Is it really worth it to buy a bread machine?
There are many reasons why you should invest in a good bread machine, some of the reasons are; it lowers the cost of producing your bread by half, you can customize your recipe and add healthier ingredients and lastly, you can cook in batches so that your family gets a week-long supply of fresh bread. Making that choice can be difficult, but before committing to buy a bread machine, you should answer the following questions.
Why do you really want to buy a bread maker?
The most obvious reason is to bake bread. Some people buy a bread machine so that they can try out new interesting recipes on their own like Gluten-free bread recipe. Or maybe some of you are just tired of buying bread from the store. You should be having more than one reason for buying a bread machine for you to make optimal use of the bread machine.
How often will you use it?
The frequency of baking is an important consideration when buying a bread machine, if you bake frequently, then you must be tired of mixing and kneading the dough. This process increases the urgency to get a bread machine which does all this process for you in addition to the baking.
Just how busy are you?
For those who have a busy schedule and you still need to bake bread for your family for breakfast, you need to invest in a good bread machine. Some bread machines come with delay timers which you can set overnight and wake up to the smell of freshly baked bread without any hassle. Other models come with rapid settings that bake bread in n hour or less.
What kind of budget are you working with?
The prices of bread machines vary depending on the quality and also the features. There are lowly priced bread machines of inferior quality, and also premium models with lots of automatic features. Your budget will determine if you can afford it or not. In this article, we will discuss some budget-friendly bread machines which will give you value for your money in the long run.
Our Picks
We all expect bread machines to bake better bread than what you can bake yourself. Otherwise, what’s the point of buying it? To help you make the right decision when purchasing a bread machine, we included this section of some of our top picks, their features and also the price. This information will help you pick a model with the right features and at a budget-friendly price.
What we look for
We came up with two or three bread machines on Amazon which are priced differently. We had to read other bread machine reviews and also cookbooks when narrowing down the recommended bread machines. You can also read this cookbook for more information on our selection criteria, “The Bread Lovers Bread Machine Cookbook.”
Kneading and Baking
Good bread machines knead the dough evenly with no patches of flour at the very ends of the bread pan. That means that the paddle should be thorough. The baking temperatures should also be even, making the bread turn golden brown in medium heat setting.
Loaf Shape
Don’t go for bread machines with a single paddle as they produce oddly shaped bread because the bread pan has to be taller. Opt for bread machines with two paddles as they do a great job when kneading and shaping the dough.
Durability
Choose a bread machine with a strong motor, to prevent stalling when kneading the dough. Every bread machine wears out after some time but the durability of each machine varies.
Capacity and Settings
Some bread machines come with 15 or more different settings and dough cycles. Also, check the capacity and go for bread machines with a 2-pound loaf capacity. You can bake two loaves at once, saving you on energy bills and also time.
Our Top Picks
These are some of our bread machine top picks.
Premium Pick
Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuosso Plus
Why we like it; we found the Zojirushi bread machine to be sturdy and it also makes standard shaped loaves measuring 9*5 inches. This feature is unique to the Zojirushi bread machine. It is a reliable machine. It comes with 14 programs and you can customize your recipe using this bread machine. Zojirushi bread machine costs around $338, making it an expensive but worthy investment. If you can’t afford it, we have more budget-friendly picks below.
Budget-Friendly Pick
Why we like it; the T-fal is a good bread machine since it bakes and kneads well. Plus most people can afford the price tag of around $90. The only setback is that the loaves are oddly shaped due to the tall design of the bread pan. One good feature on the T-fal is that you can make Gluten-free bread.
Exotic Foods Pick
Panasonic SD BM105-SW Bread Machine
Why we like it: you can customize your recipe to any length, as it comes with an automatic fruit and nut dispenser to add ingredients like yeast, dried fruits, and raisins to your dough. It can bake Japanese bread-like Brioche, Mochi and Red bean bread. If you like trying out new recipes, go for this bread maker which goes for $340.
Best Inexpensive Pick
Hamilton Beach 29882 2-Pound Bread Machine
Why we like it; it comes with multiple programs and settings that allow you to make different types of dough and bread. It has a price tag of around $59, which is a good bargain for those features. At this price, you have no reason not to get yourself a bread machine.
Bottom-Line
Instead of buying specialty bread from the store, why not invest in a good bread machine? Some models even go for less than $60 making them good investments. Baking your bread is cheaper than buying it from the store. The decision to buy a bread machine rests entirely with what you are looking for and why? We hope this information was helpful in your search for a good bread machine.