Bread Machine

[delaneymom]

I hope this is the right place to post this...
I saw on another thread that to save money some of you make your own bread. I'd like to do this. Do most of you do it by hand, or with a bread machine? I've seen bread machines at yard sales before and been tempted to buy one, but I'm not sure which way works best. Any thoughts appreciated. If you use a machine, what kind and would you recommend it?

TIA!

[momto l&a]

I have a breadman. Its makes a almost normal loaf

My parents used to have one that made a can shaped loaf and I hated the bread that came out of that thing.

Mine makes the most wonderful bread, even a friend who makes wonderful bread has praised my bread

I would recommend a Zorch..???? I cant spell the thing or the Breadman Ultimate

It saves me a lot of time and the bread

[3boysmom]

I also have a Breadman ultimate - has been going strong for several years and I use it at least a few times a week. It does make good bread! I've previously owned a Zojurishi - that one was also excellent!

[delaneymom]

Thanks! I'll look into those brands-would be great if I could find a good used one...

The crazy shaped loaves have also been one of my hesitations (probably a silly one). I can't figure out how I'd make a sandwhich out of some of them. I guess you just figure out what works best once you have the loaf there. My boss makes her own bread and her sandwhiches always look so good. I also LOVE bread-and the goal isn't for me to gain 50 lbs. and spend more grocery money eating bread non-stop.

[dvons]

I've got a Breadman Ultimate also and love it! I bought it for the programable features as well as that it makes the horizontal/regular type loaf. I've had it for 6+ months now and my mom just bought one of her own after being here for a few days using mine.

Deb

[MPJJJ]

I have a bread machine, and its worth it just for the dough feature. If I don't want an oddly shaped loaf, I just take the dough out after it's mixed and risen and pop it into the oven. But I've never had a problem making sandwiches directly out of the machine.

[delaneymom]

Originally Posted by MPJJJ

I have a bread machine, and its worth it just for the dough feature. If I don't want an oddly shaped loaf, I just take the dough out after it's mixed and risen and pop it into the oven.

oh my gosh-that is a great idea! Let the machine do all the work and then just bake it in my regular bread pan if I need to! Although-the more I think about it, the more I think I could probably just get over my dependence on the bread shape that I'm used to.

I just read another thread where the mama told how to make home made non-skid socks-you guys are genius today!

[annethcz]

I make my bread by hand. One big advantage, in addition to normal sized loaves, is that I can make more than one loaf at a time. I generally bake batches of 4 loaves, and freeze the extras for later.

I do have a breadmaker- I don't remember the brand (something cheap!). Another downside to using a breadmaker is that I was never able to figure out how to make a GOOD loaf of 100% whole wheat bread. It always turned out too dense and hard on the outside. This doesn't happen when I make my own.

[Catherine12]

I have a Breadman and we bake all our own bread. We don't use white flour, which is challenging, as pp said. We've found that adding soy flour and gluten help. Although it occasionally, mysteriously fails I typically get great loaves out of this receipe:

2 cups hot water
3 1/2 c. whole wheat bread flour
5/6 c. soy flour
1/2 c. vital wheat gluten
1 t. salt
1 or 2 T. sugar
2 t. yeast (or 2 1/2 if you use the rapid whole wheat setting)

My other advice: get good bread flour! The quality can vary a lot and you may want to try different ones. Also, it should be fresh. We use a locally grown flour our coop carries and it is wonderful.

[3boysmom]

I highly recommend King Arthur flour. All of them are wonderful, but they do make one specifically for use in bread machines that works great for me. I've used nothing but King Arthur for years.

[EmsMom]

We have been making our bread for years (organic bread is usually $3 a loaf! so we do save some money). I buy flour and yeast in bulk and sometimes I knead by hand (before newborn) and sometimes my husband makes it in the bread machine. I found a very nice bread machine at a yard sale, practically new, and I think if you can find a good one real cheap at a yard sale, they are really, really handy to have even if you prefer to knead your own. Downsides are that they only make one loaf at a time, the loafs are oddly shaped, there is a very big hole in the bottom of every loaf (a problem when it comes to sandwiches at the end of the loaf) and you can't be flexible with them like you can with a hand done loaf (extending or shortening rising times due to weather). Sometimes the loaves flop completely. Some bread machines are ABSOLUTELY better than others, especially at 100% whole wheat bread. Upsides to the bread machine are hubby can easily learn to start the loaf and set the timer every night for fresh bread in the morning; you can still easily get bread without work or running to the store when you are too tired/too busy/too stressed out/too hot to make "real" bread; the timer function is awesome for things like making pizza dough while you are out driving the kids places in the afternoon -- you just have to think ahead a bit. If you find a decent bread machine at a yard sale, I would say give it a try (especially if you get it for under $5). But you might want to master bread making by hand because it is just a beautiful thing to do and kids really, really love to watch and "help" and then they call it Mama bread (which is very nice!)

[stanswife]

I have one I bought at a thrift store, but only use it for the dough function. Love that option! Found a honey whole wheat recipe on allrecipes.com that is wonderful. Works every time.

[curly_mommy]

I have the 'poor man's' breadmachine - a food processor.

I was going to get a bread machine, but I ended up getting the food processor first. It came with a dough attachment, so I thought I would try it out. I just knead my dough in the processor, let it rise, and then bake it. I have to pay attention to the clock, but it really isn't a very involved process at all. I've used a bread machine before, and I find this incredibly easy as well. I usually make a few loaves on Sundays and refrigerate them so they will keep for the rest of the week.

I love King Arthur flour, too. I just discovered it. (good suggestion 3boysmom).

[BusyMommy]

I've found that the flour makes a huge difference, too. I grind hard wheat flour at the store and buy white flour labelled "good for bread machines." Sometimes, I still add a T of gluten to lighten the bread. And, for my area, I add a T of extra water.
And, yes, I use it for dough; ie pizza & cinnamon rolls a lot.

But, I do try to make bread by hand every Monday.