Breadmaker - yay or nay?

[SpaceOP]

I am toying with a bread maker. I'm not entirely sure I have space in my kitchen but if I can figure out a way, I'm thinking about it. The reason being that I'm so tired of bad bread in this country - I can get lovely white or sourdough bread (at great expense but whatever) but a good seed loaf or wholemeal loaf seems impossible. Just back from a trip to Germany where needless to say, bread was all amazing which is what has inspired me.

BUT... how much work is it? is it really super easy? Can I just toss a whole lot of ingredients in while I'm tidying up after dinner and then pop out a lovely loaf at breakfast?

Practical tips please. Anything that involves me spending more than 5-10 minutes prepping is pointless so is it really going to help me?

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I've got the Panasonic one but haven't used it in months. Because of this thread, I'm about to make some bread. Thanks for the inspiration x

I need to replace mine as it's old and I don't think works,as well as it should, so don't use it as much these days.

Can anyone recommend a machine which makes more 'loaf' shaped bread - mine makes a taller, thinner type rather than wider iyswim- and one which doesn't leave a big hole in the bottom of it?

OP I agree with you about non-supermarket wholemeal being hard to find.
I may be too late to this thread but look up Doris Grant loaf/Ballymaloe Darina Allen wholemeal yeast loaf. No-knead easy brown breads. No breadmaker required.

Well, my bread maker (Panasonic) is here and the first loaf - a basic white - is in as I type. I'm looking forward to experimenting!

Ooh, how exciting OP. The gorgeous smell of bread will soon be wafting through your kitchen.

I highly recommend making 50/50 whole meal/white and adding a couple of tablespoons of poppy seeds (put these in with the flour, not in the seed dispenser as they are so small the fall through the cracks), then two tablespoons each of pumpkin and sunflower seeds into the seed dispenser.

Well, I think I spilled some flour outside the pan AND it's the first time so there's a slightly disturbing burning smell currently, with an under-smell of bread so here's hoping!

If I spontaneously mix wholemeal with white flour, do I still use the basic white bread setting or should I change the setting?

Me too - great range of flours

We have a Panasonic and do a mix of white and wholemeal (not 50:50, more like 70:30) we use the basic white loaf setting and it always bakes a perfect loaf. DH likes a 100% wholemeal loaf and even then he still uses the basic white setting and is very happy with the loaf (the wholemeal setting takes about an hour longer and we're not sure what difference it would make to the finished product)

I am on my second slice.... YUM.

Will try adding some wholemeal flour.

Also want to make seedy/wholemeal versions so will experiment with that too.

Agree with other people that the shape is mildly annoying.

Congratulations OP, glad it’s tasty.

Re spilling the flour down the side, I take the pan out of the machine and use a set of digital scales that you can zero when I add the ingredients. This sort of thing. Saves spilling stuff into the machine.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8492342?clickPR=plp:5:25

Sorry for resurrecting this thread, but I'm also toying over the idea of a breadmaker. This is going to sound like the most snobby middle class question ever, but I really want to know the answer, so I'm going to ask anyway.

Is the bread from a bread maker better or worse (or similar) to the higher end fresh bread you get from supermarkets? (E.g. Taste the difference Sourdough from sainsbury's bakery)

The white bread is fabulous, yes.

But I haven't experimented with other breads because dd is a pain!!

I have one and I like it. I use the dough setting on mine. It takes a few minutes to add the ingredients ( I use wholemeal flour and add a mixture of seeds - chia, sunflower, linseed).
It takes 45 minutes for the dough to be ready. Then I let it rise for 30 minutes then bake for 20 minutes.
It sounds a bit of a faff but it's worth it to have decent bread with no additives.
You can of course let the machine do the baking, but I find I have more control using the dough setting.

Can someone please give measurements for a basic loaf. Do I need to add milk powder?

We have one, it's under our bed gathering dust.

Try Jackson's wholemeal for a really delicious wholemeal bread.

I don’t use milk powder, I have a cows milk allergy, it still comes out ok.

This is from my bread maker's recipe booklet. No milk required.
Happy to photograph the other recipes in the little booklet if you'd like? Just make sure you put liquid in first

Thank you for this. I will try this one out first. Appreciate you taking the time to post.

If made correctly (your first, second and probably third attempts will be learning curves!) then absolutely nicer! They're always richer as better quality ingredients are used. For example in my machine's recipe book, it says to use softened butter. Whereas I expect Warburtons or fancy bakeries, will use oil (or perhaps shortening?) whilst my homemade loaves have melted Lurpak!

I'm going to presume that even independent artisan bakeries will also add some kind of preservatives also, whereas we won’t when making our own. I could be wrong about preservatives but you get my point.

Just a heads up to those of you about to use a Breadmaker for the first time, each time it finishes 'proving' and starts kneading again, it WILL scare the absolute bejesus out of you! Some machines may beep before it begins kneading again but mine bloody doesn't. I'm always invariably walking past it at that very moment too 🚶🏼‍♀️

Yes to a Panasonic. We've had ours for 18 years and it still works brilliantly - about once a week for us. Highly recommended - either by using the chuck it all in packets or by adding the various separate ingredients as mentioned in the excellent instruction book of recipes it came with.

Are they suitable for people who live alone? I'm wondering whether the bread would keep for long enough.

@Gwenhwyfar they have 3 sizes so it will probably be okay, assuming you eat a couple of slices a day.

Worth noting to those mentioning sour dough - that’s a different type and needs a starter. But yes, the maker makes a good quality white, seeded or wholemeal loaf and excellent pizza bases.

re milk powder - I find the biggest difference it makes is how easy it is to cut. It tastes similar but is more stable when slicing with the milk powder.

@Gwenhwyfar Im a widow, I have a Tupperware box 3lt size, I slice and freeze in that.

Its saved me a fortune over the years.

I didn't know that the milk makes it easier to slice? mine has a recipe for "milk" bread which I haven't tried as DD is lactose intolerant but as she's now refusing to eat the bread from the bread maker anyway, perhaps I should give it a go. The cutting, especially when fresh, is an endless challenge.

@Gwenhwyfar the small loaf isn't very big and lasts a good couple of days - although better as toast after a day or too. We never have ours long enough to justify freezing, but I also assume you could slice and freeze.