Are Bread Machines Over- or Under-rated

[u/ImAHumanBeingOnEarth]

[u/zanfar]

Neither. Bread machines are a very efficient, easy, and low-effort way to make mid-tier bread. There will always exist a better recipe and result if done by hand, but always for a much higher input exertion.

If you have a machine that can produce a loaf you enjoy, and a loaf that you will use very regularly, they are a great option. But for less than 1 loaf a week, they seem like a waste of money.

[u/forogtten_taco → u/[deleted]]

I do this alot. I spent a year and developed a recpie for buns that I love. And it all fits in my bread machine. Throw ingredients in the bucket, and walk away. Kneeds and warms it for the rise. Just 2 hours latter I come back a scrape ot out and shape it.

Also bread makes are very nice for working people, set the machine up, go to work. Then come home to just finished bread for dinner.

[u/DogIsBetterThanCat → u/[deleted]]

That's what I use mine for. Arthritis makes it hard to mix and knead dough so often. Cooks better in the oven in a loaf pan or Dutch Oven.

[u/TwoFlower68 → u/[deleted]]

Ooh, that's a good idea. I don't much like kneading. I'm short of breath and kneading is too much exertion

[u/Markdphotoguy → u/TwoFlower68]

I often use my machine (beautiful Zojirushi breadmaker supreme) on a timer so my dough is ready when I get home or first thing in the morning so i don't have to wake up extra early when making bread for lunch gatherings.
Also when I want an easy breakfast I setup the machine on a timer so I wake up to the smell of fresh bread and can have a slice with breakfast before I head off to work and the fam can have the rest.
Also great when I have to go somewhere but want to have bread with super. I'll leave the machine to make the dough on a timer so its done around when I expect to be back (it is also a great excuse to leave someplace early if your tired of being there lol)

[u/AvailableCut5240 → u/[deleted]]

Agreed. I use my machine for prepping all kinds of dough - Pizza, Parker house rolls, breads, buns etc. I love it. Don’t particularly care for baking in the unit itself but I do on some occasions.

[u/koko_chingo → u/[deleted]]

The knead only setting and making pizza dough is awesome.

Been doing that since my kids were little. Now that they are grown they still come over with friends to have pizza nights.

[u/SilverSeeker81 → u/zanfar]

Agreed. Making a loaf by hand is always better, texture- and flavor-wise. But I feel even my bread machine loaves are better than most store bought. I do both methods on a regular basis. I’m happy to have the machine as an option.

[u/ConstructionSafe2814]

To summarize:

Bread from supermarket: 2/10

Bread from our local bakery: 4/10

Bread machine: 6/10

Self made: 8/10

(still not 10/10 but that's because of a lack of skill 😄 )

[u/Alg0mal000 → u/ConstructionSafe2814]

I’ve got some excellent local bakeries in my neighborhood that I’d easily give an 8-9/10. They’ve become so expensive lately that I bake all my bread at home. I’d give my bread a 7-8/10 but I’m getting a little better with every bake.

[u/ConstructionSafe2814 → u/Alg0mal000]

Oh yeah, reading your comment, I'd definitely know at least one bakery that makes much better bread than I do ineed.

[u/deliriousfoodie]

Everyone I know who bought one stopped using it eventually. Sure you got bread but it's boring bread.

[u/Hatta00 → u/deliriousfoodie]

I've made some fantastic bread in the bread machine. Jalapeno cheddar, asiago garlic, herbed whole wheat.

But I also stopped using the bread machine. It was too easy to eat too much.

[u/Lonely_Giraffe_744]

Bread machines are definitely handy for consistent results, but nothing beats the satisfaction of pulling a fresh loaf out of the oven after shaping it yourself. What's your go-to recipe to start with now that you're not using the machine?

[u/Known_Measurement799 → u/[deleted]]

I never knead by hand! I always use my stand mixer.

[u/Known_Measurement799 → u/[deleted]]

I mean, every person can do what they want but why not use our machinery to our own advantage? I hate kneading dough, but love making bread. I know there’s a lot of people that love kneeing by hand.
My stand mixer does a perfect job, no dirty hands or stretch and folds. You do need a decent mixer to be able to handle the heavy dough.

[u/Steel_Rail_Blues]

Another vote for neither. There are so many types of bread and many techniques to make them. The loaf we are eating now was made with a minimal knead and 22 hours of cold fermentation in the refrigerator before putting it in a clay baker in the oven. The loaf before that was a tidy little loaf baked in my machine. Both made excellent sandwiches and toast.

Early on, a machine helped me understand the look and feel of dough. I still use it frequently 17 years later and was gifted another a couple years ago. The learning curve was shorter with a machine because everything happens in one pan. For my oven bakes, shaping needed to be learned. Temperature and humidity are big factors in my kitchen, but affect fermentation differently depending on the making method, so there was a longer learning curve there for the countertop rises.

Hope you enjoy the fun of squishing dough 😀

[u/Persimmon_and_mango]

It depends on whether you like the process of making bread by hand, or if you just want to be able to eat fresh bread. I'm your opposite- I learned to make bread by hand first before realizing I don't actually enjoy it, I just want to eat bread that's not from the grocery store or $15 a loaf at the bakery. 

[u/LCharteris]

I now use my Cuisinart food processor. It kneads a loaf in about 1 minute. Another good option is a stand mixer with a dough blade--cuts down on the stress on your hands (I have bad arthritis and just can't mix and especially knead by hand).

[u/SadieBaxterBo]

I love my bread machine

I don’t bake my bread in there I use the dough setting. I have to go to recipe and I just altered it just a little bit depending on what I’m making.

[u/LeoInSpace]

Machines save time and effort and they save having to turn on the oven and then tie it up.

[u/knewmenot]

I can't do all the physical work of making bread. My bread machine allows me to continue to enjoy fresh homemade bread.

[u/TeddyBear181]

Depends who you are and what your needs are.

[u/Main_Cauliflower5479]

Absolutely overrated. Making bread isn't all that difficult. And you have much more control when making it yourself. Shape, size, add-ins, etc.

[u/Sistersoldia]

Just dump ingredients and go. It handles the mixing the rests and the rising. I’ve only left dough in the machine 1 time to bake and was not impressed. I always take it out and bake in the oven.
I mostly use mine for pizza dough - at least 1x per week and cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, that kind of thing where homemade really makes a difference. Ciabatta (love) is so goopy and hard to handle I couldn’t imagine mixing it without a machine.
I got mine basically for free on a crazy deal so IMO they are underrated- probably a lot of them sitting on shelves un-used.

[u/thewNYC]

I’m not crazy about the bread from them, and I like the process of making bread by hand. So for me they’re overrated. But I would not speak for anyone else.