Bread makers and making bread

[susancollins]

I am interested in making bread and was wondering what the best bread maker to get is? Do you actually save money and have healthy great testing bread. Can you tell me where to buy grains? I read that some people do grain co-ops. If you have any recipes or ideas please share them. Thanks Susan

[Jen500]

I love my Zojirushi. I've had it 10+ years and it still works fine. My family loves homemade bread.

[Truscifi]

My bread maker finally died. :(

 

I have my eye on a Cuisinart bread machine now. I used my old one to make dough, then let put it in a bread pan for the final rise and baked it in the oven so it wouldn't have the hole in the bottom from the paddle (a hole in the loaf is not so good for sandwiches) but the cuisinart has a timer that tells you when you can take the paddle out and still finish the loaf in the machine. That way I won't have to use the oven and make the kitchen hot.

 

And it has a jam cycle. I love jam. ;)

[meena]

I used to have a basic bread machine. It didn't have a lot of features but worked okay. I found I could make better tasting loaves using a Kitchenaid mixer, inexpensive loaf pans, and a good recipe (mine is from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook).

 

I figured out my cost per loaf and it's about even with what we regularly pay for store bought bread. However, my homemade bread tastes much better, and I control the quality of ingredients. It might cost less to make my own if I if I ground my own flour, but I don't currently own a mill. I buy King Arthur flour, and it is pricey. Also, my recipe calls for honey and butter, which increases the price per loaf. If I bought them in bulk it wouldn't be as expensive, but I don't currently have the storage area to stock up when prices are good.

 

Several of my friends who mill their own grains get them from Bread Beckers. There is a link on the Bread Beckers site that shows co-ops in different areas.

 

Making homemade bread, with or without a bread machine, is suprisingly easy and so yummy!

[michmom]

Another vote for the Zojirushi. I have used mine a lot and it has held up well. Here is a link to a site I use for reviews because it summarizes reviews from other sites. It ranks the Zojirushi the highest but gives other options for best budget bread maker, etc.

 

http://www.consumersearch.com/bread-machines?gclid=CKuI64OEwaICFRY75QodXG6Q5g&ef_id=1953:3:s_0aab868f34f22b694bf790e3bb750e0f_3674114932:TCeqcQqoEEMAAHOh8LYAAECU:20100627194553'>http://www.consumersearch.com/bread-machines?gclid=CKuI64OEwaICFRY75QodXG6Q5g&ef_id=1953:3:s_0aab868f34f22b694bf790e3bb750e0f_3674114932:TCeqcQqoEEMAAHOh8LYAAECU:20100627194553'>http://www.consumersearch.com/bread-machines?gclid=CKuI64OEwaICFRY75QodXG6Q5g&ef_id=1953:3:s_0aab868f34f22b694bf790e3bb750e0f_3674114932:TCeqcQqoEEMAAHOh8LYAAECU:20100627194553'>http://www.consumersearch.com/bread-machines?gclid=CKuI64OEwaICFRY75QodXG6Q5g&ef_id=1953:3:s_0aab868f34f22b694bf790e3bb750e0f_3674114932:TCeqcQqoEEMAAHOh8LYAAECU:20100627194553

 

 

If the long link does not work just go to

http://www.consumersearch.com

 

and search for "bread machine"

Lynn

[gpsings]

Everyone has been telling me Zojurishi for years, but honestly...I got mine for 5.00 at a yard sale. It's a Kitchen Aide. A cheap one. I make the dough in it, and then take it out and let it rise again in pans and bake it. Works for us!

(well, until recently, when we decided to cut gluten....whole other story!)

[Forget-Me-Not]

I used to have a basic bread machine. It didn't have a lot of features but worked okay. I found I could make better tasting loaves using a Kitchenaid mixer, inexpensive loaf pans, and a good recipe

 

:iagree: I got a Kitchen-Aid and finally gave my bread maker away after it sat in the kitchen cabinet for 4+ years with once being used again. I especially love that I can make 3 loaves at a time (probably more, but I only have 3 loaf pans :lol:) so I can put some in the fridge or freezer and I don't have to bake as frequently.

 

 

 

(though I admit I've been purchasing bread since it got into the 90s here. . .)

[eaglei]

I used my old one to make dough, then let put it in a bread pan for the final rise and baked it in the oven so it wouldn't have the hole in the bottom

 

I never thought of this! How do you know when it is on the final rise so you can take it out? I don't think my bread machine indicates that. This is something that would be great do to in the winter - not only no hole in the bottom of the bread, but also warming up the house!

[kathkath]

I love my Zojirushi. I've had it 10+ years and it still works fine. My family loves homemade bread.

