Are breadmakers really money saving??

squeaky

Yep, no problem.

hilary1

MinnieSpender wrote:

I've been after a breadmaker for ages and it's on my list for payday. Looking through this thread it seems that the expensive ones are best, but I don't think I can afford that at the moment. Has anyone got one of these?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4225702.htm

Morphy Richards Compact Breakmaker

If so, is it any good?

I've got a morphy richards and it is fine. I had mine (stainless steel one) from Asda as sometimes they are on sale and Morrisons sell breadmakers so its best to shop around. i wouldnt bother with a very expensive one unless you are certain you want to use any additional programmes it might have.

alikat_3

Personally, I found it too much bother, so next time I do a carboot my breadmaker which my aunt gave me, will be coming along with a price ticket on it. I would imagine their are many little used breadmakers to be found at carboot sales for the same reason, so would not buy new.

apple_mint

I have to say, that when I make a packed lunch with my HM bread (ala panasonic) I much prefer it to the 'set business lunch' meals offered at work (a bribe for making you work through lunch break). I eat mine before I go in and just pick up the salad bits. I know it would be more economical to eat what is offered free, but I prefer the taste, and to know what I'm 'acutally' eating.

Mumofthreeboys_2

Couldn't agree more with these posts. Every home should have one. My BM is invaluable. We do the same as Debbym, make pizza's, the kids love 'em. My BM is going every day making bread, but the list of other things you can do in it is endless.

squiggles

MinnieSpender wrote:

I've been after a breadmaker for ages and it's on my list for payday. Looking through this thread it seems that the expensive ones are best, but I don't think I can afford that at the moment. Has anyone got one of these?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4225702.htm

Morphy Richards Compact Breakmaker

If so, is it any good?

this is the model i have,to be honest i did want a panasonic like everyone else but this was free using my boots points.The bread i make is lovely but i have adapted to recipes to suit me as the ones that come with the BM just dont rise for me.

providence

hilary1 wrote:

Also some bread is over £1 a loaf now and I dont think it cost anymore than that to make your own once you've started to collect the ingredients, plus you can make any flavour bread you want, cakes, jams etc.

The bread I love (Hovis Country Granary) has just gone up from 99p to £1.20, which is ridiculous for a loaf of bread, I am on the look out now for a BM to make my own bread, I trained as a chef and so can make it from scratch without one, but it is just having the time

debtworrier

Well, my Breadmaker (saved up for the Panasonic after reading all the threads) arrived this Friday, and I've spent the weekend using it. The first loaf was a failure, but that was because I was so tired on Friday evening that I just had a bit of cold chicken from the fridge and then went to bed and slept like the dead for three hours. Two minutes after waking up that BM was out of its box!

I guess I must have been a bit sleepy though, because I mis-read the recipe and only put in about a fifth of the water I should have, so woke up to the smell of toasted flour on Saturday morning. Oh, well, good to know that the overheat cut-out works...

The wholemeal loaf has come out good - the main reason for going for the Panasonic was that I eat wholemeal for sandwiches at work every day, and the consensus here seemed to be that the cheaper BMs struggled with the heavier wholemeal dough. I'd say that it's not quite as light and bready as my own loaves made by hand, but I didn't have the energy to do the kneading with my busy job - hence buying the robot. I also have a truly **lousy** electric oven that takes 40 mins to get up to baking heat, and I grudge every second that I'm just baking fresh air.

I tried a ciabatta pre-mix next. I'd bought it ages ago, tempted at the thought of making it by hand, but never had the energy. It had gone past it's use-by date by about 6 months, but it seemed worth a go since I'd only be using water and a bit of lekky. It didn't turn out like ciabatta, more like ordinary white with a ciabatta crust, but I guess the yeast was a bit past it. P recommend that mixes are always cooked on the 'fast bake' setting. Does anyone else follow this, or do they use ordinary bake?

While it was kneading the dough, I noticed that my BM was doing a sexy little samba, sliding around on the windowsill that is its home. (I've had to broaden the windowsill slightly by putting a board on it, and it was this board that was slipping about.) While I'm all for letting my little robot enjoy its work, I didn't want it falling off onto the floor, so I cut a rubber washing up glove up into strips and put them between board and windowsill. No more sassy chassis swingin' from my little BM.

The (white) raisin and cinnamon loaf was excellent, and I lingered far too long in the kitchen on Sunday morning, reading, listening to the radio and scoffing half the loaf! Substituting sunflour oil for butter helped to make the bread lighter and more open textured, just like it does with hm bread made by hand.

I think I'll soon have a go at some of these olive or tomato breads, they sound scrumptious.

Angelina-M

providence wrote:

The bread I love (Hovis Country Granary) has just gone up from 99p to £1.20, which is ridiculous for a loaf of bread, I am on the look out now for a BM to make my own bread, I trained as a chef and so can make it from scratch without one, but it is just having the time

Providence that my fave loaf too, I think they were about 69p when I discovered it!

Could you possibly tell me what you are going to use for the grains in it please, and will you be chopping them up etc. Sorry for the questions but as you are a trained chef, you automatically have hero status with me! :A

me_and_me_monkeys

swizzlebabe wrote:

What about gluten free bread in the bread maker? I have eaten very little bread since I found out I couldn`t have gluten. Have had the shop bought stuff ready made, and it was so horrible decided to do with out. You can buy mixes to do in an oven, but £2 per loaf is a bit steep.
Any ideas?

GF bread is lovely!!!!! we make 2 or 3 a week. Doves farm bread mix is a good start - tastes a bit like rice pudding when its hot with butter on, and then I looked at recipes from the MS Society website (look under best bet diet!). I'll look out some of the ones we use and post on here for you!