breadmaker vs "old fashioned way"...

[G's mommy]

Hello! I was just curious... I am trying to decide if I need a breadmaker or not. The only bread I have ever made the "old-fashioned way" (from scratch, in a loaf pan in an oven) is banana bread and I have great luck with this recipe. So I guess I am looking for pros and cons of a breadmaker... is it worth the cost? Will it really save me time? Are there "natural" mixes for the machine or natural recipes for me to make my own to go in the machine? Can I adapt a recipe meant for the oven to go in a breadmaker?
Any other info or help would be appreciated!!
Thanks!

[IdentityCrisisMama]

I’m disillusioned with modern kitchen appliances just so you know…

If I were you I would definitely experiment with making it ‘the old fashioned way’ BEFORE you buy the bread maker. If you end up really loving home made bread, find you have the time and enjoy doing it you can make an experienced decision to buy one. If you buy one now and find out after that you’re really not that crazy about making bread you’ll be stuck with this big expensive thing, yk?

[captain optimism]

You can definitely make traditional recipes in the bread maker, but you have to cut them down to one loaf at a time. They are neat and clean though, you don't get flour everywhere--a big bonus!

I don't have a bread maker, but I have switched from all hand mixing to using my Kitchen Aid mixer. If you have a mixer or a food processor with a dough hook, it would be worthwhile to try that first. (Or buy just the dough hook to fit your processor or mixer, that's still a lot cheaper and easier to store than a whole bread machine.)

[HelloKitty]

I have made dough the old fashioned way (good for when you are stressed!!!), with my KitchenAide mixer and with a bread machine. My favorite "everyday" way is with the KitchenAide mixer with dough hook - hands down. I think the bread maker was sort of a waste of money at this point. I have a full size one so that it will make normal size loaves (some don't btw) but even so it still doesn't come out as good as when I use a regular good loaf pan.

I would save the money from the bread maker and just invest in a really good KitchenAide mixer, if you don't already have one

Kitty

[captain optimism]

Oh yeah, and since I haven't done it yet (in this thread!) a great bread book is The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. I have a lot of wonderful books that have taught me a lot about baking, but this is hands-down the most valuable. Wow, I have really enjoyed it! Second favorite is the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, which is 100% whole grain flour recipes. (Reinhart has only one 100% whole wheat recipe in his book, but many others that feature whole grains mixed with white flour in exciting ways.)

[HelloKitty]

The King Arthur site also has some great bread recipes on it btw!! They also sell some fabulous organic flours now I have a big flour bucket and buy it 15 pounds at a time.

[cjr]

I had a breadmaker and it broke last year. Once I found a good recipe I loved my breadmaker, but you need to experiment to get it just right. I found once I added some extra liquid the bread turned out awsome. Then it broke and dh bought me a kitchenaid mixmaster. I have yet to get a good loaf of bread with it. They are always too dense or I let it proof too long or not long enough. I am going out tomorrow and buy another breadmachine. I like the simplicity. You don't need to keep timing the proofing or the baking or anything once you turn it on. DS is alergic to wheat and the spelt bread is $5/loaf, so for me the cost is definatly worth it.

[Persephone]

Another vote for the old fashioned way. I have never owned or used a breadmaker, but using a bowl and a wooden spoon seems pretty simple and easy to me. Laurel's Kitchen Bread book is my recommendation. She has tons of good recipes, and explains exactly what is happening to the dough at each step, which really helps me understand what *I* need to do at each step, and it's very clear and easy to understand. Really, SO many of the kitchen gadgets out there are unneccesary.

[momto l&a]

I use to make bread with a Kitchen Aide and now use I bread machine.

The bread machine is very much a time saver the bread I get loads of complements even from a gal who makes wonderful handmade breads.

The breadmaker also keeps my kitchen cleaner

I vote for having a breadmachine, one that makes a 'traditional' loaf. Mine is a Breadman Ultimate

[Shenjall]

Get one! I looooove mine!
Its so easy to make a loaf of bread -toss items in and walk away. I find having a breadmaker enables me to make more freash bread for my family. Otherwise I just wouldnt do it. I tried the old fashioned way a couple of times but really felt like too much work for me.
Mine came with a recipe book too. I can (and have) made white and whole wheat bread; I can use it to make the dough for me and then I turn it into buns; breadsticks; etc. I've made pretzel and cinnamon roll dough and even jam! mmmmm....strawberry jam....sorry, got carried away. I have found some great recipes online for banana bread too! One day I'll be brave enough to try the sourdough and when I find someone who likes rice pudding, I'll try that too.
Anyhoo, if you decide to get one, find one that had multiple settings and that way it can be used for more than bread. Ours only cost $150.00 CAN and I think its paid for itself.
Good Luck!

[guerrillamama]

Someone just gave me a breadmaker for free! I never would have bought one but I think I really like having it. It doesn't compare to real handmade bread (which I love to make when I have time, which is almost never) but it is of course way better - and cheaper - than storebought bread. And soooooo easy. You just dump the ingredients in, push the button, and walk away. In fact I am making some right now.

Anyway, I'm : on this thread for the question about recipes. How hard is it to adapt regular recipes for the machine? Are there any rules of thumb about adaptation?

