# Bread Machine or Not?



## Studhauler (Jul 30, 2011)

I have never made a loaf of bread in my life, but I should, and probably will after a good recipe for wheat bread in posted on the other thread. What is the fascination with bread machines and why are some so against them?


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

I really like the machines. It's fast and easy.Set it up, and walk away. Come back in a while and eat fresh,warm bread. What is not to like? If I had all day maybe I'd do it the old way but that's why we now have machines.Even someone like me can make bread without screwing it up! I have tried breads other than white bread but without success.I'm sure it's not that hard if you stick to it!

Wade


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## Marcia in MT (May 11, 2002)

I had a bread machine once. I figured out how to make a Not Quite White loaf that we liked, and did ok with mostly whole wheat. It also worked well for making just dough.

But I gave it to my daughter when I decided that I preferred making bread with the mixer. That machine gave me more leeway in adding different ingredients, like leftover vegetables and different flours. And the bread machine loaves were a little too small for our family of 4.

Now we're back to a 2 person household, and I am learning to make bread dough in the food processor. But I still like the mixer!


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

We have an old one that we use to make dough, we don't like the loaf it makes and don't eat much loaf bread. Let it mix and rise, take out and make pizza dough, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls and/or a loaf in the oven....James


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I love my bread machine, but don't use it to bake the bread. But for mixing and the first rise it's a lifesaver for me. I just put in the ingredients, set it for "dough" and walk away. When the timer dings, I dump the dough out, form it into two balls, cover and let rise a second time and bake in the oven. I do not want to go back to mixing and kneading by hand -- too time consuming and it hurts my back.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

It's such a time saver. We make the whole loaf in the machine, having the paddle in the bottom of the loaf is a bit of a loss, but we just use those bits to eat with soup. Another plus is it doesn't heat the house up in the summer!


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I have a bread machine, and almost never use it. I don't like having a hole in my bread. Plus, no matter what I've tried, the loaf always falls. But I can take the same exact recipe, make it by hand and get a beautiful loaf. So the bread machine just sits there gathering dust.


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## Shoestringer (Oct 18, 2013)

Had one but really prefer to make it myself. There is so much more of a variety of recipes and I just feel a bit hinky about any machine doing things for me. 

When we had one though, it was a treat to set the timers on the coffee maker and the bread machine so we could wake up in the morning to a fresh pot and a nice warm loaf of bread!


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## Studhauler (Jul 30, 2011)

With a bread machine I get a hole in the middle of the loaf? :shrug: That would be like trying to keep jelly on a donut. :hair


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## Shoestringer (Oct 18, 2013)

Yep. The mixing paddle or paddles get baked into the loaf and don't come out until it's done. Some will just use the machine to knead the dough and then bake in the oven to get a more classic loaf.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I like the texture of hand made bread soooo much better! I finally figured out an easier way to knead. I used to knead it on the counter, but it is so much easier to knead it in a bowl. I sit down with the bowl in my lap and fold the dough over with my right hand and then turn the bowl around with my left to position the dough for the next fold. I don't knead quickly...that seems to toughen the dough. I pause and let the dough rest quite often. I also find that most folks over-knead their dough. Actually that may be the problem with bread machines....they overwork the dough.


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## Cookie2 (Feb 21, 2014)

I've made bread both ways and I have no problem with bread machines. A bread machine is a convenience appliance, that is all.

Handmade bread is a learning process. Be prepared that there will be times when it doesn't work out, especially when trying a new recipe. A failed loaf doesn't mean the recipe was bad or you did anything wrong. It just means it failed. All you lost is time and a few cents in flour and a bit of other ingredients. A failed loaf means you should try again.

Expect a couple of failed loaves with a new bread machine. For some reason the machine needs to get broken in. We have a Zojirushi machine which I like because it has a gluten-free bread setting. Since I'm GF, using a bread machine means I can make bread for the family without having to personally hande the dough.

If you have children, a bread machine is a good way to give one of the kids a chore. They get a sense of accomplishment and are doing something for the family by learning to make the bread.

The only downside to bread machines that I can see is that they use electricity.


