Bread making machines, any preferences? Which is the best?

[Yvsa]

How many recipes in their instruction manuals?

I'm thinking these may have been discussed before but not for sure whether on their own thread or one that had veered as we often have such a tendency to do.

Anyway the reason I'm asking is it looks like we may be forced to buy a bread making machine in order to be able too have bread without sugar, in some form or another, being one of the leading ingredients.

One of our local supermarkets bakes a delicious bread with no sugar in any form listed in their ingredients, that I've been able to find anyway. The problem is that salt is listed pretty close to the beginning although it doesn't seem to be a problem with my swelling when we eat it....
The big problem with it is its cost at a bit over $5.00 for a bit over a pound loaf.... I'm thinking that with a bread machine we could make it considerably cheaper.....:thumbup:



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[tiguy7]

I have a Panasonic bread maker that I bought at a garage sale. It is a model SD-BT 2P. I am impressed with the ease of use. I buy bulk yeast, store it in the refridgerator, and weigh it out on a gram scale. I don't know if this model is still available. You can program it to come on in the middle of the night and wake up to the smell of hot bread.

 

[Ryan M]

I would recommend making the bread by hand, if you have the patience for it. I think it tastes better that way, compared to a machine.

Anyway, I dug through my grandma's old recipe books, and the healthiest recipe I could find (no milk, very very little sugar and fat) is one for French bread. Only problem is, it's a lot of work to make!

7 cups all-purpose white flour
2.5 cups water
2 packages yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt (this can probably stand to be reduced to 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1 egg white
a little bit of yellow cornmeal

Mix 3 cups of dry flour together with the dry yeast. Heat 2.5 cups water and add the sugar, salt, and shortening, stirring until the shortening almost melts (120 degrees), then add to the flour and yeast mixture.

Beat with an electric mixer at low speed for 30 seconds, then high speed for 90 seconds, until smooth. Then mix in the rest of the flour by hand until you have a soft dough.

Dump out on a lightly floured surface, and knead by hand for about 10-12 minutes (knead in extra flour, a tablespoon at a time, if the dough is sticky), until elastic and smooth, and squish it into a big ball.

Put in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double (1 to 1.5 hours.). Punch it down, divide into 2 pieces, cover again, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Roll each piece out into a 15 x 12 inch rectangle, then roll it longways, tapering and sealing the ends well, and sealing up the seam. Lightly grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with yellow cornmeal, and put the 2 loaves on that, with the seam down. Gash the tops diagonally every 2.5 inches, 1/8" to 1/4" deep.

Beat egg white until it just starts to foam, add 1 tablespoon water. Brush tops and sides of the loaves with this mixture.

Cover, let bread rise until double again, about 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes on the middle rack. Brush again with egg mixture, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, checking on the bread to make sure it doesn't burn, after the 15 minute mark.

Congratulations, you've made bread, and all that work probably burned more calories than you'll gain by eating it!

 

[shappa]

We like ours tho we don't use it all that much. It is a treat when we break it out.
It came with a booklet that has about a dozen recipes.
Thousands of recipes can be found on the net.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Bread/Bread-Machine/Main.aspx
I don't know of many recipes that don't have sugar. I haven't really looked tho.

Get the larger machine. Saves on having to make the bread so often.

Most of them have the same basic features. A timer, slow bake, fast bake etc.

 

[Kismet]

Yuh nSuh?

look up Paleolithic diet on google. Some interesting stuff. Makes sense that the species developed on a diet of stuff, most of which we no longer eat.

Keeping good thoughts on you.

 

[Nicholas]

Dear Sir:

May I humbly present, The Tassajara Bread Book. Virtually everything I know about baking bread, I learned from this book. (Even sourdough.) I would also suggest that you invest in a Dutch Oven.

Bread machine? What's a "bread machine"?

 

[texalp]

I've been using this no-knead bread for about a year . It works like a charm.
No Knead Bread

Yield: one 1½ lb loaf
3 cups bread flour (I like Harvest King bread flour)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
1 1/2 cups warm water
Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel…something that can go into a 450F oven.)

1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in
a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just
comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover
with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on countertop.

