The increasing cost of bread at the store is making me seriously consider getting a bread machine. My questions:
a. How do the costs compare with the cost of premium (organic) bread at the store?
b. Is this practical for a family with busy schedule?
c. What brand of machine do you recommend?

Hi H,

I would never use a bread machine, esp. for making organic whole grain breads. Though maybe they have improved the design since the old days, it used to be that you would have to add gluten to a recipe in order for it to knead well, if you were making a WW or rye bread, FI. I prefer making 3 or 4 loaves and freezing some. Also, the best tasting bread is made slower, at room temp. (or even delayed in the fridge), while bread machines heat the dough up with the high speed "kneaders". People sometimes wonder why they can't make bread from scratch in a bread machine that tastes as good as some of the "mixes" they buy (which may cost as much as bread!), and it is because they add many flavor enhancers, leaveners and chemicals - not necessarily inorganic, but often so - to compensate for this.

Does anyone remember those "instablend" recipes of yesteryear? Eventually, people realized that speed is not better, with bread, unless you like wonderbread!

Dave

Amen PH212!

Therre is something very satisfying about kneading bread, watching it rise, punching it down, etc. The kneading is great exercise, especially if you make more than a couple loaves. It's also good as a stress reducer.

I wouldn't touch a bread-making machine; they're dreadful, and change the texture of all breads. Really now, if you're going organic, and want to do something to save, why spend the dough just to make some dough?

There are also a lot of short-cuts to allow bread-baking to fit into the busiest of schedules, so the machine isn't necessarily the easiest option. One other thing: the quantity of flour changes with weather conditions: more humidity makes for less flour. Machines don't "feel" the dough, and simply aren't designed to make that perfect loaf!

BTW: The previous paragraph may sound intimidating, but it's really easier to bake great bread than it is to bake a simple cake. The idea is that you knead the dough on a floured surface, adding flour, until it isn't sticky anymore. The hardest thing about baking bread is setting the ingredients out!

A bread machine is a great invention. I have owned one for years, and find it does an excellent job of mixing and kneading the dough. I do not especially like baking my bread in the machine so I let the machine do the mixing/kneading/rising, then remove the dough and form loaves by hand. But, at times I also let the bread bake in the machine. I find the quality of the dough and the ease of making bread is vastly improved by using the machine. It is very time consuming making/kneading bread by hand.

As for recipes, there are so many out there, it's just a matter of trying them to find recipes you like. Recipes do have to be adjusted for a bread machine however, and ingredients MUST be added in a certain order (liquids first) when put into the machine.

Like MCat, I use mine for dough. I don't make bread loaves, though, I just use it for pizza. I like it because because I don't have to think or keep track of rising times.

I wouldn't go out and buy one unless you've tried making bread from scratch and decided it's difficult and time-intensive. They're fun toys, and if you happen to see one at a garage sale or on Craigslist, it could be worth playing around with.

I have owned and used three bread makers with the last machine being a Jojirushi machine which makes a typical looking loaf of bread, using two paddles in preparing the dough. I have made and love a loaf called English Muffin bread. Several other loaves have been made but prefer the English Muffin. Taking less then three to four minutes to prepare from scratch, the ingrediates and setting the machine - the remainder takes three and a half hours before the baked bread is done. Would I buy another bread maker - you bet - would I pay extra for the machine I use - once again - you bet. Buying bulk bags of bread flour and bulk yeast makes the price of bread production a bargain.
Pizza dough is made simple along with other dough products such as pretzel etc can be made. Incidently I make my own pizza sauce which tells you I enjoy cooking freezing and baking.
One more tip - the model Zojirushi I use is model number BBCC-X20

I also do not use a bread machine.

I can never seem to get my bread really rise passed the pan's height and get fluffy with air. Maybe I don't have a correct recipe, anyone care to share?

I'd like to use my machine more for making the dough. How do I know how long to cook it in the oven? Do most breads bake for the same amount of time?

