Bread machine or no bread machine?

Derek

Banned
I was thinking about getting a bread machine. But I don't know I think I would loose the "home made-ness" of the bread if I went with a bread maker?


Only reason I;m thinking bread maker is the size of my kitchen, It's very hard to make bread but I manage, It's also very hard to toss a pizza.
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
Bread machines are fine if you just want to make one loaf of bread, or if you are pressed for time and want to use the delay feature so you have bread when you get home from work. NOTE: Bread recipes using eggs or fresh milk (aka enriched) cannot be made with the delayed feature. The ingredients will spoil before the bread is made.

I had a machine but took it back because I didn't like the way it baked the bread. I make a lot of free-form loaves (Italian, pumpernickle, rye, challah, Easter bread, etc) and the machine only makes one style of bread. Also, most of my recipes make two loaves, and the machine only makes one every 3 hours or so.

You lose your flexibility with a machine, and you MUST be precise with your ingredients or your bread will not come out as expected. Some people with arthritis and other muscular/skeletal disabilities will use a bread machine to mix and knead their dough, and then bake the bread in loaf pans or shape free-form loaves. They do have their place in the kitchen for many people. Personally, I like my KitchenAid mixer.
 

Derek

Banned
Bread machines are fine if you just want to make one loaf of bread, or if you are pressed for time and want to use the delay feature so you have bread when you get home from work. NOTE: Bread recipes using eggs or fresh milk (aka enriched) cannot be made with the delayed feature. The ingredients will spoil before the bread is made.

I had a machine but took it back because I didn't like the way it baked the bread. I make a lot of free-form loaves (Italian, pumpernickle, rye, challah, Easter bread, etc) and the machine only makes one style of bread. Also, most of my recipes make two loaves, and the machine only makes one every 3 hours or so.

You lose your flexibility with a machine, and you MUST be precise with your ingredients or your bread will not come out as expected. Some people with arthritis and other muscular/skeletal disabilities will use a bread machine to mix and knead their dough, and then bake the bread in loaf pans or shape free-form loaves. They do have their place in the kitchen for many people. Personally, I like my KitchenAid mixer.
Thank you Joe, I'm always precise with my ingredients.
 

Calicolady

New member
I used to use mine for the first kneed and rise. It was great for that. But everything joe said is correct. Plus my pan makes the loaf upright/verticle, with very little top crust when I have used it full cycle. I hate that. But I don't feel the integrity of "homemade" was lost.
 

Derek

Banned
I used to use mine for the first kneed and rise. It was great for that. But everything joe said is correct. Plus my pan makes the loaf upright/verticle, with very little top crust when I have used it full cycle. I hate that. But I don't feel the integrity of "homemade" was lost.
See, That's what I don't want at all.

I still want the home made feel & taste, I will keep making it the old way Thanks guys.
 

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
Derek, I think bread machines are fantastic for making dough - especially since you have a small kitchen so you probably have minimal counter space for kneading, etc. You can make it and let it rise in the breadmaker and just take it out to shape it and bake it in the oven.

Here's a suggestion for you - go to a Goodwill or some other thrift store. They always have them and most of them have only been used once or twice, if that. I've never paid more than $6 for one at a thrift shop. I have 2 and I have bought each of my grown kids one. And if you only use it for dough, the brand or the shape of the pan makes no difference at all!
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
We have a small kitchen as well, space is at a huge premium for us. We do have a bread machine. It is not always used, but often is. When it is used, it is for kneed and first rise, that's it. The dough is then finished by hand.
The biggest exception is pizza dough, DW prefers to do that all by hand and not use the machine at all. Same with several other types of dough she sometimes makes, like for pastys. I think part of this is because they don't need to rise as long as the bread machine would let it go for. But I am not sure, these are her areas here, all of the breads I make are the type that are started in the machine and finished in the oven.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
Derek, I think bread machines are fantastic for making dough - especially since you have a small kitchen so you probably have minimal counter space for kneading, etc. You can make it and let it rise in the breadmaker and just take it out to shape it and bake it in the oven.

Here's a suggestion for you - go to a Goodwill or some other thrift store. They always have them and most of them have only been used once or twice, if that. I've never paid more than $6 for one at a thrift shop. I have 2 and I have bought each of my grown kids one. And if you only use it for dough, the brand or the shape of the pan makes no difference at all!

We got ours at the GoodWill for $9, still not a bad price!
 

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
There you go! I think it's smart to buy one at a thrift store first because if you find you don't like it or whatever, you haven't spent much and you can always give it to someone else. Obviously lots of people do this - hence the large numbers of barely used machines at Goodwill!
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
There you go! I think it's smart to buy one at a thrift store first because if you find you don't like it or whatever, you haven't spent much and you can always give it to someone else. Obviously lots of people do this - hence the large numbers of barely used machines at Goodwill!

I have seen as many as 10 bread machines at a time in some of my thrift stores. As said before, many of them showing little to no use, and some with their original packaging. If you get one from a thrift store, make sure the baking pan and mixing paddle are with it. People are known to steal the paddles to have extras for their machines at home.
 

Derek

Banned
Thank you gang, I'll decide what I want to do, I enjoy kneeding my dough and playing with it while I kneed it though.
 

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
I have seen as many as 10 bread machines at a time in some of my thrift stores. As said before, many of them showing little to no use, and some with their original packaging. If you get one from a thrift store, make sure the baking pan and mixing paddle are with it. People are known to steal the paddles to have extras for their machines at home.
Oh, I'm glad you mentioned that - the paddles do seem to walk off, don't they. And they are about $20 to get a replacement.
 

