White Elephant ..or Useful Healthy Option ???

madeleine45

I have known friends enjoying using them, but i had an easy single rise wholemeal loaf recipe, which I enjoyed eating but also it was the greatest remover of stress and hassle. Trump annoying you, or the cost of everything going up? Cant beat a good thumping of the dough , leading to lovely bread to eat the more you bashed it and a calmer person to eat it. However it was so good and now I live alone and am diabetic, dont make it often as it is irresistible.Do you have a friend or an acquaitance who use a machine who would let you watch them use it so that you could judge it for yourself?

No , I know of people who have them but they aren't people I know well enough to ask .
I know actually physically making your own is best but the time it takes and heating up of the oven, proving etc, can't see me doing that say three times a week. I used to make bread but only on a whim really .

rocketstop

I'm still swithering ! All these replies are good, keep them coming.
Do they cost a lot to run ?

No, I’d say not.

Coeliac here also and used to make bread using a breadmix/yeast with Panasonic that had special gluten free cycle. I added in lots of good extra such as seeds, goji berries etc. But nowadays decent bread can be found in supermarkets and I have a simpler soda bread mix that just takes 40 mins in regular oven.

I’m another one that uses my hands.
Easy, cheap, cathartic and perfect loaves.

rocketstop

Charleygirl5

I have never owned one for the same reason as you rocketstop, but if I saw one being sold cheaply in a charity shop, I would give it a go.

Didn't think of that but it would still have to have it's instructions !!

If it was a Panasonic, the instruction book would probably be on this website.

I use mine all the time. Well worth the initial outlay.

We had one, but it wasn’t very successful in making gluten free bread which is what we needed. We now bake bread in a Nina 15 in 1 instead, after mixing the dough in a Kenwood chef. The Ninja has a great proving setting, then steam bakes a loaf in half and hour

We don’t eat much bread so it wouldn’t be worthwhile is getting one.

I was thinking of getting one because I want an alternative to terrible supermarket bread. I have always been hopeless at baking, though, so one that does it for you sounds ideal to me!
Thanks for the tips!

I bought one years back - can't remember the make but wouldnt be surprised if it was a Panasonic.

Used it once or twice and gave it away to a friend. Somehow it didn't seem to work out for me.

There's no-knead recipes out there and I had one I used to do regularly but, since moving to Wales, I can't figure out what the difference is between "nice - and other people asked me to do one for them" and "not even edible" as I was using the same flour etc (though it could be the water here?).

Anyways there's now several sources of artisan bread to buy here - so I've not got back into experimenting myself to see if I could make nice bread here too.

Add the number of kitchen gadgets I have already and there's literally no space for a breadmaker - after I've allowed for kettle/toaster and airfryer and liquidiser and crockpot and pressure cooker etc.

My sister got rid of hers when she realised how much weight she and her husband had put on!

I forgot to say..if you only use wh.meal flour it might come out rather heavy.
I experimented by subbing 1/4th if i remember rightly, of white flour. But just try it out and find what suits you. I wonder if i can make sourdough in it
I can feel a re-surrection coming on.
Btw mine was from Lidl, cheap n cheerful, small and worked a treat.

It’s a white elephant for someone on their own. You can get fresh bread from the Bakery.
But a bread maker is worth every penny, if it’s for a family

No one has mentioned the issue of the dough paddle getting embedded in the baked loaf.
The one we used was inherited and so I don’t know if this is normal. It was a bit of a faff and when it packed up I wasn’t in a hurry to get another for this reason plus the space it takes up.
I do like making rolls and “breakfasty” type buns and such like though. The aroma is always wonderful.

I like making bread by hand but I wouldn’t consider such a space-consuming gadget even if I couldn’t use my hands.

We've had our Panasonic for well over ten years and I haven't bought a loaf since. OH makes the bread, I make yoghurt and when I strain the yoghurt, the whey goes into the bread. We use good quality seeded flour and although I don't eat much bread it never gets thrown away. Ours lives in a kitchen cupboard and comes out at night so there's fresh bread in the morning using the timer. It's delicious.

crazyH

It’s a white elephant for someone on their own. You can get fresh bread from the Bakery.
But a bread maker is worth every penny, if it’s for a family

I don't agree crazyH. Mine was always a small loaf, i cut it into chunks of 2 slices and froze if not needed. As you don't use preservatives you can only eat it fresh the first day. But i was fine with that, it defrosts quickly, cut into 2 slices and toast. A handful of my own mixed seeds was good.

Granmarderby10

No one has mentioned the issue of the dough paddle getting embedded in the baked loaf.
The one we used was inherited and so I don’t know if this is normal. It was a bit of a faff and when it packed up I wasn’t in a hurry to get another for this reason plus the space it takes up.
I do like making rolls and “breakfasty” type buns and such like though. The aroma is always wonderful.

Mine came with a little gadget shaped like a question mark which is really nifty for hooking the paddle out. Yes a little bit of a hole in the bottom but nobody ever noticed.

I also freeze my bread after slicing it. GF bread is expensive and often poor quality.

crazyH

It’s a white elephant for someone on their own. You can get fresh bread from the Bakery.
But a bread maker is worth every penny, if it’s for a family

But the nearest bakery might be miles away if you live in the country or even some small towns.

midgey

My sister got rid of hers when she realised how much weight she and her husband had put on!

My DD did exactly this. The bread she made was very good, but it needed will power to slice and store in the freezer rather than scoffing the lot.
I make bread by hand as I reckon that the calories used up in the kneading balance the treat of warm fresh bread and butter.

On my second Panasonic, first one still working given to daughter. Been in regular use for the last 17 years or so. Wouldn’t be without one and the bread is so much better for you without all the added c**p.

We replaced our old one about 2 months ago . Wouldn’t be without it. It is a Russel Hobbs. DH makes all the bread, usually wholemeal.
He slices it up once it is cool and it is put in bags in the freezer so that we don’t eat it all at once.😄

I liked ours but we probably ate too much bread, malt loaves etc.

Unfortunately it stopped working, went to the tip and I haven't replaced it.
Yet.

It was a Panasonic.

lixy

midgey

My sister got rid of hers when she realised how much weight she and her husband had put on!

My DD did exactly this. The bread she made was very good, but it needed will power to slice and store in the freezer rather than scoffing the lot.
I make bread by hand as I reckon that the calories used up in the kneading balance the treat of warm fresh bread and butter.

lixy 😁