Tell me are bread makers worth the money?

[CabanaBayLife]

I’m thinking of buying a bread maker but I don’t know how useful it would be and if so how easy are they to use? Or what ingredients you would need?

Would you say it’s better then just buying bread from shops?

Thanks in advance

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MNHQ

I make bread by hand 1 to 2 times a week. A breadmaker I used to use to do the kneading but never the cooking. It was too bulky and we got rid and I've made it by hand ever since.

DH & I had one for about a decade, it was used at least once a week. Loved it. It had a timer, dispenser for adding additional ingredients (raisins etc) partway through the cycle. It could do part programmes as well - so bake only, pizza dough, or dough to bake in the oven. The plastic lid around the steam vent started to char after about 7 years but we still used it to do pizza dough. We'd get another one if we still had a large kitchen. Homemade bread is cheaper than proper bakery bread, & just as good.

Check reviews thoroughly though. They aren't all fabulous. And like all large kitchen gadgets, you will need permanent counter space for it, or you won't end up using it.

Yes. We make fresh loaves twice a week. It’s fantastic.

Make sure to get one with a delay timer, then you can run it overnight and wake up to fresh bread for breakfast :)

My sister loves hers

I’ve got the Panasonic sd-zb2502. Love it. I use it weekly for bread and have just started using it for dough as one of my dc enjoys shaping it for rolls.
Mine sits in the utility room so doesn’t take up kitchen space.

For me it’s not been worth the money. It just takes up space in the kitchen tbh. I wanted to love it but the truth is fresh bakery bread is nicer and the ingredients aren’t significantly cheaper

I'd say no it's not worth it. Mine makes great bread if I start it straight away (but takes 4hrs). If I put on a timer the bread never seems to turn out well.

Having said that - if you've got a large stand mixer, like a Kitchenaid or Kenwood, it will do the mixing for you. I got a Kenwood when our bread machine died, bread hook comes inclusive. Bit of a faff transferring to a tin for last proving, but the advantage is that there's no hole in the bottom from the mixing paddle. And a stand mixer takes the hard work out of mayonnaise, cakes etc. I even got a mincing attachment for mine...

we had one for about 10 years. it was great. used it 2-3 times a week.
but when it died we went for a good kitchen mashine instead. now make 2-3 loaves at once a week. bread tastes much better (same recipe) and keeps better (don't know why...)

I've had one for nearly 20 years now and make bread nearly every day. Mostly wholemeal, rye, mixed and seeded loaves. I also use it for dough for rolls, pizza and pastries. The only things I buy from the shops are the occasional baguette or pitta breads etc. now. Can you borrow one or maybe ask a friend who's got one for their opinion and a taste of their bread? Some people are very disappointed with 'machine bread' so many bread makers end up at the back of the cupboard, and it depends of the machine as well as the recipe. As for brands I can recommend Panasonic, they've served me well, I'm only on my second one now after constant use.

I've got the same one as Ipanemachica and it is brilliant! I use it 2-3 times a week for bread, and it also makes cakes,jams and compotes. I've found it has definitely been worth it, we spend a lot less and it's so easy to use.

We love ours. Panasonic ones tend to do best in reviews - we’ve had ours 10 years or so & it’s still going strong!

I got a Panasonic one last year. We live in an old house, an old, COLD house, and bread just won't rise out on the work surface, so this was the only solution for me. I love it. I've barely scratched the surface of recipes that I want to try, and I admit it is bulky but having a homemade loaf a couple of times a week is worth having to humph it in and out of the utility room. My kitchen's so small that it has to sit on the ceramic hob to be used, so baking bread has to be co-ordinated with cooking meals.

I just used mine today for the first time in ages, although I was lazy and used a packet mix but the end result of hot, fresh bread was delicious.

I've had one for about six years now. I mainly use it for dough, but I have also made jam a few times. It was a toss up between a bread machine and a KitchenAid with dough hook when I bought it. I'm glad I decided to go with the machine.

Most of the recipes in the booklet that came with it included dried milk and high gluten flour but I have pizza dough recipes that require just plain flour. You will need yeast too. I've made recipes from other sources too, and they've turned out well. The last loaf I made was Russian black bread and it was lovely. I will definitely make it again.

For the poster with the cold house - if you have a crock pot, turn it on low until it heats up, then put your dough into a bowl, wrap it with a towel for insulation and set the bowl into the crock pot bowl to rise. Turn off the heat or set to 'warm'. You can put the lid over it.

I have a tiny kitchen and park the machine on a wire shelving unit. I use it on the floor as I don't have an inch of spare counter space.

Definitely and I don't really eat bread! My DH makes loaves a couple of times a week and we use it every friday to make Pizza dough.

We have a panasonic too and it makes the best fruit bread thats the only time I indulge and it lasts 2 days max in our house.

Only downside is they are ugly so we stick ours in the utility rooom!

GOd yes. Mass produced sliced bread is so dreadful and you only really understand that when you make your own.

I have a Panasonic 2500

Another vote for the Panasonic ones. They’re expensive but good.

Will you save money? Depends what type of bread you currently buy. If you currently buy cheap plastic sliced bread then no I doubt you’d recover the cost of the machine (but would have much nicer bread to eat).
If you buy nice bakery loaves then yes you’ll recover the cost and save in the longer term.

I had one. It was easy enough to use but I just wasn't keen on the bread it produced (Panasonic). Much prefer bakery loaves. They taste nicer.

I love mine. It's only a cheap one but it makes great bread. I would have baked my own bread quite a lot anyway, and it's probably not as nice as that bread, but it's far nicer than shop bought bread and so convenient.

@Mathanxiety

You, my friend, are a genius. I DO have a slow cooker and I AM really really stupid. Thank you