Breadmakers; are they the devil?

[dogsbody]

Mine is in the garage wrapped up in a bin bag......

......and will most probably stay there.

[binley100]

We have been using a breadmaker for years. OH won't eat supermarket bread so he's in charge of bread supplies. He's altered recipes slightly over the years to get what suits and is fussy about what yeast is used etc.

[jacob marley]

.

...go on...you know you want one!!

Was that said with a Sulfolk accent chucking arm side ways with big hat on...jacob

[Snadger]

..................Tesco did one last year for £30 that won some excellent reviews - nice cheap replacement for you!

Thats the one I've got and I think its great! Make about three loaves a week, usually sunflower bread which I luuuurve!

Best thing since sliced bread!

[Snadger]

without doubt it would be cheaper to buy a Waitrose loaf at 3.30pm on a Sunday. But if you want a loaf that your grandkids come round just for a slice of best stick to authentic arm wrestling homemade.

Sod the grand kids.......let them eat cake! More loaf for meeeeeeee!

[pipscariad]

I would really miss mine - I make bread more or less every day, the 5 of us get through it! I confess that I never use mine to bake the bread, just make the dough, as I much prefer it baked in the oven - the bread maker gave it too much of a 'cakey' crust for me, although it was a bonus if you needed a very quick loaf for an emergency as it could do it in under an hour! (That quick loaf wasn't a patch on a 'proper' one though I have to say.)

However, after 5 years almost daily use, mine has ceased to function on any of the bake programmes anyway!

I always used to make bread the traditional way, but the eczema on my hands got so bad a few years ago that I could no longer do so, which is when the breadmaker made an appearance. I can honestly say that a loaf made with dough in the machine, with quality ingredients, and left overnight in the fridge to prove (I'm with you on that one Brengirl), tastes every bit as good as a hand made one.

But if you're happy with making bread by hand, and still feel the breadmaker to be the work of the devil, why change things? (But if you do get one I doubt you'll regret it! )

[Marthaclematis]

My dh uses our bread maker three times a week. Before that I would make it by hand but never had time to bake enough so we had to buy from a shop... and as we like 'good' bread that was quite expensive. The breadmaker makes better bread than I did, faster, more cheaply, and more often. We have a Panasonic which we bought on the recommendation of a friend who did all the research before buying one herself. Tasting her bread sealed it for me. If ours broke we would buy another immediately.

[Gailj]

Had a bread maker for Christmas. It is making fantastic bread. I am extremely pleased with it and I wish I had bought one years ago

[kirsty b]

OH got me one about 7 years ago and I loved it, but the loaves were little and didn't last 5 minutes. It had also been an ambition of mine to make bread by hand. I've finally cracked it and you can't beat bread fresh from t'oven with butter and jam......*drools....
Freecycled the breadmaker, but am now on the lookout for decent sized loaf tins so I can do a large loaf of bread.

Got Rachel Allen 'Bake' book for Xmas 2008 and am pretty proud of croissants made from scratch too, they take a while with all the resting of dough etc but soooooo worth it!!

[OverWyreGrower]

I've got a Panasonic one, and make 90% of our 'normal' bread in there. Since I work full time, the timer setting on it is invaluable!! I woke today to the smell of baking bread (lush!) and either set it overnight or whilst I'm at work.

However, I still make quite a bit of other bread by hand - I make all our naan bread, garlic bread and 'flavoured' breads by hand, as well as crumpets.

[piskieinboots]

I agree with everything Alison said above.

Me too

I use mine every 2-3 days, overnight on timer. During the last week when the car was sulking frozen in the snow it has saved my bacon (buttie)! #

I make many flavoured breads in mine - garlic, coriander and olive being my favourite

[Rhona]

I've had Paul Hollywood's Bread book for a few years - absolutely brilliant. So many interesting things in there. I just fiddle around with it if I want to make a recipe in breadmaker. Like Piskie sez, we've still got half a foot of snow on the ground (and still snowing this morning!), and I can't get a double pram out at all to take babies to the shops. The fact that I can make bread every day is VERY handy.

[pipscariad]

but the loaves were little and didn't last 5 minutes
....

Got Rachel Allen 'Bake' book for Xmas 2008 and am pretty proud of croissants made from scratch too, they take a while with all the resting of dough etc but soooooo worth it!!

I discovered that with the dough cycle on mine that I can do double the recipe perfectly well, so now make enough for 2 loaves, or 1 loaf and some rolls. Have to make sure that I get the dough out as soon as the timer goes off though, or it pushes up the lid

Oo, that book sounds good Kirsty, might have to see if I can get it from the library, or on a special offer somewhere...

[TPeers]

I use mine principally for dough making and proving, never had much luck getting dough to prove in this house - must be more drafty or something - the only place that works is on top of the fish tank while the lights are on!

Then again the sort of breads I make are nanns, chiabata and so on. Fancy breads.

Also I have a child who is very difficult to feed (food phobic) and teaching her how to make the things she eats, proving that all of the ingredients are 'safe' and 'friendly' helps her to get past her phobia and try new things.

She just decided she likes brioche - now I need a recipe!

[HeyWayne]

Ours is brilliant.