Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Breadman Bread-Machine Review

My Mother-In-Law gave me a Breadman bread-machine for Christmas last year, and I absolutely love it.  It’s my first bread-machine, so I don’t really have a good point of reference to say it’s better than others, but she has the same one, and it’s her second one.  The first one was a different brand, and she said it just didn’t hold up as well.
My mom had a bread-machine when I was a teenager, and all I remember about it was that it didn’t seem to work very well.  It kind of put me off of the idea of bread-machines for a while. But last year, I had a fairly big health scare, and have been trying to avoid soy since then. Trying to avoid soy is a monumental task because it’s in pretty much everything, even most breads.  I finally found two different breads in the grocery store that didn’t have soy, but they were about $6.00 a loaf, and they really weren’t that good.
I’ve also started reading a lot of blogs about cooking, cooking on a budget, and making slightly better food choices.  Quite a few of them mentioned bread-machines, and I found some bread-machine recipes that looked really good.  The idea of making home-made bread seems a little intimidating, and very time consuming to me, but the idea of dumping ingredients into a bread-machine and coming back to fresh bread in a few hours seemed wonderful.  So I put a bread-machine on my wish list.
French Bread w/ Rosemary 
The bread-machine has been wonderful.  The breads are delicious, and the ingredients are all things I can pronounce.  I really hate math, so I haven’t taken the time to figure out the cost per loaf based on the ingredients.  I do know that a bag of flour isn’t $6.00, and we get a lot more than one loaf from a bag of flour, so I think it’s definitely cheaper than the bread I was buying before.
You have to measure very carefully, and the machine moves around a little bit (don’t put it on the edge of the counter) during the kneading process.  It’s largely just put your ingredients in, push a few buttons, and come back later, which I love.  Oddly enough, you have to stir the ingredients during the Quick Breads cycle.  I didn’t stir the first time I used that cycle and ended up with a floury mess, but it has been fine when I follow the instructions and stir. 
This bread-machine has a delay feature that I love.  You can delay the baking by up to 24 hours as long your recipe doesn’t have dairy products, or anything else that can spoil quickly.  I always make a lot of soups and stews in the slow cooker during the colder weather, and it’s wonderful to be able to set the timer on the bread-machine so that we come home to hot soup and fresh, warm bread. 
All in all, I have to say if you’re considering a bread-machine, go for it.  It seems to be a good investment, especially if you’re trying to avoid certain ingredients in your food.   Breadman seems to be a reliable brand, and has some great features including the delay setting, a fruit/nut dispenser, and the ability to customize and program your own settings. 

16 comments:

  1. I want one of these!! Yummmmm. Happy A to Z.

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  2. Oh nice! I've thought about a bread machine but always chicken out for some reason but homemade bread is one of my favorites.

    Not sure what's a quick bread. Do you have to stir all recipes or just those?

    Happy A to Z-ing!
    ~Anna
    My A to Z: Body Beauty.

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    1. You should definitely get one! It's nowhere near as intimidating as I thought it would be.

      A Quick Bread is more like the sweet breads (pumpkin, banana, etc) that you make using all purpose flour, baking powder/soda, etc. They don't usually have yeast, and have relatively quick baking times. The cycle doesn't allow for kneading and rising - just stirring and baking.

      The only recipes I've come across that need to be stirred are the quick breads. All of the other recipes seem to involve just putting your ingredients in, pressing a few buttons, and then coming back to fresh bread in 3 - 3.5 hours.

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  3. I've always contemplated a bread machine, sounds like I should be putting it on my wish list! And now I am hungry for fresh bread :)
    From AtoZ at The Five Dog Blog

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    1. I think it's a great kitchen appliance to have. My kitchen is small, but it definitely earns its counter space.

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  4. I used to have a bread machine but it almost wasn't worth it--the bread was gone so fast! ~MPL

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  5. I've recently started baking, but bread isn't something I've tried yet. It may come up on my list of to-bakes, at some point this year.

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    1. It's great to have home-made bread, you should give it a try.

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  6. Most everyone appreciates homemade bread. It's a wonderful comfort food and the bread machines of today make it very easy. I enjoyed your post...especially since I have been using a bread machine for quite a few years. I make my own gluten free bread about every 10 days to two weeks. The Express Bake feature is perfect for this wheat free flour mixture as it takes less kneading time and rises perfectly for a really nice loaf. I bake it an extra 8 minutes for a browner and firmer crust. Visiting from the AtoZ List. Nice to meet you.
    Sue at CollectInTexas Gal

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    1. I haven't tried any of the gluten free recipes yet, so thanks for the tip. I know I'm a little late to the bread-machine party, but I feel like I'm trying to make up for lost time.

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  7. I would imagine it would be less expensive to make your bread as opposed to buying the loaf, especially if you are trying to avoid soy. I bet it smells good when the bread is cooking! We had a bread machine a few years ago but didn't do much with it. Good review!

    betty

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    1. I do think it's less expensive than the soy free bread, and definitely worth it for the peace of mind. I think it helps to have some good recipes. I'm fortunate that my M-I-L has the same bread-machine so can point me toward the recipes that work well in it.

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