I'm doing a little searching into getting us a bread making machine.I have never used one nor have I ever seen one.. I do buy the frozen loafs at Wal-mart ( comes in a bag of 3 loafs ). Needless to say all 3 loafs are gone in a matter of a few hours, since the loafs are not that big.. I just read on line thru a goggle search on how the machine works, but is that a "special" machine or do all bread making machines work the same ?. This one you place the flour, yeast, water, Etc inside the machine turn it on and you are done. It didn't tell the name of the machine only how to operate it and the time from start to finish which said about 30 mins to 1 hour.( gosh that doesn't seem right to me, as the frozen loafs take a good 30 mins to bake and at least 4 hours to defrost and rise ), But thats what it stated. I really like the way the frozen bread smells as it bakes , but I really dislike the fact the loafs are not standard loaf size bread . If you own or have owned a bread making machine could you please share with me the pro's, con's, hates, loves, worth the money, or simply stick to buying the frozen loafs at Wal-mart.
Oh and also if you can share with me the model of your machine.
TIA. Really looking forward to reading the replies.

I've had one for 13 years and it still works just fine. I'd suggest if you're a member of Consumer Reports you check out their reviews on bread machines. If you're not a member you can PM and I'll see if I can send you a copy. Another place to look would be Amazon.com and read the reviews. Or - King Arthur Flour Company (King Arthur Flour home page) - their entire business is selling flours and baking supplies including bread machine mixes etc. They also sell machines and are careful abou the quality of the machines they offer since well they want you to buy their bread mixes and flours!

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We had one for a while. It was a pretty fancy-pants one too. We didn't like it. Maybe the machines are better now, but with ours, the bread comes out pretty much like cheap supermarket white bread. The crust is flubbery, not crusty. The loaves are uniform size, but they aren't standard bread loaf size and shape.

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We have one-I got it brand new at a rummage sale in the summer for $15. I could take it or leave it really. I have been using it more regularly since the weather has cooled (for bread for soups, stews, etc.), but I haven't found a good recipe to make a sandwich type bread, which is what we go through like crazy. I'm not sure if that helps you at all.

I recently started using ours again. I have an oster bread machine. It works pretty good though I wish I had a quick bread setting. Mine is an older version I got from someone on freecycle. You could also get one for pretty cheap at a thrift store.
Mine takes over 3 hours to make the bread- that's mixing , rising and baking time. I know there are machines that have expressbake settings where they only take an hour or 2.

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Bread machines are great, until you lose interest in them then they are counter hoggers....lol

I would say, maybe ask a few friends if they have one that they aren't using, chances are the answer will be yes. Try it out and see if it's what you want. I would then buy one at a second hand store (in good shape of course). I wouldn't put a huge investment into them. They seem to be novelty appliances, like the George Foreman grills, Showtime ovens, etc.

If you decide you really want one, I would check your local Craigslist or Freecycle.

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I second that. That's how we unloaded our bread machine. (Freecycle)

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

I used to, but gave it away because it took up so much space, and the kneading stage tends to be pretty noisy.

I've tried the recipe at Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day with the technique at Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day » The Best School Lunches start with Homemade Sandwich Bread! and REALLY recommend it. It's about as easy as using a bread maker. Will hopefully be ordering the book soon.

My mom & dad had one. She hated it. I tried it, but the loaves weren't big enough. I go through 3-4 (in winter even more) loaves of normal bread a week. It wasn't very cost effective when I figured out how much each bread machine loaf cost. It was great if I wanted to make specialty breads though. It did take up a lot of counter space. That's why I didn't keep it.
Judy

Thank you so much foryoubabyblue for posting about the artisan bread. I did a search right after going to your link and found a recipe at Recipezaar: The most complete collection of free recipes on the Internet, trusted by home chefs throughout the world. for 5 minute Artisan Bread (Recipe #325571). I'm going to try it. Reminds me of the friendship bread that circulated my way last fall - it was fun but I tired of the sweet bread and the sourdough version didn't work too well for me.

To the OP, I have one - tomorrow, I will say "I had one". I haven't used it in years. It's tucked away so deeply in the cabinets, out of sight, out of mind - it's either going to freecycle or goodwill. Give freecycle a shot. You'll probably enjoy the novelty too (and no better time than the fall for fresh baking bread) but don't pay too much for the fun.

Main con=weight gain!! LOL DH and I definately gained weight after we got ours. That's why I didn't replace it when it broke.

I miss it for pizza dough though.

