Breadmakers...advice please :D

Kelly · Breadmakers...advice please :D

In my kitchen I have whatthe americans call a toaster oven (like a mini one), a hob, a steamer and a slow cooker.
When we do up our new kitchen we are not going to bother with a "real" oven....instead we're going to get a high spec microwave combo to run alongside the mini. ( I also have a log burner in that room a and will use the top of that a lot more for soups and sauces and casaroles in the winter for freezing and then microwaving in the summer

)
Because the little oven is a small space it uses less electric to run and less time to heat upto full temp....BUT ...I have had mixed fourtune with bread making (although its cakes are FANTASTIC!! lol)
A couple of friends have little used breadmakers and I just wonderd if any of you had any experience with them. Are they easy to use? what sort of electric do they pump out??
Basically is it worth my while investing in one??

khitajrah

My OH got me this breadmaker for Christmas and I absolutely love it. You put the ingredients in, press a button and out comes freshly baked bread!! I've only tried a few loaves so far (oh the raisin bread was divine) and have had no problems ~knock on wood~. However, I don't know about the electricity - I suppose it's usage would be quite high - I ought to have a look when it's on to see what's happening with the meter.

myra

I use my breadmaker almost daily, we are on economy 7 so I programme it to use the cheaper electricity but a few times I have needed bread to be made during the day and mine doesn't seem to use much power at all. My machine is about 7 or 8 years old now so I would think that the more modern ones are even more economical.

Fia

I too use my breadmaker often. When I had the cheaper overnight leccy I'd put it on the timer before I went to bed and we wake up to fresh bread for very little effort - wonderful. And great if you have guests who too can wake up to the fabulous smell of fresh bread.

Although I make a couple of loaves a week in it now, I tend to use it more for dough. Having fresh pizza dough ready for the family to do their own toppings is a boon to a busy single parent. And for making rolls, which should work well in a mini oven.

For complete simplicity I use Lidl bread mixes (99p for 2 loaves worth) which saves all that tedious weighing out. More importantly for a busy Mum I don't have to mix, knead etc. Although i will sometimes do it by hand if I have frustration or anger to divert

Kelly

oooh lots of enthusiasim for bread makers LOL....
question...do you have to use the ready mix "breadmaker" flours or can you make your own???

andybebbington

kimmie

sorry to be a damper, but i got rid of mine...i make better bread without it! if i cooked the bread in the machine..it would come out like a brick...if i just used it for dough and baked in the oven it was ok...i just found that there wasnt enough air in the bread...no matter what recipe i used!

it was one where it asked for wet ingredients first then dry.

I much prefer to do it by hand

and 25 mins in the hot oven....at 250 degrees, and it was just perfect!

Townie

I bought a cheap one for £20 out of the supermarket a long time ago and it works fine for me, at first I used it for mixing and baking the bread, but didnt like the texture... also not sure about the energy consumption of a breadmaker

I just use it for mixing and proving my dough, then I remove it knock it back, shape it into whatever I fancied and baked in the oven,

I have tried making both ways i.e. shop bought bread mix and also making my own from scratch with a recipe from a bread book that I have scratch and they all work out well.

I also use mine for mixing pizza dough, dough for breadsticks & all kinds of fruit loafs ...

bracken · breadmakers

I used a breadmaker for years - very handy for knocking up a reasonable loaf for toast and sarnies etc. Just put in ingredients and switch on and forget for a couple of hours until done! The result was much better than the pappy (and very expensive) bread from the supermarkets... at a fraction of the price. Even now with the credit crunch a bag of own brand or Lidl's bread flour costs less than 50p which will make 3 loaves of bread. Yeast can be got for free from big supermarkets that have a bakery (just ask nicely) or the dried yeast is about 60p for 8 sachets

But then we put in an Esse Woodburner and couldn't justify using the breadmaker (or kettles, toasters, slow cookers etc, etc) anymore so I upgraded my Kenwood (the last two were second hand and I overworked them....) and now I mix the bread dough in that - I only prove once - and the bread takes about an hour from start to finish. The bread comes out better than the breadmaker so now I wouldn't even consider buying from the supermarket.

I've kept the breadmaker just in case..... and I would not put anyone off buying one.

Townie

Just thought i'd add a wee bit more to this thread...

Bread is soooo expensive to buy now its well over £1.20 a loaf, so for someone on a tight budget its something worth thinking about, making your own

dillandsalmon

I use one every day. Panasonic BM250 or something I think and its very good. You don't need one of these new fangled ones that tips things in for you at specific times.

