White Elephant ..or Useful Healthy Option ???

I used to use mine all the time. I used it less after my husband died, and then put it away in the pantry because I needed the space for my daughter's slow cooker which she had passed on to me. My son was making a Hungarian bread last week and asked me why I don't use the bread maker anymore. I began to think "why don't I?" so I think I will dig out some of my favourite recipes and find a space for the machine.

I have had a Panasonic breadmaker for many years and use it about twice a week. It takes about five minutes to put in the ingredients for a wholemeal loaf and I like the fact I know exactly what is in it. As there are no preservatives in it, it can go mouldy in warmer weather so I slice and freeze it. Sometimes I make sun dried tomato , olive bread or fruit loaf , all of which are good.

Mine is a Panasonic. I’ve had another brand but it wasn’t very good. Hand kneading isn’t for me, my hands are too arthritic.

I’ve not had much success making sour dough on its own so instead I now use some sour dough ‘baby’ alongside the yeast and that way it comes out with that sour dough tang. If I’ve made yoghurt, I’ll use the whey from that, too.

I have had three bread makers over the years and all purchased from charity shops. They came with the instruction leaflets too. I made all kinds of yummy breads ,pizza dough, hot cross buns etc.Very easy once you figured out the order to place the ingredients into the pan.I have stopped using it now as we aren’t eating so much bread these days and it’s simpler to just go and buy a loaf when we need one.I would say keep your eyes out for a used one and play with it.

Reported.

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'm on my own, yet I wouldn't be without my breadmaker. A loaf lasts me so long that it would be stale before it was finished, so I cut it into two or four pieces and freeze all but one of them, and use them as I need them.

We have had one for over thirty years and have bought only a handful of loaves since the first one was installed. It makes wonderful wholemeal, multi seeded loaves and great pizza bases. Definitely a must have as far as we're concerned.

i did not like the big hole in the bottom where the mixing thingy went

Thanks for all your replies, I've found each and every one interesting, mind you, I'm still no nearer to making a decision, anyone would think I was buying a new house !!

Back to the machines, do they ALL leave big hole in the bottom of the loaf, and doesn't that make the slices fall apart ?

I don’t like the hole in the bottom of the loaf that’s left by the mixing blade

I’d suggest that you pick one up from a charity shop or on EBay rocketstop, there are always loads of good ones available.

Yes, you do get a hole where the paddle went, but it really doesn’t affect the slicing up of your loaf - it’s not a massive hole, it doesn’t go up the full depth of the loaf, so your bread won’t collapse into a crumbly heap 😁. It only affects a couple of the slices, really, and as I say, it’s not a huge problem. Don’t let it put you off.

I have a Paul Hollywood recipe for bread which you don’t knead, leave to prove overnight and then cook in a covered cast iron casserole, taking the lid off for the last few minutes to brown. It makes a lovely open textured loaf with a crisp crust that isn’t as thick as sourdough (which is too tough for me).

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

We don't have a bakery nearby so we have to rely on supermarkets. We use a breadmaker because we know what ingredients are going into it.

As the for the hole left by the mixing blade, it only affects the middle slices of the loaf. We don't find it a problem. A modern breadmaker is so easy to use and you can experiment with recipes. We wouldn't be without ours and my partner's daughter has just bought one for her young family too.

I have a Panasonic. I bought a small loaf tin that fits inside, so when I want only a small loaf I use the dough function to mix it, then take the dough out, shape it into the baking tin, then (after removing the mixing bowl and paddle) put the baking tin in the breadmaker standing on an inverted tuna fish tin and bake it using the bake function.

Jeanieallergy21 We have a Panasonic. That's a good idea, thanks.

Ziplok

Yes, you do get a hole where the paddle went, but it really doesn’t affect the slicing up of your loaf - it’s not a massive hole, it doesn’t go up the full depth of the loaf, so your bread won’t collapse into a crumbly heap 😁. It only affects a couple of the slices, really, and as I say, it’s not a huge problem. Don’t let it put you off.

It is only a large hole if you make it bigger trying to dig out a paddle which is still stuck in there, Some pans the paddle sticks in the bread, some it comes out of the bread and stays in the machine. If you know that the paddle on your machine sticks in the bread, you leave it in the pan for 10 minutes to cool a bit after taking it out of the breadmaker, then hold the pan on its side in oven gloves and shake it from bottom to top over a cooling rack. The loaf will slide out sideways and the hole will be a minimum size - just big enough to hold the paddle. I

f you dig around the paddle to get it out, you will get a lot of mangled bread and a large hole

I loved mine, but a bit of experimentation required to get a loaf you love.

cc

I have a Paul Hollywood recipe for bread which you don’t knead, leave to prove overnight and then cook in a covered cast iron casserole, taking the lid off for the last few minutes to brown. It makes a lovely open textured loaf with a crisp crust that isn’t as thick as sourdough (which is too tough for me).

That sounds amazing!

Mine was a Panasonic, which made lovely bread. I have never eaten much bread, but my late DH did and enjoyed “making” his own bread when he ran low.
When he died I gave it away as it would have taken too much space in the tiny flat I moved to soon after.

I go through phases. I have the recipe off by heart - I’ve made a few tweaks - eg I use far less sugar than the recipe and it literally takes 2 minutes to put everything in the pan. I buy white flour, granary flour and wholewheat and make the bread with any combination of these.
The pan is easy to clean. Only drawback the paddle sometimes sticks in the bread and causes a hole.
The biggest problem is it doesn’t last either because there’s no preservatives or it gets eaten quickly!

Definitely not a white elephant.
I love my bread maker because the bread is excellent and I know what's in it. Also, it's economical compared with anything but the basic supermarket bread. (DiL pays £4 for a loaf of bread. I say nothing.)
I live alone, so I put half the loaf in the freezer so I don't have to eat stale bread.

I had one many years ago,and I wasn't enamoured of it. I suspect they are a lot better than they used to be. My Sister in Law has one ,and she swears by it. Good luck

I love my breadmaker. I’ve just started using it again after several months of not bothering and buying bread. It really is so much nicer than bought bread. I do sometimes have spells of making it by hand, but the breadmaker is so much quicker. It’s on at the moment. Bread will be ready in an hour. Mine is a Panasonic. I’ve had three, and this is definitely the best. It’s a few years old, too. I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and it was suggested that I go back to making my own bread - less sugar and olive oil instead of butter.

Panasonic here, which I use about three times a week using wholemeal flour (Carr's is lovely and Allinson) plus mixed various seeds. Keep everything in a cupboard above it, all together, and it takes me about two minutes. Delicious and you know exactly what is in it. Easy to freeze, though it tends to get eaten. I had a different male at first, where the paddle always seemed to get stuck in the loaf. Never happens with the Panasonic.