Bread Maker - worth it?

Angelraesunshine

LOOYATES wrote: »

and dont get me started on the doughnuts!!!!!

dougnuts theres a doughnut recipe please please let me have it lol



I love my bread maker have had it a month now if great and definitely saving me lots of money. Did the tear and share to go with a think soup the other night was FAB

thriftlady_2

I don't think it is worth it

It absolutely is worth making your own bread. You can control the ingredients, the smell of homebaked bread is wonderful and it is much cheaper.

But, I think it is more convenient and economical timewise to bake by hand. It is easy-peasy. I make 4 loaves at a time -about 10 mins mixing, kneading and shaping time and 2hours 40 mins rising and proving time (during which you don't need to do anything) and 40 mins baking. Cool the loaves, put them in plastic bags and store in the freezer.

squeaky

Angelraesunshine wrote: »

dougnuts theres a doughnut recipe please please let me have it lol

I think you'll find it in the Old Style Recipe Collection... or is it in a breadmaking one...? Hmm... hang on while I search it out. Keep an eye on this post and I'll edit the result back in.




Edit:- Doughnuts

oldMcDonald

I also love my breadmaker. I used to have a panasonic as mentioned above and loved her to bits, but sadly she died on me:( I replaced her with the FastBake and she is just as good.

We have a large family and make 2 loaves a day and never have any failed loaves. Making our own bread is also a bonus for me as I have very high blood pressure and I can control how much (lo-)salt is put in. (Have you seen how much salt is in store bread?)

Before I bought my BM I used to make bread by hand like Thriftlady, but I have quite a few littlies about and would always forget the bread was proving and would end up with very 'airy' loaves!!

annie-c

I have one and use it only occasionally. It's nice to have but I doubt mine has had enough use to have saved me money.

chrisico

I have had my Panasonic for 3 years now and use it about 5 times a week. It's great for making rolls, nan bread,pizzas and bread sticks for the children
and sometimes husband(!) to take to work for snacking on. I have only bought shop bread when we go on holiday and am surprised at how pappy and wet it is after our bread.
It saves money in the long run too as it stops me going to the supermarket to buy 'just a loaf' and coming out with extras which I didn't know I needed!

Like Thriftlady, I used to make bread by hand using Elizabeth David as my bible but as I don't have a freezer it was quite expensive to put the oven on to bake one loaf. The Panasonic only heats a small 'oven' and is much cheaper. That said, if the oven is going on anyway I'll often make some dough in the BM and put rolls in too.

I'm not one for kitchen gadgets,I don't have a microwave either, but I would replace my BM instantly!!!

Chrisico

doddsy

thriftlady wrote: »

I don't think it is worth it

It absolutely is worth making your own bread. You can control the ingredients, the smell of homebaked bread is wonderful and it is much cheaper.

But, I think it is more convenient and economical timewise to bake by hand. It is easy-peasy. I make 4 loaves at a time -about 10 mins mixing, kneading and shaping time and 2hours 40 mins rising and proving time (during which you don't need to do anything) and 40 mins baking. Cool the loaves, put them in plastic bags and store in the freezer.

I agree with thriftlady. I have a breadmaker but haven't used it for ages. I can make 4 loaves a week in less time than it takes to get my breadmaker out and clean it afterwards.
I also love to knead my dough, it is very meditative and therapeutic!
doddsy

dubgirl

Thanks doddsy and thriftlady, now you have me thinking again, just when I think I have made my mind up! Got to investigate the options a bit more.
thanks

larmy16

I have the Panasonic SD253 and it makes amazingly good bread so would recommend to anyone. Sadly I don't use it as much as I would like as I am trying to whittle away the spreading waistline.

Triker

I also have the Panasonic SD253, changed my life.

To repeat what others have said, the sense of satisfaction of sniffing that smell of freshly baked bread first thing in the morning is lovely.

Easy peasy to use and clean. Takes hardly any time at all to throw ingredients in and leave to transform. Believe me, 'labour intensive' are two words I refuse to acknowledge.:rotfl:

Has probably already paid for itself in me not impulse buying because I don't have to nip to the shop for bread anymore.:D

You can bake loads of different breads, cakes, pizza bases, all sorts.

Healthier and cheaper.

Added bonus, when looking for your bread flour, you will tend to meet other like minded breadmaker/real bread folk who will chat merrily away and swop recipes whilst your shopping........secret club don't you know