Are you a bread maker? Can you give advice?

Firstly, bread freezes well so it’s worth baking double and freezing it.
For ordinary brown bread I prepare in the morning for lunchtime, sourdough I need to start 24 hrs before baking..

I make bread, in fact I will be making a fruit and nut loaf in the next day or so.

First question, do you have a bread machine or do you plan to mix by hand? I bought a bread machine some years ago and it's paid for itself many, many times. Prior to that I used to mix and knead by hand, but the machine is so much easier and you can be doing other things while it's doing that job.

This is the mix I use www.lakeland.co.uk/11689/Crusty-White-Bread-Machine-Pre-Mix but they have other varieties as well and for a fruit and nut load, I just add whatever dried fruit/nuts/spices/honey/etc I have in the cupboard, although they are bought with this loaf in mind. The Crusty White is a winner at any time...and I'm not paid by them either, LOL !! Oh, and I buy it when it's on special as each loaf packet inside the box is sealed separately so they remain fresh.

Back when I first bought the bread machine I used my own recipes but since finding the Laucke mix I use it all the time now and it only takes a minute to open the packet, tip the flour into the loaf pan, sprinkle the yeast (which comes in the pack) add the warm water, turn on the machine and the loaf is cooked in 3hr 20mins.

Of course, prep takes a bit longer for the fruit 'n nut loaf as I like to cut the fruit into small pieces but that is done while the machine is mixing the flour/yeast/water so actual time in the machine is still the same.

Another I like is Walnut, Coffee and Ginger...but then you can make any flavour you want. Sometimes I vary the white bread, depends what meals I have planned around that time, but the sky's the limit as far as choices go.

Hope some of this helps?

Bread machine. Put the ingredients in the night before with a delayed start and you can wake to it. You can put the ingredients in first thing in the morning and it should be ready around lunchtime, or a bit before too. I find it gives a better product than hand made.

I make by 'hand', currently just using the recipe on the dried yeast packet, but adding time for an extra rise. I usually start the process in the food mixer, between 9.30 and 10am, and leave it to rise once it's well mixed. Then I give it a brief knead by hand and let it rise again. It's in the oven about 2pm. Leaving out the first rise would mean it could be cooked by lunchtime, especially if the process was started earlier. The recipe only states one rise, I've tried it and it works OK.

I love home made bread but was unsure about making it. Saw bread mix in my local Co op , very easy to make and was delicious!!

Can you recommend a reasonably priced bread maker? I’d like to have a go but don’t want a big outlay in something I might hardly ever use.

I use my bread maker overnight , but the bread is too hot to cut first thing , so I have it at lunch time . Bread made the evening before is lovely , I use the 5 hour programme and slightly less yeast than the recipe , too much yeast tastes gorgeous but the bread goes stale far too soon , still nice toast . Less yeast and it stays fresh longer ….. a tip I read on line years ago , those sachets are too much , I spoon it from the packet , shake off the surplus and it works well . I buy the DovesFarm yeast and get it in most supermarkets , the strong bread flour I have to get on line as the Supermarkets seem to have a limited variety

It’s no good getting a cheap bread maker , they don’t give you a proper loaf , I wasted money on them till I gave in and bought the Panasonic

On bread makers:
get the simplest that you can - all the bells & whistles don't amount to much. When my basic one gave up after 20 years, I was given a complicated one, which does make lovely bread, but I only use the basic recipes!

This is how I have fresh bread every day:
I use Richard Bertinet's basic bread dough, which I make every few days. I do either first or second rising in the fridge overnight. I keep the dough in the fridge, and add any left-overs to the next batch (cheat's sour dough!)
I use this method to make 1 or 2 baguettes every day. I try to tie in with other baking so as not to waste energy, but as I have photovoltaic cells, I do sometimes bake it on its own!

You can do the initial mixing the night before and leave it in the fridge to rise slowly overnight. Needs taking out early to finish rising before knocking back and leaving for the second rise. The problem with this is that I never seem to have room in the fridge!

The charity shops very often have good quality bread machines that someone has bought on impulse then hardly used. the prices is usually £20 or less. Check that they have the manual, as different manufacturers have different instructions and recipes. If that is missing, you can often get the manual online.

