Was buying a breadmaker a good idea?

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JustJoel

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I just bought a breadmaker on line. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'm apprehensive. I don't know jack about breadmakers! Do you have to use prepared mixes to make the bread, or are there recipes out there? Do you have any advice or stories that can help me out?
 
Don't be apprehensive. A bread machine is a lot easier than making bread without one.

A bread machine is a great way to simplify the bread making process. Your new machine will come with recipes you create from scratch ingredients. Also, there are many recipes online and in cookbooks.

You can also use the machine to mix, need and proof the dough then bake it freeform or in a different pan.

And, if you have hand or arm problems that would make kneading bread dough difficult or impossible, the machine makes it possible for you to still make bread.
 
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+1 to everything Andy said. I've made dough for sandwich bread, cinnamon-raisin bread, yeast rolls and garlic bread sticks in the bread machine and then baked them in the oven. It's a nice time saver and convenience for making many kinds of bread. It will come with instructions and a recipe booklet and you can find many more recipes online.
 
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I just bought a breadmaker on line. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'm apprehensive. I don't know jack about breadmakers! Do you have to use prepared mixes to make the bread, or are there recipes out there? Do you have any advice or stories that can help me out?

Get one or two of the many bread machine cookbooks that are available and go for it! There is no need to buy expensive mixes. The best thing about automatic bread machines is that you don't need to know anything about it. They do 95% of the work.
 
NO! :LOL: Well, it's fine idea, but you need willpower to make sure you don't expand like a ball of rising dough. ;)

All the advise is spot-on, Joel, but I want to repeat what Andy said:
...You can also use the machine to mix, need and proof the dough then bake it freeform or in a different pan...
We never enjoyed the dense, blocky, small excuse-for-a-loaf-of-bread that my old, basic Regal machine turned out. Learning that I could use the "dough" setting, then proceed with baking a real loaf of bread, completely changed the game for me.

King Arthur Flour has a number of recipes to make with a bread machine. I've also found helpful information on the blog "Bread Machine Diva", although I haven't used any of her recipes...yet.

One final tip: if you like butter on your bread, get the good stuff like Kerrygold, Finlandia, or from a local dairy. Your taste buds will thank you.
 
I can jump in on the bread machine discussion with tons of experience/advice.

I bought my first bread machine at a Black Friday sale in 1999. I still have it and use it regularly since I make all our bread products. However, it has only made bread the the "bread machine way" about 3 times in all those years.

Those few times cured me of the boxy loaf with a deep belly button in it's center. I decided that the bread machine was my best friend when it came to kneading the dough and providing the first rise. No fuss, no muss, no bother. The machine could do the heavy lifting while I was able to spend my time doing something else. Win, win here.

I learned that all my regular bread recipes could easily be made in the bread machine. The plus, I discovered, is that my recipe for 2 loaves of standard loaf bread could be done in the bread machine on the DOUGH cycle. Again, the machine did all the kneading and first rise. Once done here, I simply shape my loaves, put into pans and set for final rise. This way I get two loaves instead of one.

A few years ago, a friend of mine tasked me with baking baguettes for a fundraiser for the university at which he is a professor. In the end, I made
over 100 loaves in 10 days. Without my bread machine this would've been impossible.

I have never come across any bread product recipe that can't be relatively easily adapted to a bread machine. Most often all the kneading and the first rise can be done in a bread machine. The remaining part of the recipe done by hand.

Additional information...over the last several years I have developed severe arthritis in both my hands. Without my trusty bread machine(s) I could NOT make bread of any kind.

If you noticed, I said machines in my last sentence. That's because I have two bread machines and, often, use them simultaneously. The baguette escapade was one such time.

They often get pressed into service during the holidays and times when I want to stock up on several types of bread.
 
I just bought a breadmaker on line. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'm apprehensive. I don't know jack about breadmakers! Do you have to use prepared mixes to make the bread, or are there recipes out there? Do you have any advice or stories that can help me out?

Use prepared mixes at first, just to keep it simple. It may take you a couple of tries to do that even, to meet expectations.
 
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I have never used a pre-made mix in my bread machine. It's not necessary at all. Flour, yeast, water and salt are all you need to start with.
 
