should I keep my bread maker?

[HappyLady]

I received a bread maker as a gift 12 years ago. I've never used it once. Why, I don't know, but there it sits in my pantry taking up space.

 

My DH has used it a few times and honestly, I just didn't care for the bread. My MIL always makes me bread when we visit her and I don't care for that bread either. Could it just be the recipes? Are there any really good bread machine recipes out there?

 

I'm trying to get rid of things I just don't use, but when I brought the bread machine out to put in our donation pile my DH tried pleading its case. :lol:

 

So, keep it or not?

 

If it matters, I LOVE bread. Love is actually an understatement. I don't go crazy eating it, but if I could make a GOOD loaf of bread in my machine I definitely would keep it. I don't care for making bread from scratch because of all the work it entails so I just buy a good loaf of freshly made bread from the store when I want some.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

My rule of thumb for stuff in my house is if it hasn't been used in 2 years (or 1 year sometimes), it goes.

[Desert Rat]

I'm in the same boat. My bread maker is about 12 years old. I've used it a handful of time and hate it taking up so much space. It's in the garage now. I'm waffling on letting it go.

[PhotoGal]

Ours is in the garage, too. I should probably let it go. I would like to learn to make bread from scratch someday. I think it would taste a million times better than bread machine bread.

[Remudamom]

Watch an episode of Hoarders and chunk it out.

[Maverick_Mom]

I'd definitely get rid of it.

 

I put mine away (after storing it on the counter for years) because I'm trying to eat less wheat. The kids and dh love fresh baked bread, so I'll bake occasionally -- but it's not going to be a regular thing. Not that it ever was -- I baked every 2-3 months, maybe more often in the winter. Even that's not often enough to justify it taking up counter space.

[foster_sk]

If you don't use it, get rid of it. Someone would love it, I bet! No need for it to collect dust and take up space in your house.

[Annie G]

If you don't use it, get rid of it. Someone would love it, I bet! No need for it to collect dust and take up space in your house.

 

:iagree:

[trafal]

I don't like taste/ texture of bread made in the bread machine either. However, I found my bread machine makes great pizza dough. Just a thought...

[elfgivas]

i use it all the time for making dough. a few weekends ago, we made bagels, and made the dough in the bread machine. whenever we make naan, we make the dough in the bread maker. ditto hamburger buns, french bread, etc. we have found recipes make a huge difference. we have a copycat recipe for cinnabon, and, you guessed it, make the dough in the breadmaker. it is unbelievably good.

 

approached from a different angle, if something matters to my dh, it stays.

 

fwiw,

ann

[clementine]

I would say, use it once & see if you like it. You may be surprised. Mine gets used almost daily - I've even thought about getting a second one. :)

[bookfiend]

Don't use it for the whole cycle - all the way through to a finished and baked loaf. The machine can't bake properly. Make the bread all the way through the dough cycle. Let it rise once more in your own loaf pan or free form a loaf and then bake in your oven. If you still hate it, at least you can tell DH you gave it a fighting chance for shelf space! Then chuck.

[Prairie~Phlox]

I do own two of them and use them all the time for dough. Pizza dough, cinnamin roll dough, french bread and so on. It saves me a lot of time and money.

[CalicoKat]

I think you should keep it. I personally have 4. :)) I bought them at Goodwill for about $5 each. I run them weekly. Making bread is much cheaper and healthier than buying a good loaf of bread at the store for $5 each. I figure I'm saving us about $15 weekly. We call them our "bread bank."

 

Yes the recipe does make a huge difference. It took me a while to find a white and a wheat recipe that my family likes. We're totally into wheat right now. It's from Hillbilly Housewife bread machine recipes.

 

Easy and Tasty Bread Machine Bread

LaVern’s Bread Machine Bread

1 cup hot water

1 tsp salt

3 Tablespoon oil

3 Tablespoon sugar or honey-I like honey

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

2 tsp. yeast

Put ingredients in bread machine in the order given. I make mine on the whole wheat setting.

