To BM or not to BM?

caffeinehit

I made my own bread for the first time this week and it tastes stunning.

I don’t have a breadmaker, but it was still incredibly easy. I used the recipe on the side of the (wholemeal) bread flour packet and the whole thing took about 10 minutes of my time. The bread was ready about 90 minutes after starting.

I’m sure there are many advantages to breadmakers, including the ability to go away and forget about whatever’s baking in there (and I guess they’re more efficient than heating up the whole oven), but since I only cook for myself and don’t eat that much bread, I’m loath to buy another gadget. I’ll make a batch next time and freeze them so as not to waste gas.

Anyone else still do things the stone-age way? Or is there a knock-out argument in favour of breadmakers that I’ve failed to take into account?

Swan_2

I'm so glad you started this thread caffeinehit, I've been wondering the same thing

I've been making my own bread for years, usually in batches of 3 or 6 at a time & I love the whole process

but since I've been reading about Bread Makers I've been wondering if there would be any advantages for me

(I've already been seduced by the Slow Cooker threads )

elona

IF you can make your own bread the proper way without a breadmaker then I envy you.

I got my breadmaker because the dough never rose and I was sick of stuff that was as heavy as a brick!

I got the MR one but am drooling over the thought of a panasonic.

Bossyboots

I only got my breadmaker for the timer function. I have a heavy duty food processor which is perfect for bread dough but I got caught out so often staying late at work that I bought the machine so I didn't have to worry.

Making bread either way suits me particularly as I can no longer knead the dough by hand but putting the BM on in the morning and having bread ready in the evening has become my method of choice these days.

rchddap1

One of the advantages to a breadmaker for us is the Pizza dough setting. It even managed to turn a 'pizza hating' daughter into a 'yum I like this pizza. And I know what its made out of...as I made it' (Yes an MSEr in the making here).

Honestly its a personal choice. If you get great bread without the breadmaker then don't worry about it. I don't have the space, heat or time to allow dough to proove properly, so this is the best option for me.

Curry_Queen

I used to make bread by hand, and to be honest I'd probably prefer to do that even now rather than use a BM. The problem is that my current kitchen is so small that I barely have any free workspace for doing things like that, and it's a huge struggle to even make pastry!

The other thing is that I have RSI in my right wrist (too much PC use! ) so I'd struggle with the kneading when it's playing it up, so for me a BM was the obvious solution

foreverskint

I loved making bread by hand, and thought a breadmaker was a bit of a 'gadget'.
however, since buying my breadmaker, I haven't bought a single loaf from the shops, and have now progressed onto french breads & sour dough breads.

I used to find that making bread by hand was noce but could turn into a chore, so only done on odd occasions. The breadmaker takes all of that effort out and mess. I make loaves that cost around 25p each, they cost over a £1 each from the local bakers.

Yes they do take up space on the worksurface, but i would never be without one now. I'm a complete convert.

Swan_2

elona wrote:

IF you can make your own bread the proper way without a breadmaker then I envy you.

I got my breadmaker because the dough never rose and I was sick of stuff that was as heavy as a brick!

my first effort, white bread rolls, was awful! grey & heavy, but everyone politely ate them anyway

I persevered & eventually got better with practice. but I found particularly with wholemeal bread, the flour you use makes quite a difference, the one I've liked best so far is Dove's Farm. & I get better results from dried granular yeast than fresh or the 'quick' sprinkle on stuff

Bossyboots

My BM says only to use the dried granular, not any of the other yeasts.

For wholemeal, I always had a crushed vitamin C tablet which helps it to rise and makes it lighter.

Swan_2

Bossyboots wrote:

For wholemeal, I always had a crushed vitamin C tablet which helps it to rise and makes it lighter.

yes, that's a great tip & it really makes a difference

1sttimer_2

elona wrote:

IF you can make your own bread the proper way without a breadmaker then I envy you.

I got my breadmaker because the dough never rose and I was sick of stuff that was as heavy as a brick!.

I have a BM - got it as a Xmas pressie - but like elona, I tried making bread OS way but never got it to rise sucessfully.

What I do like about the BM is that you can set it off and leave it, and also time it to be ready when you want it. I usually set it up in the evening and it's ready for when I get up. When you work full time it is a great bonus to be able to have HM bread with the miminum of effort.

Last night, for the 1st time, I did the dough programme and made granary teacakes. They were easier to do than I thought but it took longer than I would have liked as I had to watch the timer for it to rise and then to bake. Having said that they are very tasty and I will do them (or something different) again when I have the time to do it.