You can also set it to stop after it has made the dough, then you shape that into rolls or plaits or whatever you want, let them rise for half an hour then bake them in the ordinary oven.

Panasonic is good. That is the one I have. Lots of settings for different types of bread, and recipes. It has made hundreds of loaves in the twelve years I have had it, with no problems (except that it didn't like it when I turned it upside down to shake out some crumbs. Took days to settle down. I now vacuum out any debris.)

Thank you all for your lovely messages. Can’t wait to give it a try now.

My bread maker is a Breville, never had a single problem with it and would buy the same again if needed. I guess other brands would be OK too, but that's the only one I've used. It did cost a fair bit at the time, but really it has been worth it because it has made LOTS of loaves, rolls etc.

Remembered after my previous post that I should have suggested Gumtree or charity shops as a cheaper option.

I can recommend my Morphy Richards bread maker. DD bought it for me for Christmas a couple of years ago. It makes lovely loaves, dough too. I have even made cakes in it.

Bread making machines are excellent, would advise using anything other than pre ready bread mixes, too much salt and other chemicals to preserve. Making your own, stand mixer will do the kneading for you, and you can prove overnight in fridge. Suggest John Kirkwood for bread recipies, step by step instructions, lots of different breads, rolls. Never failed me yet.
theglobalherald.com/tag/john-kirkwood/

Another vote from me for a bread maker. It only takes minutes to measure out the ingredients and there is nothing nicer than fresh bread.

I love making bread by hand. Now that I am retired I can start the dough before my morning walk and it is baked by mid-morning.
When I was working I used recipes from this book (available on Amazon), keeping a week's batch of dough in the fridge and baking when needed. I never tried keeping it so don't know if it goes stale quickly.

I don’t have a bread maker although I make bread most days. Titli Nihaan’s kitchen (YouTube) taught me a lot. Either I make it by hand as she does or I mix and knead in my Kitchenaid then leave to rise in an oiled glass bowl covered with an inverted plastic (?) mixing bowl before knocking back by punching with my knuckles - as she does- then shaping before proving. I bake in silicone Silikomart moulds, use a thermometer to check the internal temperature is 90C rather than tapping the bottom for hollowness and always have successes. The whole process takes me about 2 1/2 hours. The bread freezes well; cutting into slices is easier when it is partly defrosted I find. All professional bakers advise using the best flour you can buy.
Good luck and enjoy. Your house will smell marvellous and you’ll wonder why you ever ate shop-bought bread.

I love my bread maker, and use on the dough setting, then shape into rolls or loaves. I add different things such as sun dried tomatoes & herbs, seeds, nuts etc. My OH makes his bread for toast. We’ve been using a machine for about 20 years now. However, I like the sound of Shysal’s artisan book recommendation, so will,order it. Thank you. ?

I've made bread for years, but never daily. I have a stand mixer for kneading - used to knead by hand, but can't manage now.
It's possible to freeze fresh dough overnight and thaw and bake the next day. But it never has the same 'bounce' as dough baked the same day.
I make 1kg of flour at a time and find it takes 5-6 hours from start to bagging up the cooled loaves/buns.

Just in the middle of making spicy bacon ,bread buns for DGS. I just make a basic dough including some Olive Oil and spices then after it's first rise I add cooked Bacon bits form into buns bake.
He loves them and sometimes takes them for school lunch. I had a bread maker years ago but hated it.

There’s no chance of a home made loaf going stale at all, ever!
The problem you will have is how long before it’s all gobbled up. Golden brown crispy crust, soft warm insides, golden melting real butter, mature cheddar thinly sliced …sigh……
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I’ve had a Panasonic bread maker for about 18 months. It’s on at least every other day. It has a dispenser that I can add fruit and nuts to loads too. I make Chelsea and cinnamon buns dough. Also can use it for baking cakes and making jam. Best thing I ever bought. My daughter has a Panasonic one that can make a sour dough starter. I use flour from a local mill and it’s mostly turned out well. Sometimes the flour means you have to reduce the water to stop the loaf sinking.

If you want to make by hand- mix and knead the night before. Leave overnight in a large covered bowl( just on worktop). First thing, tip out, knead and put into greased tins. Rise for 30-40 mins(should fill tin). Bake. Ready mid am. Then cool, slice and freeze in packs you can use. No going stale! No waste!