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## sn4k3grl (Feb 25, 2014)

I think it depends on what kind of bread you are making. If it is a conventional yeast bread, it should be fairly do-able in a bread machine. I think quick breads can be done too. One downside I can see is, when you kneed by hand, you can feel if the bread is done or not and add more flour is needed; whereas with a machine, you don't have control over that. I make sourdough and, though I have read about it working in a bread machine, it's not something I am willing to buy a machine to try. Plus, for a nonconventional yeast bread, I don't know if the rising time in a bread machine would allow the flavors to develop sufficiently.


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## Werforpsu (Aug 8, 2013)

I do both 

I actually love making bread by hand Having flour all over me and getting a work out is part of the fun for me. 
There are certain recipes I use by hand and certain recipes I put in the machine. The machine is awesome when I am going to be gone for the day and want to come home to fresh bread. people also like it for fresh bread at breakfast. I like being able to have hot, fresh bread when guests are over without the kitchen mess associated with handmade.
I love using the "dough" setting for the rising. this is especially convenient if because of time of year etc you can only get bread to rise in a warm oven. during the summer when you can have it rise in a sunny window or on the porch, I like using my kitchenaid with the dough hook.

I think there is merit to learning how to bake bread by hand just so you know how to do it.


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## Studhauler (Jul 30, 2011)

Wow:rock: look at all the users with low posts. Thanks to everyone that replied. It looks like it boils down to personal preference.


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## cabingrl11 (Jan 10, 2014)

We use ours once and a while and the bread comes out okay. The only problem is that the loaf comes out almost like a giant cube so you are left with these massive slices! My kids eat 99% of the bread in this house and the slices are far too big for a little pb&j. You can't really divide each slice into halves or fourths either because the crust is super hard and the inside is super soft so it just falls apart! I would say the pros are: easy, if you really want "homemade" bread it takes the work out of it. Cons: Don't like the slice size/shape/hole in the bottom/and the machine is very clunky and heavy!


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

Studhauler said:


> Wow:rock: look at all the users with low posts. Thanks to everyone that replied. It looks like it boils down to personal preference.


The "personal preference" is simply the folks that make bread the old way enjoy doing it where as someone like me that don't know how or have time to can still use the machine and enjoy fresh bread!


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

Studhauler said:


> Wow:rock: look at all the users with low posts. Thanks to everyone that replied. It looks like it boils down to personal preference.





cabingrl11 said:


> We use ours once and a while and the bread comes out okay. The only problem is that the loaf comes out almost like a giant cube so you are left with these massive slices! My kids eat 99% of the bread in this house and the slices are far too big for a little pb&j. You can't really divide each slice into halves or fourths either because the crust is super hard and the inside is super soft so it just falls apart! I would say the pros are: easy, if you really want "homemade" bread it takes the work out of it. Cons: Don't like the slice size/shape/hole in the bottom/and the machine is very clunky and heavy!


My machine says to remove the loaf and let cool on a bakers rack which I always did. One day I didn't get back in the house on time and the bread had cooled in the machine. I thought I must have ruined it. When I took it out the only thing that was different is that the crust was not hard like all times before. It came out so soft crusted it was like store bought bread. This might also work in your machine. Just a thought.

Wade


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## cabingrl11 (Jan 10, 2014)

I have tried cooling in and out of the machine and it always seems to have a hard crust, but thanks for the tip. I'm probably just using a bad recipe...or it's just me!


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## unregistered358895 (Jul 15, 2013)

I have carpel tunnel, two businesses (=2 full time jobs), a toddler, a house to keep up, and a mountain of laundry. I LOVE my bread machine because I can have homemade bread without killing myself.

Yes, I preferred hand-made bread, and the consistency when making by hand is better IMO. But I just can't do it with our life as it is, and it's far superior to store bought.


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## jalynn73 (Mar 17, 2014)

For a soft crust on either type of bread, remove while still warm and brush on melted butter. Once the entire loaf is coated, place the loaf in an air-tight container to cool. The crust will absorb the moister and be the softest crust you have ever had.


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