2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky
and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a
floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times
with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can
use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that
the dough does not stick. Generously dust a cotton towel
(not terrycloth) with flour. Set dough seam side down on
top of towel. Fold towel over the dough. Let it nap for
2 hours. When you’ve got about a half hour left, slip your
covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove
pot from oven. Holding towel, dump wobbly dough into
pot. Doesn’t matter which way it lands. Shake to even
dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake
another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden
and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired
rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in
350F oven for 10 minutes. Best way to eat it? Smear a
warm slice with some good butter (Kerrygold and Lurpac
are both found in your grocery stores, usually on top shelf),. Try it Al

 

[Yvsa]

Yuh nSuh?

look up Paleolithic diet on google. Some interesting stuff. Makes sense that the species developed on a diet of stuff, most of which we no longer eat.

Keeping good thoughts on you.

Osiyo Kismet, I've long been fascinated with the Paleolithic Diet but have found we generally can't afford the amount of meat it calls for.
That is unless something has drastically changed about it.
I'll check it out again but it used to be the Paleolithic Diet rule was that you could eat anything you could kill or dig up with a sharp stick.:thumbup:

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[Yvsa]

Thanks for the great bread recipes guys but the reason I was asking about the bread making machines is that my Barbie is 70 and I'll soon be joining her.
I've become considerably more active than I was a few months ago but I still have a great deal of limitations in what I can do so that greatly limits my activity in the kitchen.
With that said it may be possible to use these recipes in a bread making machine but never having one I don't know what's possible with one....
Because of our ages and limitations we need something we can throw the ingredients in, turn it on, and forget about it until the bread is done and ready too eat.:thumbup: And preferably a bread that's extremely low in salt (sodium) and/or (sugar, corn syrup) because it's easy to buy that sort of bread.... :grumpy:

On another note we have a source for Spelt Flour and other old time grain flours that's supposed to be healthier for some folks. We have a daughter that can't eat wheat products but can eat Spelt, Rice, and other grain flours....:thumbup:


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[Piso Mojado]

Thanks for the great bread recipes guys but the reason I was asking about the bread making machines is that my Barbie is 70 and I'll soon be joining her.
I've become considerably more active than I was a few months ago but I still have a great deal of limitations in what I can do so that greatly limits my activity in the kitchen.
With that said it may be possible to use these recipes in a bread making machine but never having one I don't know what's possible with one....
Because of our ages and limitations we need something we can throw the ingredients in, turn it on, and forget about it until the bread is done and ready too eat.:thumbup: And preferably a bread that's extremely low in salt (sodium) and/or (sugar, corn syrup) because it's easy to buy that sort of bread.... :grumpy:

On another note we have a source for Spelt Flour and other old time grain flours that's supposed to be healthier for some folks. We have a daughter that can't eat wheat products but can eat Spelt, Rice, and other grain flours....:thumbup:
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Zojirushi is the Rolls Royce of bread machines. They make two models: a 2-pound machine with a horizontal bread pan and two paddles, and a 1-pound "mini" machine with a vertical bread pan. A vertical pan is a more efficient design, but the loaf has a non-traditional look (think Star Trek) that puts some people off.

The Breadman Ultimate is half the price of a Zojirushi, less if you find one on sale. It is a 2-pound machine that will bake anything you can think of, but you have to put up with some stuff. It has a horizontal bread pan with just one paddle, so you need to help it out with a rubber spatula during the mixing cycle, or dry flour gets stuck in the corners.

Breadman's quality control is not the greatest. My first was DOA with one side smashed in. Its replacement broke ten months into the twelve month warranty. The second replacement is two years old now and working fine, but next time I think I'll buy a Zojirushi.

Beth Hensperger's The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook is the best I've found.

http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Lovers-Machine-Cookbook/dp/155832156X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267320140&sr=1-1

The bread is good. With practice you could do better by hand, but machine bread's defects are mostly cosmetic. If you need to impress someone, take the dough out of the machine just before the bake cycle begins: put it on a baking pan, shape it into loaves, let them rise 20 minutes, and bake in a 400˚ oven for 15-20 minutes. That's how I bake communion bread for my church.