 

we have one as well, that I inherited from my mom. She bought it in the early 90s. Still going strong though the inside of the bowl is scratched. Unfortunately replacements are no longer available for that model.

[Truscifi]

I never thought of this! How do you know when it is on the final rise so you can take it out? I don't think my bread machine indicates that. This is something that would be great do to in the winter - not only no hole in the bottom of the bread, but also warming up the house!

 

My old machine had a dough only cycle. You could also watch it a couple of times and see how long it takes, then set a timer.

[kalanamak]

I used to have a basic bread machine. It didn't have a lot of features but worked okay. I found I could make better tasting loaves using a Kitchenaid mixer, inexpensive loaf pans, and a good recipe (mine is from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook).

 

I use only the dough hook, then, after kneading, grease the bowl it is already in and let it rise in that. Really minimal clean up, and a KA does so much more than mix bread for you.

 

Here is my "take to party" bread, and I make it into the "wheat head form" so guests can tear off one lump, and don't have to make a bunch of crumbs cutting it.

 

Finest Wheaten Bread from Breads of France by B. Clayton

 

He gives all sorts of complicated instructions, but I find this loaf

very hard to hurt.

Throw together

5 C hard-wheat bread flour

1 T salt

1/4 C non instant nonfat milk powder (soy powder works, too)

1 package dry yeast

2 1/2 C water

1 teas malt syrup (or sugar, but try to do malt...it's superior for this

loaf)

Knead, adding flour as needed, for 10 minutes. Let rise for 3-4 hours

(again, very tolerant bread....I usually put it out on the cool porch

for the night, and take it up again in the morning). Knead one minute,

let rest 15. Shape into baguettes or a round ball.

I let both shapes rise in floured linen. It's part of the finished

product.

Let rise until double, slash, bake at 425 for 30 minutes for a thin

baguette to 45 for a big round. I bake these on a preheated stone and I

throw some water onto the bottom of the oven. Use a pizza peel to get

them in and out. Dont' despair if the baguettes turn into flat tires in

the transfer. They will rise again.

 

For the wheat head pattern take a thin raw bagette just before putting in the oven and snip into the thing at a 45 degree angle from perpendicular about 80-90% all the way through. Move the "tip" you make off to one side. Move down 3 inches and snip again, and bend that tip the other way, so it looks like a head of wheat seeds. These are beautiful when they come out.

 

Pic:

http://www.parade.com/food/recipe-tips/kitchen/images/refimages/bread/prep/shaping/epi/epi_3.jpg

Edited June 28, 2010 by kalanamak

[Georgia On My Mind]

Another vote for Zojirushi Bread Machine. I have had mine for about 7 years and the only things I have replaced are the paddles, which are fairly inexpensive. The machine makes and bakes bread or I can use it to make my free form loaves of any type. I could not do my bread making without it. It not only makes great bread but it saves me the the thing more precious than money, TIME. I can set the "ZO" to mix and bake the bread just when I need it. We can have cinnamon raisin bread ready for breakfast toast or a two pound loaf ready for lunch or dinner with 15 minutes prep and that includes the 3 minutes it takes to grind my grain. It mixes my dough for rolls and pizza as well as tortillas, meatloaf and jams. I call my "ZO" my helper in the kitchen and she never tires or complains no matter what I ask her to do for me. She mixes and bakes in the same pan and doesn't fling flour all over my kitchen and keeps the kitchen cool but fragrant with the smell of freshly baking bread.

 

Sometimes you can find one on Ebay or Craigs list for less than retail and they are very reliable as you have seen on this thread. I, like many, got mine from Bread Beckers (which I am fortunate enough to be able to drive to in less than an hour) but ordered my daughter's online a bit cheaper. We both use ours daily and she would echo my praises as well. I would be glad to answer any questions about "ZO" you might have. I also would encourage you to make your next purchase a mill and some buckets of grain from Bread Beckers. That will drive down the price of your loaves tremendously and add much variety to your baking. Often you can share grain with another baker and reduce the initial layout for the grain. I bought the"Zo", mill, start up grains, yeast and honey from Bread Beckers. I only buy grain once a year now. The initial startup cost for bread maker and mill were the greatest cost but I had birthday money and Christmas money saved up and only had to use my grocery budget for the grain which wasn't too bad. I encourage you to be creative to get your "Zo" and start saving for a mill.

 

Oops! I forgot to tell you about the WTM for bread bakers and just as addictive: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/ You can get more ideas than you can ever bake from this forum and ask questions as well. Hope you enjoy this forum.

Edited June 28, 2010 by Georgia On My Mind