Bread Maker - worth it?

pigpen

I've done 2 wholemeal loaves now and a white loaf is cooking merrily.. only another 2 hours! lol

Even my oldest boy likes the wholemeal loaf and my 2 oldest daughters are devouring the latest wholemeal loaf as I type.. I swear these children are ducks in disguise!!!

I am making oat bread after this white loaf.. for hubby.

Does anyone have a foolproof recipe for a loaf using rice flour or rye flour?? Or anything gluten free??

Thanks in advance!!

(off to bake my mother a christmas cake!!)

Joolzr68

Yes Sparky I think you should start with the basic loaf first in your BM. It would be best to see what kind of loaf this BM turns out before you try experimenting. If the loaf is decent then you've got your self a real bargain seeing as it was free !! Then perhaps get some seeds and stuff and try different amounts each time you cook a loaf. I find pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and poppy seeds all go well together. I also tend to use half white flour and half wholemeal to make a lighter loaf like some of the others on here.

Oh you'll have such fun ! :T

Hunnymonster

The current fave in this house is courtesy of Panasonic Australia.... Mexican Chilli Loaf (only large one here - too much chew on to post all 3 sizes)

Easyblend yeast 1½ tsp
White Flour 520g
Salt 2 tsp
Milk Powder 1½ Tbsp
Butter 20g
Sugar 1 Tbsp
Chilli Powder ½ tsp
Tomato Purée 1 Tbsp
Sweetcorn ¼ cup
Cumin 1 tsp
Oregano 1 tsp
Water 330ml

The SD252 celebrates it's first birthday next month and has so far made in excess of 150 loaves, dough for 80 naan breads, dough for 12 pizzas - but most of all made us chuck out the microwave (lack of room and only ever used it to reheat rice)

Sparky67

Well, I picked up me freebie BM, cleaned it up and gave it a go - it's a Hinari. I got the stuff for basic white loaf, although I did throw in a few seeds at the appropriate time - and it came out OK! It's like - well, a real loaf! :T

OH said it was a bit stodgy but then he was given the crusty end piece which we normally don't eat, and it was still probably a bit too warm, but definately edible! :rolleyes:

Can't wait to try something else now... :j

Sparky67

Hi guys - I'm back after a week of playing with my new toy and I have a few questions...

White loaves are coming out ok, but yesterday I tried my first wholemeal - it rose but looks sort of caved in in the middle, and while its edible its ever so slightly.... well, I don't really know how to describe it, sort of damp if you like, but not.... it just feels like it could have done with a tad more cooking/drying out (I used the wholemeal setting) - do both these things indicate that the mixture was too wet? I measured the ingredients exactly (I've even bought a new measuring jug with more accurate markings for adding the liquid) I added seeds, if that makes any difference? Oh, and I've read something about adding Vit C, but wasn't sure how much or why, so didn't do that....

I'm definately considering upgrading - this one has no timer facility and only 1 hour keep warm, so I'm limited to only cooking when I know I will be here about 4 hours later, so I can't set it overnight or while I'm at work, and you can't tell where it is in the cycle so if you miss the beeps, you don't know - the other day I was making a currant bread but the beeps must have happened when I popped outside and by the time I realised I must have missed them it was too late to add my bits.

Also, once its finished its difficult to tell unless you hear the beep - is this something with all BMs or do some tell you where they are in the cycle or indicate they have finished with something less transient that a few beeps that you might miss...

Its great idea if you can try before you buy as you don't necessarily realise all these little things until you have a go...

Oh, another thing - do the more sophisticated BMs make loaves that are real loaf shaped rather than cuboids! No sooner have you started slicing it than I seem to be struggling trying to cut the end bit into sensible slices rather than doorstops!

Thanks in advance!

davsidipp

well there is only three of us at home at the moment but still make a loaf a day , my panasonic is the best money i have spent on a small electrical which i use all the time and it does not get shoved to the back of the cupboards like the coffee makers etc.

dubgirl

Hi, watching the local news tonight about the increase in food prices due to flooding etc here and abroad and that even prices of wheat will increase. They were talking about a loaf of bread being £1.45 and I am now wondering if it is worthwhile getting a bread maker - would it be cheaper? I'm guessing if even if the price of flour rises, it may still be cheaper to bake my own loaves.

LOOYATES

hi there, ive had my breadmaker for years, and i suppose it depends on what type of bread product you eat, but i make all kinds of rolls. ive saved the most on pizzas, once you have made pizza dough you will never buy a takeaway again. i can get 3 x 12 inch pizzas out of one mix that only uses up 4cups of flour. i use the smartprice flour and cheap veg oil its never failed me yet!!! id recomend one to anyone. and dont get me started on the doughnuts!!!!!

squeaky

Yes it's worth it, and always will be.

For much more on this subject, and any other question you may have - see the many threads collected here:-

The Complete Breadmaking Collection

dubgirl

Looks like i'm already swayed by the two responses to far, gonna have to start checking freecycle, ebay and the local ads.