Is it worth it to have a breadmaker?

[Gumby]

I've seen a few around at thrift stores...and I'm wondering, are they worth it?

I mean, do they really make things easier? Or is it just another appliance to take up space?

What are your thoughts? Do you have one, love it, or had one never used it?

[akwifeandmomma]

Have one and love it. I got mine off Freecycle - definitely one of my best FC scores!

I use mine weekly to make dough, and then bake it in the oven, I prefer "regular" loaves to baking it in the machine. I keep it on the floor of my pantry.

[bu's mama]

I have one & I love it, although I don't use it all that often. I usually make bread for holidays/big dinners & I love that it's quick & easy. I used to use it to make everyday bread before I went back to work but that has fallen away. I also use it to make pizza dough...I make 2-3 batches at a time & freeze it.

For me, the big plus about the one I have is that it makes horizontal loaves. I don't like the ones that make 'tall' loaves.

[ashleyhaugh]

i dont have one. i use my kitchen aid to mix and knead it for me, then bake in a glass loaf pan

[ustasmom]

I love mine but I don't really use it all that much. My kids would love it if I used it more but I just sort of overlook it. I bought a pricey one that does it all and it is really nice. I had cheapo bread machines in the past and they didn't work all that well.

I have a grain mill and a Bosch, so technically I didn't need it as I do have the capability to make 6 loaves at one time. But it is the convenience factor.

That being said, I think that I will go throw in a loaf of bread. And maybe start a batch of yogurt. My kids will be thrilled. :

[MamaLeslie]

When I had one, I never used it. I preferred making bread by hand, and it really doesn't take much longer, hands on. It's just a bit messier. I found the batches too small, and I had to make bread every other day. Big batches, I can bake once or twice a week.

[lilmissimpatient@c]

It's worth it - if you use it! I love mine and use it at least once a week. My mother bought one three years ago and it's still in the original packaging. I find it to be much quicker, with less clean up than my kitchenaid stand mixer, so I can make bread more often

[***Heather***]

I probably wouldn't have bothered buying one new, but I found one at a garage sale for $10. Totally worth it and I love it! I bake bread at least once a week. I pretty much keep it out on the counter. I like that I can just throw in the ingredients and forget about it. My homemade bread always turned out really dense and heavy, these loaves are nice and fluffy.

[Gumby]

Hmm...Ok, I think I might be headed back to the TS then. Thanks for all your imput!

I have questions though...(I'm new to the breadmaker world)...I can put the ingredients in, it will make dough, and then I can take it out and freeze it for later use? Or take it out to make rolls or something?

[phatchristy]

I don't have a kitchen aide mixer, so for making dough it does a good job! I make dough for pizza, rolls, cinnamon rolls, bread among other things. It's very easy to make a loaf of bread with it, and I buy yeast in bulk and it's very inexpensive to make a loaf.

And, living in FL we have the advantage that it uses less energy to bake it in the bread machine than the oven and heats up the house less!

[phatchristy]

Originally Posted by Gumby

I have questions though...(I'm new to the breadmaker world)...I can put the ingredients in, it will make dough, and then I can take it out and freeze it for later use? Or take it out to make rolls or something?

Yes!

[Crayfish]

It wasn't worth it for me - I gave mine away to someone who makes bread so often that she actually had a use for two. We don't eat bread all that often, so it didn't save us any running-to-the-store time, and while the bread was much better, it just wasn't worth the time to make it even with the machine.

Someday when I have the house in order and have more time, I'll choose which "life refinements", as I think of them, I want to pursue. If homemade bread is one of them, I might buy a new one.

Crayfish

[Authentic_Mother]

I have one and love it. Mine also was a Freecycle steal! However, often times, I forget about it too.
It all comes down to how often you really make bread? Ours kneads your dough and cooks it for you, which is nice when you are busy cleaning that bread is baking, truly makes the house smell good!
We eat it up rather quickly though! LOL!
It isn't small though....so if you aren't going to use it often enough then I would't bother.
Why dont you check your local freecycle for one (just request one and I am sure you will get plenty of responses!)

[tree_hugger]

I don't use mine.

It sits in the laundry and gathers dust. I can't let it go though, because I love the idea of baking bread and I always mean to do it, I just "haven't got around to it yet."

[***Heather***]

Originally Posted by KathleenRay

I don't use mine.

It sits in the laundry and gathers dust. I can't let it go though, because I love the idea of baking bread and I always mean to do it, I just "haven't got around to it yet."

Keep it on your kitchen counter... you won't forget to make bread then.

[January---]

SO worth it!

I was tired of the cheapo bread that would fall apart whenever I tried to make French Toast so I mentioned to my mother that I was intending on starting to bake my own bread and she gave me their old breadmaker. She said that they always ate way too much bread when she used it so they never used it anymore. We don't have that problem at all though. I think the loaf comes out better if baked in the regular oven in a glass bread pan, but when I just don't have the time I go ahead and let the machine do all the work. We have homemade pizza at least once a week and the bread machine does the dough for it. Also rolls, I can make 16 good sized rolls from one cycle on the bread machine. I keep it on a cart in the dining/ living room. Apartment living means finding creative spaces. I used to keep it on the floor... It's much nicer now. I can successfully say that we haven't bought any bread products since last summer, and everybody raved about my homemade rolls at Thanksgiving. I want to work on freezing bread now that our freezer is actually freezing again, I don't have much experience with frozen dough but I plan to experiment. I also am going to freeze sliced bread for those times that we need some for DH's lunch and I just don't have the time to put the bread on. I think he's gotten his fill of homemade waffles in his lunch bag. Another appliance I just adore and use a lot!

[BinahYeteirah]

I love mine. I use it at least once a week. I do bake in the oven, since I use it to make braided loaves. I wouldn't need it if I had a good mixer (which is more versatile), but it was a gift. I much prefer letting a machine do the kneading. I always used to add too much flour when kneading by hand.

[MommyErin]

I have an old but outstanding Zojirushi that I found at Vinnie's for $10 and I use it at least 2 or 3 times a week. I quite buying bread and simply make all our bread now. Like a PP said, they are amazing if you use them but they take up a ton of space if you don't. Mine is tucked right in my cupboard. I love that I can throw the ingredients in before I go to bed and wake up to a wonderful loaf of bread to toast for breakfast.

[Blooming]

We have one. I love it. I am Gluten Free and DH makes me a loaf of bread every Sunday. Then I cut it in slices and freeze them for the week. It took us a bit to get used to it but now DH can do it in 15 minutes!

We do use bread mixes which makes it a bit easier.

[BabyBugsMom]

We use ours every. single. day.

Dh has perfected a whole wheat recipe that our family loves. And he's put together little baggies with all the dry ingredients except the flour, so it takes <5 minutes to get a loaf started.