[KariM]

I just got my bread machine (Breadman Ultimate) last week and LOVE IT!

I had tried for years with various levels of unsuccess to bake yeast breads. I either had houses that were too cool to allow the bread to rise properly, or I wasn't kneading it right, or (insert whatever problem exists). I just couldn't get it to turn out right.

Well, my magical bread machine does EVERYTHING for me. I simply measure out the ingredients and put them in the bread pan. Then I snap the bread pan in place and program the machine. About 3 1/2 hours later I have a freshly baked loaf of bread. Very little effort on my part and consistently good results.

My machine came with an instruction booklet that included all sorts of recipes - many whole grain - for yeast breads, quick breads, and other doughs. Heck, it even has jam recipes!

It was costly (about $124) but well worth it given the amount of use it's getting and will continue to get.

--Kari

[cjr]

Shenjall - what kind is yours? I want to go out and get one tonight or tomorrow (whenever I get paid). I would love a breadman ultimate, but just a good one will do.

[Shenjall]

cjr, its a Black and Decker All-in-one Plus Horizontal Breadmaker. Dh bought it at Canadian Tire. I love it!

[Poddi]

My breadmaker does a fine job if you like thick crust. Unfortunately my family involve two toddlers, an 86-year old grandma and my own teeth have very expensive crowns, so we all prefer softer crusts. Right now I still use it a lot just to mix the dough and I bake it in the oven. It's still a labor saver and my kids love all the bread I made.

I got my bread machine recipes from Ebay for a couple dollars. So far I have made all sorts of different bread and they're all quite yummy. DH said he has never liked whole wheat bread until I made a loaf. If you're interested I can tell you the seller's name.

[saintmom]

I've never been interested in a bread machine as I've always made several loaves at a time for our family.To 12 cups of liquid I add 6 tbls of yeast 1 and a half cups honey and proof it.Then put in about half your flour some oil 5-6 tbls salt and I knead it out on an old enamel top table I've always had in my kitchen.This will make eight loaves 2or 3 dozen rolls and some cinnamon rolls.It lasts us about a week or so.I use a k-tec kitchen mill and grind my own wheat.Somethingbetternaturalfoods.com has the nicest golden 86 wheat berries.Happy baking!

[Brisen]

laura, I like rice pudding

I have a breadmaker -- my mom gave me hers as she wasn't using it.
Pros: quick; easy; better results than I got by hand (I hate dough sticking to my hands, but too much flour makes the dough heavy); the little breadmaker doesn't heat up the kitchen the way the big oven does; I can start bread the night before and set the timer so bread is ready in the morning; the machine does other doughs (I have only done cinnamon rolls and tortilla dough); I have had good results with adapting other recipes; I rarely clean out the pan since it is non stick, so there is very little work involved.
Cons: only does one little loaf (my machine is older); if you mess up (like starting cinnamon roll dough and then leaving it in the pan) ours is difficult to clean; we don't really like the shape of the loaf our machine makes; I'm not getting better at kneading dough.

I think if I had thought it through more or hadn't been given one free, I would get a good mixer that can handle dough. One loaf at a time just doesn't cut it, we eat a lot of bread and we're planning on a large-ish family. It also takes up space on the counter, which a mixer would do too, but I would use it for other things.

guerillamama, re: adaptation -- my manual has a bunch of different recipes -- different kinds of bread (like pizza bread), pizza dough, coffe cake, pretzels, rolls. If I want to adapt a recipe to the bread maker, I look through the manual to see if there is one that is comparable -- when I made cinnamon rolls, I checked to make sure that it didn't have more flour and liquid than the biggest recipe in my manual. When you're just making dough, it's not so much of a big deal I think, since it's not going to get much bigger in the loaf pan from rising (unless you forget about it). It's the rising with baking you have to worry about, and I suppose how strong the machine is to mix the amount of flour and liquid you are putting in to it. Also, there are many bread machine recipes online, of course different machines vary, but they should give you an idea.

[knittingmomma]

I vote for the old fashioned way.... I have even taught my eleven year old son how to make it from start to finish and he does it nearly on his own now...

There is nothing like kneading on the table - it is soul refreshing just working with the dough....

We have very few appliances anyway.

But... it does take practice, but will eventually become second nature.

[hlkm2e]

If you are going to get a breadmaker, you may want to try freecycle. Lots of people get them then don't use them. I have seen several up on our list.

[Sasha_girl]

Originally Posted by Shenjall

cjr, its a Black and Decker All-in-one Plus Horizontal Breadmaker.

I want that one! We have an older model that makes vertical bread; I "borrowed" it from my mom. I just went and looked, it's a Breadman Plus. I'd like to have one that is quicker and vertical, but can't justify buying a new one when this one works just fine.

I'm another that can never get bread to work out for me by hand. I've thrown away many a batch of dough. The breadmachine is a godsend for me. We never buy storebought bread now.


Here are some bread machine recipes:
http://fp.enter.net/~rburk/breads/br...eadmachine.htm
http://www.breadworldcanada.com/reci...asp?dough=conv
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/conte...s.php/id/48074