I love my bread machine. As the the matter of fact I love it so much, I don't ever touch it.;)
It's been sitting in garage for the last 15 years. :LOL:
 
Question from the peanut gallery - If you are using the bread machine just to knead the dough, are there any benefits over a stand mixer?

I don't use the bread machine only for kneading. I use the DOUGH cycle which does the kneading and puts the dough through the first rising period.

Most (or many) bread recipes begin that way and once done with the initial rising, the dough is formed into whatever product is desired...rolls, loaves, etc.

Using the bread machine allows me to add the necessary ingredients and simply walk away until the cycle is complete.
 
What Katie said. The dough cycle on mine mixes the initial ingredients, then lets the dough rest for (I think) 10 minutes. Then it kneads the dough and the temperature inside the machine increases, which helps the dough to rise. All this takes about an hour and a half. Then shape, let rise again and bake.

Btw, a couple years ago I bought a bread machine and two bread-machine cookbooks at a yard sale, all for $3.
 
What Katie said. The dough cycle on mine mixes the initial ingredients, then lets the dough rest for (I think) 10 minutes. Then it kneads the dough and the temperature inside the machine increases, which helps the dough to rise. All this takes about an hour and a half. Then shape, let rise again and bake.

Btw, a couple years ago I bought a bread machine and two bread-machine cookbooks at a yard sale, all for $3.

Yep, yep, yeppers.

My second bread machine came from a thrift store for $2. I've bought no fewer than 6 for friends and family, all quality machines and nearly new, for no more than $4. each.
 
Oh, the carbs. I can’t have a bread maker in the house. I do not have that much willpower. The smell of fresh bread in the house, is to die for... (I stole that line from my teenage daughter.) Bread machines are worth every penny. The recipes you will try are going to cause you to enjoy pumpkin bread, banana bread, wheat bread, white bread, and more.
 
I used it like many of the others for kneading and proofing first rise. Once it broke, didn't replace, just started using the Kitchen Aid for the kneading if I didn't feel like doing it myself. The newer oven we had bought by that time has a proofing function so I started using that. I'd occasionally bake a loaf in it, but we generally like a bit of a crispier crust than the machine would give, which is why I would finish it in the oven.
 
I love my bread machine. As the the matter of fact I love it so much, I don't ever touch it.;)
It's been sitting in garage for the last 15 years. :LOL:
Can I ask why? And have a $150 NuWave oven that my husband bought for me; I don't know what possessed him to buy it. I never wanted it; its huge, complicated to set up, it's basically a white elephant. But we've been hauling it around the entire Southwest for over 5 years! Ya gotta laugh!
 
My goodness! Thank you for all your responses! I've been looking for a cooking chat website that's actually active, and I've found it! And I'm much more confident about my bread maker purchase, and looking forward to the smell of fresh bread cooking.
 
Dude, you have a serious bread addiction. You need an intervention and you should join YAA, yeast addicts anonymous! But until you find a chapter near you, may I suggest Zingerman's bakery and deli online? Best quality breads of all kinds delivered to your door! Challah, ryes, and the MOST amazing chocolate cherry bread! And no , I don't work for them, nor am I being paid to advertise their services or products. I just love their bread (and anchovies, and canned tuna, and olive oil. Www.zingermans.com and yes I'm a shameless food enabler! I was raised by a Jewish mother, you do the math, lol.
 
I'm much more confident about my bread maker purchase, and looking forward to the smell of fresh bread cooking.

A few accessories to consider, for those new to breadmakers:

A plastic tray+cover to store the loaf
A bread knife
A jig to slice a loaf into even slices

All three are inexpensive and readily available on Amazon, and other sites.

I may go back to breadmaking because today's store bought bread slices are getting smaller. A slice of round bologna now sticks out beyond the bread slice. It didn't in years past. :ermm:
 
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Can I ask why? And have a $150 NuWave oven that my husband bought for me; I don't know what possessed him to buy it. I never wanted it; its huge, complicated to set up, it's basically a white elephant. But we've been hauling it around the entire Southwest for over 5 years! Ya gotta laugh!

Honestly, laziness and lack of time also I hate reading instruction. I asked my wife to do it, she did not, after seating on the counter for 3 or so month I put it back in the box and put it in garage i think. Never looked back. Stupid, honestly. I like making bread. Do it by hand nowadays.:ermm:
 
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