Piso Mojado's Communion Bread

1 12 oz. bottle of beer
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 or 2 teaspoons salt
1 small shallot, minced
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoons Red Star bread machine yeast

1 cup rye flour
2 2/3 cups whole wheat bread flour
1/3 cup blue or yellow corn meal
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

Pour the beer into the bread pan. Add salt. The beer will foam up and go flat, which is what you want. Add oil and honey alternately (it's easier to get honey off the spoon). Stir until mixed. Add rye flour. Add caraway seeds. Add 1 cup whole wheat flour. Add minced shallot. Add corn meal. Add 1 and 2/3 cups whole wheat flour. Add vital wheat gluten. Add yeast. Set machine for 2 pound loaf, whole wheat cycle, dark crust. It will let the flour soak for 20 minutes before it starts to mix. If you have a Breadman Ultimate, come back when it starts mixing and give the poor thing a hand.

This "2 pound" loaf weighs 3 pounds and a few ounces. It makes great toast. It doesn't turn to stone like white bread, but after 5 or 6 days it gets soggy and then it's not very nice. If you want to oven bake some fancy loaves for communion, this makes enough for 200-300.

 

[1066vik]

I've had good luck with the low end Sunbeam, etc... machines.
get one rated for a 2 pound loaf - it'll make smaller if you want.
good luck.

 

[DannyinJapan]

You are correct, Yvsa. This "Paleo Diet" thing, as far as I can tell, was not verified by a single Anthropologist. If you really want to try it, here is my menu: (based on what I remember from grad school) And the real thing is basically free...
Insects
Grubs
Small animals (squirrels, rats, lizards, birds, woodchuck, anything easily snared)
Any non-domesticated fruits and vegetables (which means nothing you buy at the store. Good luck with that one. Maybe wild berries..)
Any wild game animal (don't forget to eat the bone marrow)

I recommend any lo-carb diet, which sadly means I can't get my liebkuchen.
But seriously, lo-carb makes me feel better, even if I don't lose weight, which I do.

 

[Ryan M]

You are correct, Yvsa. This "Paleo Diet" thing, as far as I can tell, was not verified by a single Anthropologist.

Definitely.

I've seen it recommended by some alleged nutritionists, but they've made some incredibly dumb conclusions. Like I pointed out before, the guys at that one university have apparently never heard of salt licks. They apparently believe that our great to the nth grandfathers would run after animals on the African savannah for miles at a time, in the heat of the midday sun, and never consumed salt licks, ever! Of course, if you're not running around like that, a ton of salt isn't very good for you.

In general, your best bet is to do what the doctor says to do, don't do what he says not to do, and other than that, do what makes you happy.

 

[midnight flyer]

To steer this thread back to breadmakers.... I think OP was asking about bread machines and their use, not wanting to make bread from scratch.

When I went on my bread making quest, I had a few bread making machines. I joined a bread making forum, and boy did I learn a lot! I found out quickly that the low end machines were just a waste of time for routine use. The don't mix right, they don't have the power to knead properly, and you can't rely on them to bake properly. And you need a machine that is adjustable to the kind of bread you are making.

The best machine I used (I still have one) I really worked hard. I put about 300+ pounds of bread flour through it before I broke it. I bought a new paddle, and I was back in business for another couple of years. Here 'tis:

Breadman TR2200C (available at Amazon). This link may work: http://tinyurl.com/ylpw8f7

I have made all (I mean ALL) kinds of bread, whole wheat (low power machines mean no whole grains!) to bread pudding and cupcakes. You can even make jelly in the machine, although I have never tried it. Both of mine have been workhorses, and since you can make a 2 pound loaf in it, you aren't baking all the time.

I have a buddy of mine that has a smaller version of this machine and he really likes it a lot, too.

Things to look for in the machine: A horizontal pan gives a more traditional style loaf, and the horizontals seem to mix better. Look for adjustable times and settings. Once you get going, you might find yourself making Italian loafs in it, then the next day make a seeded "toasting" bread.

Buy real bread flour. It makes a stronger dough, gives a better loaf as far as texture, and is much better for you than plain bleached white. I buy mine at Sam's in bulk, and it is pretty inexpensive. But if you really want to save money, buy your yeast at Sam's as well. Even if you don't buy your flour there, you can buy your yeast and save a ton. I buy the vacuum packed brick they sell, and then put it in a clean jar and store it in the fridge. Mine has lasted as long as a year with NO problems.