I have heard many things that gave me the reason why I gave mine up as well.
It takes lots of space, ingredients are expensive, sometimes the loaves do not come out tasting so good, I always want to put tons of butter on it, it would not keep longer than the day it was baked, and it was hard to cut.

HTH

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-Kristi

Thanks everyone for the input. Looks as if its about a tie between the pros vs cons. I'm still debating on whether or not to get one.We do have 3 thrift shops in town, so I'll start there if and when I make my mind up.(I really want to get one if nothing more than to see what "real" homemake bread taste like ). I don't think the cost of ingredients will be too bad since I can buy the flour and yeast in bulk at Sam's Club.The cons do have me worried alt ho, The thought of eating bread thats gummy is so gross to me ( LOL ).I wish I knew s1 that had a machine, but not 1 single person I know does. When they want fresh baked bread they do the simple deed, find a bakery shop and buy it ! LOL.
Again Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply.

Actually, it isn't that hard to make it yourself if all you are after is fresh baked bread. You can mix it and knead it in a bowl and put it over the pilot light on your stove or a heating pad to rise. Then bake it in your oven. If you like it, then you can think about investing in a bread machine. If you just want "nothing more than to see what "real" homemake bread taste like", well, it's really not that complex if you can follow a recipe. Here's one that looks fairly easy and tasty:

Homemade Bread - All Recipes

Good luck! I personally enjoy kneading bread.

I had one when I was younger and didn't like it. Now that I'm older, I have another one and LOVE it!! Just yesterday I threw the ingredients in (and I don't know why someone said they're expensive). I use Bread flour and this recipe was for sweet bread. All it took for ingredients was the bread flour, butter, sugar, yeast, egg, and dry milk (a couple teaspoons). It was delicious. I threw the ingredients in, turned it to the settings I wanted (mine you can bake 1 lb, 1-1/2 lb or 2 lb. loaf), and DH and I went outside to do yard work. When I got inside, my bread was already baked. The house smelled wonderful. This morning, I used what was left from last nite for toast this morning. It was even better this morning than last nite.

I make cinnamon rolls with it (I put the ingredients in and let it get to the kneading and rising part (it has a setting that will just do that and then stop), and then I do the rest of it and put it in oven.

As for it being heavy and taking up space, I don't pay attention to it. I put it in a cabinet where I can just open the cabinet door and get it out and plug it in.

If you really like to bake breads, rolls, pizza dough, then I would say get one. I use it more in the winter than in the summer. I believe too, it depends on the type of bread machine you buy. The older models -- I didn't like. The newer ones are really good.

I have to tell you that I made a loaf of the artisan bread referenced above. It was terrific! And ...... there's dough in the fridge with instructions on how to make those 3 more loaves when we want them over the next week or so. Too cool. So easy. No kneading. It did take time to rise, but other than that, painless.

This sounds exactly like me here. I think I use ours mainly for just the mixing part of it, and then when it gets to the dough part, I take it out and form into rolls. My mom always made bread growing up and it's just something I can't live without around the holidays...the actual making it/rolling the dough into rolls to be baked and the smell of bread baking in the house just brings back that homey feeling to me. I honestly don't actually bake much in it though, I just like using the oven a little more so that I can shape the bread however I want it since we usually like rolls around here and then bake. I also use the Cinnabon copy cat recipe to make cinnamon rolls with it too someone posted on here a few years back, soooo good lol. I apologize for not knowing who posted originally, I usually try to copy the names next to the recipes, but I forgot to post the name next to this one in my recipe files.

Cinnabons (for bread machine)
1 c. milk
1 egg, beaten
4 Tbsp. melted butter
4 Tbsp. water
1/2 box instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz. box)
4 c. bread flour
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 pkg. yeast

Filling
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. chopped walnuts, optional

Place all ingredients in your machine in order recommended by your machine’s manufacturer. Place the pan in your machine. Select the dough cycle and press start. When cycle is finished, remove the dough, knead enough to punch down and roll to 17X10. Combine first three filling ingredients and mix well. Heat in microwave 10 sec. to make it spreadable. Spread over rolled out dough with rubber spatula. Get as close to the edges as possible. Sprinkle nuts over dough. Starting with widest end, roll the dough into tight log. Cut into 1/2-1” slices. (I use dental floss to cut into slices. Much easier.) Place in a lightly greased baking dish with sides. Put in warm draft free place and allow them to raise until double. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. When the rolls are done top with frosting of your choice.

have one but never use it, program it like instruction say and I get a get some kinda brick like block you could build a house with

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