Derek

Banned
Oh, I'm glad you mentioned that - the paddles do seem to walk off, don't they. And they are about $20 to get a replacement.
I can wait until the snow thaws a little more and my mother can give me her mixer which is a kitchen aid mixer, However that's totally different then a bread machine though, And I'm sure the college teacher will cringe at the bread maker LOL.
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Bread machines are fine if you just want to make one loaf of bread, or if you are pressed for time and want to use the delay feature so you have bread when you get home from work. NOTE: Bread recipes using eggs or fresh milk (aka enriched) cannot be made with the delayed feature. The ingredients will spoil before the bread is made.

I had a machine but took it back because I didn't like the way it baked the bread. I make a lot of free-form loaves (Italian, pumpernickle, rye, challah, Easter bread, etc) and the machine only makes one style of bread. Also, most of my recipes make two loaves, and the machine only makes one every 3 hours or so.

You lose your flexibility with a machine, and you MUST be precise with your ingredients or your bread will not come out as expected. Some people with arthritis and other muscular/skeletal disabilities will use a bread machine to mix and knead their dough, and then bake the bread in loaf pans or shape free-form loaves. They do have their place in the kitchen for many people. Personally, I like my KitchenAid mixer.

I have a Kitchen Aid mixer but not the patience to do breads. For some reason baking to me though I've tried, I've never been very successfully with it. I was looking at one a while back on I think HSN perhaps the Emeril one that has the premixed packages. The bread looked good but then I couldn't taste them. I do know Emeril started as a baker in his father's bakery as a kid with drums as his dream job. He did go to Juilliard on a scholarship but it didn't pay as much as cooking did.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
I did not like my KA Food Processor for mixing dough even though I have the dough blades, stuck to the insides of the mixing bowl and was a pain to get it out....
 

Derek

Banned
I did not like my KA Food Processor for mixing dough even though I have the dough blades, stuck to the insides of the mixing bowl and was a pain to get it out....
Hahahaha,


Kneeding is a art that turns rough dough in to a nice smooth loaf of bread :)
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
I have a Kitchen Aid mixer but not the patience to do breads. For some reason baking to me though I've tried, I've never been very successfully with it. I was looking at one a while back on I think HSN perhaps the Emeril one that has the premixed packages. The bread looked good but then I couldn't taste them. I do know Emeril started as a baker in his father's bakery as a kid with drums as his dream job. He did go to Juilliard on a scholarship but it didn't pay as much as cooking did.
joec,

Just keep in mind that if you buy the premixed packages of bread ingredients, that you will also be getting the preservatives required for the mix to stay on the shelf for months and months. Kind of defeats the whole "home made" concept, unless that's not a concern for you.

If you still have the recipe book that came with your KA, there is a fantastic, simple white bread recipe that you might want to try. If you don't have the book, you can get the recipe from my website. You can half the recipe and make just one loaf of bread. Following the recipe virtually guarantees success, especially if you weigh the ingredients according to my recipe.

JoeV
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
I actually tried that one when we first got it however one of my sons did and got it perfect. Well I had a great uncle that was a baker so it might be true what they say the genes often jump generations. He still makes bread from time to time though not like he did as a kid. I might give it a try and I wrote off the bread maker about the time the show I caught it on went off. You need to meet with Warren as he loves to bake also perhaps the next ECG perhaps in May or June. At any rate we have a pretty good bakery not a block from here that makes most of the breads I really like pretty well and I rarely eat plain old white bread.

About the only thing I do make with dough is pasta and pizza dough which are pretty easy to do for some reason.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
Check these out Mav to end the side sticking problem http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=14422 the one show is for mine but they make they for all KA, Hobart and Viking as well as some other makers.

Thanks Joe! I will check it out and hopefully it will solve my problem. I don't like to kneed.... maybe the start of carpel tunnel but hurts my hands too much. DW doesn't mind though.
Since I only use my bread machine to kneed and first rise, I would no longer need it if I could kneed in my FP.... one less gadget cluttering up my tiny kitchen!
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
Oh, woops should have followed the link first. I was speaking of my KA Food Processor... it has dough blades but the dough sticks to the plastic bowl... the link was for the KA tilt Mixer...
Still, if anyone has ideas on that.. I know others use their food processors to kneed dough and it works fine for them... Maybe I spray the inside of the plastic bowl with non stick spray?
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Probably Pam might help as I sure have never tried it with a food processor on the stand mixer. I use my food processor as a large blender really, rough grinding spices or for salad dressings and such.
 

Derek

Banned
Probably Pam might help as I sure have never tried it with a food processor on the stand mixer. I use my food processor as a large blender really, rough grinding spices or for salad dressings and such.
I use crisco when I make bread.
 

Mama

Queen of Cornbread
Site Supporter
I use my bread machine as well as my KA Stand Mixer for making dough. I had carpal tunnel syndrome and had to have the surgery so I've lost a lot of the strength in my hands so I can't knead the dough very well anymore but the bread machine and my KA have solved the problem for me.
 

Derek

Banned
I use my bread machine as well as my KA Stand Mixer for making dough. I had carpal tunnel syndrome and had to have the surgery so I've lost a lot of the strength in my hands so I can't knead the dough very well anymore but the bread machine and my KA have solved the problem for me.
Which one do you like better?
 

Mama

Queen of Cornbread
Site Supporter
I like them both equally. If I'm making a large amount of bread, I go with the KA because with the bread machine you can only make one or two loaves at a time (depending upon the size of the machine).
 
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