I got two books that really got me going early on:

Bread Machine Magic, Revised Edition: 138 Exciting Recipes Created Especially for Use in All Types of Bread Machines by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway
(about $10 at Amazon)

More Bread Machine Magic : More Than 140 New Recipes From the Authors of Bread Machine Magic for Use in All Types of Sizes of Bread Machines by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway (also about $10 at Amazon)

Both those books have easy, tasty recipes that cover a lot more than just baking bread. One of the things I really appreciated in the first BMM book was that they explained what the ingredients do when you make bread, breaking it down so you can get ideas on how you would make your own recipes.

If you get bored with that, you can even buy bread machine mixes that are quite good. You add oil and water to the mix, and then turn on the machine. Done.

Although the Breadman turned out a few hundred fine loaves of bread, I now use it as a mixer. That way I can really get creative. I mix half again the amount of dough for a 2# loaf, then turn the dough out in large bowls or baking pans to proof. Then I bake them in the oven.

But when I just want fresh bread with no fuss, all the ingredients go into the machine and I just forget about it until dinner time.

I promise, if you get a good machine you will have a blast.

BTW, I have heard nothing but great things about this maker:

Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker (check Amazon, this may work http://tinyurl.com/ylxqup6 )

it has all the functions and capabilities you need, and is about $70 cheaper than the one I have. The only reason I didn't recommend it, was that I have personally never used it.

Robert

 

[Nicholas]

Just to throw some fat on the fire, if you have the ability to GRIND or mill your flour, that not only increases the number of sources that you can buy ingredients from, the fresh flour is said to be better for you. (I haven't been able to to this, myself, but it sure sounds like fun!)

 

[Piso Mojado]

The best machine I used (I still have one) I really worked hard. I put about 300+ pounds of bread flour through it before I broke it. I bought a new paddle, and I was back in business for another couple of years. Here 'tis:

Breadman TR2200C (available at Amazon). This link may work: http://tinyurl.com/ylpw8f7
Robert

That's the same machine I have! Allow me to quote myself:

The Breadman Ultimate is half the price of a Zojirushi, less if you find one on sale. It is a 2-pound machine that will bake anything you can think of, but you have to put up with some stuff. It has a horizontal bread pan with just one paddle, so you need to help it out with a rubber spatula during the mixing cycle, or dry flour gets stuck in the corners.

Breadman's quality control is not the greatest. My first was DOA with one side smashed in. Its replacement broke ten months into the twelve month warranty. The second replacement is two years old now and working fine, but next time I think I'll buy a Zojirushi.

By the way, my first smashed-in machine's postal box and product box were undamaged: it was shipped broken, from the factory in China or from Salton/Toastmaster in the USA (or both). The Breadman Ultimate is a great bread machine for the price, just be prepared to go through two or three of them to get one that works.

The TR2200C you linked to is a discontinued model offered by someone in the Amazon Marketplace, for what was once the full list price. The current model, which differs only cosmetically, is sold by Amazon and Walmart for half that price:

http://www.amazon.com/Breadman-TR2500BC-Stainless-Steel-Convection-Breadmaker/dp/B000BXD5WQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1267376606&sr=8-2

And it is frequently on sale for $20 less at Amazon, Chef's Catalog, etc. That's what I paid for mine.

 

[Piso Mojado]

I've had good luck with the low end Sunbeam, etc... machines.
get one rated for a 2 pound loaf - it'll make smaller if you want.
good luck.

Never tried it, but it looks like a good one to me. From the photos it looks like it has a vertical bread pan, which IMO is the most logical design. The down side is the "non-traditional" loaf shape, which doesn't bother me:

 

[1066vik]

yes, it's a vertical model - which doesn't take much time to get used to for home use or I'll use it to make the dough, then proof it in a large bowl before splitting into to loaf pans and baking in the oven. (which also means no hole in the middle from the paddle)

 

[Yvsa]

Thanks for the great advice and recommendations one and all, they are very much appreciated!:thumbup:
I sure wasn't expecting to have to pay that much for a bread making machine but like everything else you get what you pay for. :thumbup:


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[johnalex1726]

I usually bake breads and I found it easy and very challenging with the help Panasonic SD-YD250 which is one of the world's best brand in making breads.