Bread Machine

[Mama2Mila]

Hi cooking Mamas,
I would like to buy myself a Bread Machine and was hoping for some advice from you bread-baking Mamas.

I have my eyes set on a BREADMAN ULTIMATE PROFESSIONAL that Walmart sells for less than $100.

Anybody here used that one? If not, which brand do you use, how do you like it, do you feel you save some money baking your own bread?

TIA, Alex

[AmandasMom]

I *love* my bread machine! I got the Sunbeam one from Walmart for $40 and it is sweet! I buy 25lb bag of bread flour from Sam's for $4.00 so each loaf of bread I make costs just pennies. Just a suggestion... after you buy your machine, wipe out the inside and wash the bread pan, then put the bread pan back in and run a cycle on "bake" empty. Mine smoked like crazy for 5 bake cycles before it burned off whatever coating they used. Now its perfect, definately the best $40 I've ever spent.

[Happypants]

My mom got both me and my sil an oster 2lb expressbake breadmaker for xmas and we love them! sorry, don't know the price, but I definately think I save money on bread. And it's sooo good fresh and warm...mmmm... I think she (my sil) out-does me as far as quantity of loaves baked. She's always making bread. But mine's good...I guess we need to have a bake-off. Hehe

Erin

[bestjob]

I have an Oster. I have burned out the motor on two Black and Deckers. The B&D's had better electronics, so I had a few more options with them that I have with the Oster, but it is good, too. The were all about $120 (Canadian dollars) at Canadian Tire.

I love having a bread maker. I decided to get one five years ago. I wanted to borrow my sister's machine for a week to try it out, but she would only loan it to me for one day because she uses her's so much. I don't use mine as much as she does, if she runs out of bread, she has to drive for 20 minutes to buy overpriced Wonderbread. If I run out of bread, I can walk for three minutes and get still-hot baguettes, croissants and yummy whole wheat bread. I still use the breadmaker about 2 times a week, mostly for breakfasts. The delayed timer option is the most important thing for me.