Do I need a bread maker?

[BB49]

I already bake bread using my Kitchen Aid dough mixer and oven, and also make sourdough bread which involves hand mixing.

I’ve never had a bread maker before and just wondering if it would make it easier. The family get through around a loaf every 2 days.

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I'd say no. I had one and got rid because i used the Kenwood instead. My sister loves hers though and it does mean she's not the only one in the family who makes the bread!

Yes. Panasonic one is best. 5 mins to load it, switch on and a fabulous loaf 4 hours later.

I make sourdough by hand and the occasional discard yeasted bread with my kitchen aid. I wouldn't bother with a bread maker because you end up with the paddle baked into the bottom of the loaf.

We love ours!
It gets used several times a week

For those who have a Panasonic can you explain about the paddle being stuck in the loaf - does it make a big hole when you take the bread out and is that annoying?

It does leave a small hole and while it's mildly annoying it doesn't affect more than a couple of slices.

It doesn't get stuck in the bread.

Thank you! And is this the Panasonic one? And how much worktop space does it take up roughly?

I bought a Panasonic one last week and wish I had bought one years ago!! Absolutely love it. Only done simple breads so far but will definitely give cakes and more interesting things a go soon.

I think it depends on how much worktop space you have. I have a breadmaker but put it away once I got a stand mixer. I find the stand mixer more useful as it does lots of other things as well as bread, and I don’t find it particularly arduous to shape and bake a loaf in the oven. Obviously weighing the ingredients out is the same either way.

The paddle has never got stuck in bread I've made (Panasonic). You get a small circular hole and slit in the bottom of the loaf, it's not something I ever notice or care about.

There are sourdough recipes that you don't have to mix by hand. I also did 2x loaves a bake and put one in the freezer and when low on the original I'd take out of freezer to defrost and sometimes bake for 8min ish to get a crunch back. My fam got through one loaf a day plus bread rolls (we also often had friends). Bread rolls can also be done and frozen.
Bread machines are also good for mixing and proving. Personally I dislike the bread from it but I'm not mad about the mix and prove option for rolls etc if my mixer bowls are in the dishwasher. My bread will always be the best😂

Personally I would bake loads and freeze but in both my locations (I move about) I have second freezers/oven that proves/mixers and the adults can just grab and oven if they please or defrost. The bread machine can make decent bread and has a timer so it's ready for the morning etc whereas I bake midday or evenings because trust these people in my household are not lucky enough for me to get up 4am to bake and enough time for it to cool for their consumption. Hell naw. So bread machine nice for that. We collect many kitchen nonsense machines because we are mega foodies, bread machine is one I could live without as a confident baker but as I have one I'm not mad about it and it does have its uses.
So mix and prove I have used it for this then bake in oven and I have made some seeded loaves but I wouldn't be distraught if it broke and I don't think I'd replace.

I had a Panasonic and it was great. You could set the timer for fresh bread when you get up. But now we have to do gluten free and that's rubbish however you make it so I sold it.

If you're an experienced baker you might find it too limiting.

I inherited my Panasonic bread maker from my mum. It’s an older model but pretty bombproof. I can cook/bake but I love it for the convenience. Just put the ingredients in and set it to go on. It doesn’t have a sourdough mode, but I’m going to google if it’s a possibility to do that in my machine.

I’ve not had a problem with paddle sticking, but yes it does leave a small hole/slit in the bottom of the loaf. Never been a problem for us though!

If you have the Kitchen Aid with the dough hook, you don't need the bread machine.

I have a bread machine but I only use it for dough.

@mathanxiety yes I do have a KA with a dough hook. Just liked the idea of chucking flour water and yeast in and forgetting about it - but I do make very good bread already and if the breadmaker doesn't make as good bread, then probably not a good buy for me!

I've bought several Panasonic breadmakerscfrom face book market place. One to replace my 12 year old Panasonic which died, another for my friend who was after one and one gor my sister. I've never paid more than20 quid. Mine and my sisters was brand new and a covid buy. The other one had been used a couple of times but then got bored
If you do look on FB ask if they still have the instructions.

I did a couple of months of bread making with a kitchen aid/ dough hook and then got a bread maker. The bread maker makes consistently better bread than my hand made efforts. Not least because I can throw the ingredients in and just forget about it whereas previously I had to be around at the right time through 2 lots of proving and sometimes it over proved.
if you’re making lots of bread I’d just go with the bread maker - takes so much faff out! I have a Panasonic and don’t have any problems with the dough hook. I’m yet to try any of the fancier programmes other than the rolls and pizza dough and haven’t tried a sourdough loaf to be fair