before baking?

Thanks!

My pizza method is:

start dough which takes 45 mins.

start filling eg toms & leeks, get it to a good stage of reduction

then switch on oven and do soemthing else, leaving the pizza tin to warm up inside.

dough bleeps as ready. take it out and stretch on hot tin which I have greased.

put in oven for a bit. do soemthing else. come back, slap pizza together & finish cooking.

all seems to work well, I don't get too hung up about raising as it does it in the oven as it cooks.

this is great for pizza

I wasn't sure until I tried it and it is great.

I make dough, then chop dough in half and roll half of dough out on floured surface. Place on above tray and then spread out passatta, (keeps well in frige for later in the week for another pizza or casserole then cheedar cheese and mozz balls and parmesain and some ham if I have or sweetcorn.

Cook in oven on high heat for 15-20 minutes
done crispy tasty pizza far better than any shop brought pizza

we have a Panasonic and dh makes a loaf every other day, usually white or with seeds and often a fruit loaf. It is definitely cheaper than shop brought and more convenient.

Panasonic again - better than the Prima which was rubbish. We make bread every single day. Like using really strong bread flour - Sains do a lovely one, but more expensive than their normal bread flour.

I sometimes add a drained tin of chickpeas to my normal ingredients along with 1 cup of seeds for a lovely textured loaf.

sometimes buy plastic bread which kids enjoy - bet it's the novelty really - but price of bread now makes me ultra smug!

are you saying that a bag of brad flour costs less that 50p in the UK? How big, 2kg?

Mine costs me ?3.89!!

Bread flour costs between £1.20 - £1.50 for 1.5kg (don't know about Lidl).