This recipe is from my Mom’s friend. They have been friends for 50 years. This will be the recipe I use everyday.

[CalicoKat]

I think you should keep it. I personally have 4. :)) I bought them at Goodwill for about $5 each. I run them weekly. Making bread is much cheaper and healthier than buying a good loaf of bread at the store for $5 each. I figure I'm saving us about $15 weekly. We call them our "bread bank."

 

Yes the recipe does make a huge difference. It took me a while to find a white and a wheat recipe that my family likes. We're totally into wheat right now. It's from Hillbilly Housewife bread machine recipes.

 

Easy and Tasty Bread Machine Bread

LaVern’s Bread Machine Bread

1 cup hot water

1 tsp salt

3 Tablespoon oil

3 Tablespoon sugar or honey-I like honey

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

2 tsp. yeast

Put ingredients in bread machine in the order given. I make mine on the whole wheat setting.

This recipe is from my Mom’s friend. They have been friends for 50 years. This will be the recipe I use everyday.

 

To cut down on prep time I put the dry ingredients in ziplocs in the freezer. Kind of like having a bread mix for the month. I recycle the ziplocs so it's a one time investment.

 

My machines aren't anything special but they do have a crust setting. I always choose "light." Mine are set up in the basement or porch depending on the season. Not in the kitchen.

Edited August 1, 2012 by CalicoKat

[stripe]

I don't own one, but I've been told they knead very well. When they first came out, maybe like 20 years ago, people kept pressing slices of their machine bread into my hand and I hated the smell and taste of it! I think you might be able to use it just to knead, but honestly, if you haven't used it, pass it on!

[justasque]

To cut down on prep time I put the dry ingredients in ziplocs in the freezer. Kind of like having a bread mix for the month. I recycle the ziplocs so it's a one time investment.

 

I've done this, with pizza dough "mix" stored in the large 4-cup yogurt containers. Just add water and yeast and you're good to go.

[LoriK]

To cut down on prep time I put the dry ingredients in ziplocs in the freezer. Kind of like having a bread mix for the month. I recycle the ziplocs so it's a one time investment.

 

What a great idea!

 

I make all of our bread. I use the dough cycle a lot, but sometimes bake in my machine as well, but if I didn't use mine all the time, I wouldn't let it take up space in my kitchen.

[pink&bluemommy]

The secret to a bread machine is that it is only good on the dough cycle!

[ecj98]

Have you tried just using it to make dough and the baking in the oven. I use mine like that all the time, most often for Pizza dough, dinner rolls, and cinnamon rolls.

[*********]

Well, I'm the opposite of a pack rat, so I say get rid of it if you don't use it.

 

But.

 

I bought a breadmaker at the thrift store for a few bucks. I use it to prepare dough. It's handy that way. But then I form, rise, and bake it in the regular oven. We didn't so much care for baking the bread in the breadmaker, either. But it's good as a tool.

 

I have a kitchenaid too, but for a few bucks, it's nice to be able to dump all the ingredients in, walk away, and then not think about it again until it beeps like an hour and a half later. :D

[ereks mom]

If you don't use it, get rid of it. Someone would love it, I bet! No need for it to collect dust and take up space in your house.

 

:iagree: But I definitely agree with the people who've commented that the bread machine is great for making dough. I use mine all the time for pizza/calzone/stromboli dough, and occasionally I make regular bread dough and then bake a loaf in the oven.

[besroma]

I would try it for dough first.....then, if you still don't use it, give it to someone who will (like a young girl learning to bake).

 

My daughter uses ours weekly to make dough for rolls, bread, pizza crust, or cinnamon rolls. She just mentioned this week that she read it makes great dough for pretzels, so I guess that's next! ;)

 

Though I don't prefer it to the bread we bake in the oven, there are days when I do appreciate that we can throw in the ingredients and have a loaf a few hours later.