Ericah, if you're following a recipe (versus winging it) then just go by the baking time they specify.

I'm going to buy one soon. I had the use of one for a while and found it made perfectly acceptable breads.

For me and my limited free time, it's either a bread machine or continue to buy bread.

Wayne

I really like my bread machine. I can get it started and go work in the garden without worrying about timing. In my lifetime I have made many more loaves the "old fashioned way" than in the machine, but the machine is the way I make bread now. It is great to come in the house and the crock pot food and fresh bread are ready to eat.
Carol

Love, love, love! my bread machine. Working 50 plus hours a week, it is a great time saver. That said, I also have enjoyed making bread the old fashioned way! I think that choosing your ingredients, and knowing what goes into it is far better than purchasing mass produced stuff...however you get there! In a perfect world (meaning I had more time) making my bread without a machine would be awesome...but I'll take the machine (and bake it in the machine as well!) over store bought anytime!

I love my bread machine. It works well for me. I never use the box mixes, but have a couple of recipes for different types of bread that are very easy to put together. Takes just minutes and my part of the job is finished. Sure beats all those years of kneading!

Yes, lots of debate when it comes to bread machines...some hate em some love em.

Even though I am not very religious nowadays, as I am an agnostic freethinker, the bible will shed some light on your dilemma when it reminds us "Test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil," (1 Thess. 5:21)

So, go buy one and try it out. No big deal, fool around with it, bake some bread, see what you think. If you don't like it bring it back for a refund if it bakes poor bread.

Bread machines are great for those that have other things to do or are low on energy. They also provide back up baking for those with gas oven that may have a gas disruptions.

I run 2 machines at a time sometime baking 4 loaves a day with no sweat. They are also great for kneading (some) doughs for traditional baking. No doubt they are limited as compared to oven baking. But for sandwich bread they are excellent. You just have to refine the recipe to get it to rise the right amount.

If your bread rises too much, almost sticking to the top of the lid and ends up collapsed when cool at the top, then dough is too wet. If you get a stumpy short loaf too dry. also this depends on types of flour and yeast used, but once you get the recipe down it is pretty good. Although yearly flour changes also change things slightly with moister or dryer flour. Just keep notes when building up your bread recipes

But learn how to bake bread by hand as we may not always have electric. I seldom kneed the dough by hand, too busy with other things. Been using bread machines since early 1997...continually to date baking 120 to 200 loaves year and 40 to 50 pizza a year.

I've heard these 'Z' machines are best.

http://www.zojirushi.com/ourproducts/breadmakers/bbcc_x20.html

Mine are Welbilt brand from the 1990's ...discontinued. They have heavy cast bread pots that are thick for even baking. The new machines I see nowadays all have thin stamped out sheet metal pots - I have have never used them.

I also make Swedish sourdough, Bavarian sourdough rye with sunflower seeds or cinnamon walnut raisin bread and pizza dough in the machine and finish in the oven in clay bakers. But sourdough has to be fermented over time and is not good to make in a bread machine unless you can custom program it.

My regular bread recipe is

1-1/2c APF
3c WWF
1-1/2 teas yeast
2 eggs and add water to the eggs to bring it to 12 oz
1 tbl sugar
1/2 ts salt

Used to make 100% WW bread. But WW flour has skyrocketed and don't mind a little cheaper unbleached flour in the bread to make it lighter. If I travel with my bread I add some vinegar and more salt to keep the mold down.

In any case, don't make the mistake I did when new to bread machines. You have to soak the pots in water to get the bread hook loose. Lazy me would just let them soak all night and water got through the seal and messed up the bearing in the spindle of the pot. So I just soak for an hour or so now.

Also check you seal in the pot. When it starts to pull away from the spindle and the bottom of you loaf is getting black streaks grease on it and the spindle bearings squeals when mixing...your pot is going out. I bought a dozen pots for back ups for my 6 machines.