Lord_Azrael

Although I have absolutely no time for breadmakers (or other 'kitchen gadgets of that type), I know many of you use them out of necessity ( I much prefer to make it by hand)...anyway, I did notice that Aldi had an offer on starting yesterday for a breadmaker for about £24.
I've no idea what it's like or if it compares favourably or not with other models though, just thought I'd mention it.

Forget-me-Not · Bread Maker

I had one that made good bread but the paddle sturring it left a hole through te loaf, so gave it away. Now I makw fab smelling, looking bread in the oven that is NEVER cooked through or edible. I would LOVE a bread maker that made great, easy bread quickly and didn't cost the earth. Can anybody recommend one please?

Beth.

wildgarlic

We use our breadmaker regularly - we've got a panasonic and we've had it for about 6 years or more. I often use it for dough only as I don't like the white bread it makes on the full programme - but I love the wholemeal bread that it does on the full programme. So tasty and a good texture - and a lot cheaper than sticking the oven on. If I've got other stuff to cook in the oven then I'll make bread in the oven though.

Forget-me-Not · Bread Maker

I agree about the white. I checked the breadmaker in Aldi mentioned further up, when in Aberdeen last night but it has a paddle in centre too..... am I missing something here? Why doesn't it come from lid, then when mixed, remove paddle and it cooks????? Has everyone else's got a paddle? How can you slice a loaf with a hole the middle? I want to be able to leave it in the bread maker to cook for simple reason, 3 dogs, 9 hens, a child at home A LOT with extra needs and a house that doesn't look after itself means I don't feel I could commit to baking bread every day. And then there's the breeding laundry. Has anyone successfully neutered that!!!!

Feeling paddle fixated..... am I missing something?????

Maybe I need to buy a more expensive one but trying not to, just had to mend the boiler and then we try not to use heating, only the fire.

Beth

khitajrah

Mine has a paddle in the middle on the bottom and it really isn't a big deal. It's just a little "hole" so to speak which is only about two slices wide. Quite often it seems my OH's sandwich ends up with it - and he doesn't mind either.

I wouldn't worry about it

I

my breadmaker!

felixcanis

Hi

There is much discussion about the pros & cons of breadmakers on one of the other fora I visit.

The general view is that the Panasonic version is the best one to buy - some report 'bricks' with the cheaper ones. The Panny does have a paddle, and it does make a small hole in the botom of the loaf. As khitajrah says, the hole doesn't interfere with the usability of the bread.

I've had one of about 9 years and wouldn't be without it.

I make loaves - mostly 50% wholemeal 50% white; dough for pittas, naan, focacia, rolls, french sticks, pizza bases.

I make my bread in the evening - shove all the ingredients in the pan at about 7pm, set the timer to 12 hours and have great fresh bread for brekkie. And the smell of fresh baking bread permeates the house before we get up.

I don't use the pre-mixed packs - I buy bread flour from where-ever is cheapest, bulk yeast (Fermipan - keeps in the freezer for a year about 3.10 for 500g) and follow the recipe in the provided booklet.

If it broke, I would definitely get another.

HTH

Kind regards

FelixC

wildgarlic

FC - I've seen the fermipan yeast before but always thought that it couldn't be used for the breadmakers - you've obviously proved that it can. I can get that from the Neeps Food Co-op but need to buy 20 packets at a time! Works out at £2.74 per packet and so would be fine if there were 20 people share it with

felixcanis

Hi WG

The stuff in the little packs sold as OK for breadmakers is the same as Fermipan in the Red packs.

Fermipan has a quite long shelf-life unopened. Once opened I keep mine in the freezer, with about a fortnights worth in a jar in the fridge. Been using it for nearly as long as I've had a breadmaker.

As a guide, I'm just about to finish a pack that I opened in July last year, with no deterioration in the quality of the rise.

The price looks good, I buy mine mail order for 3.05/pack - not sure if the economics would work out if I bought from the Co-op - the petrol costs to get over East & back would add quite a bit to the price.

Kind regards

FelixC

pete_inthehills

we occasionally buy ready made bread mixes out of lidl and aldi. They are really good 'cos they are german breads which are the best.

If you can find them when they doing a deal, its pretty cheap - 70p

And we tend to half the quantity so it makes two good sized loaves.

pete
inthehills

Forget-me-Not · Bread Maker

HI,
Thanks everybody. I'm sold... a Panasonic it is!

Beth

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