12 tips on choosing a bread machine for home

The breadmaker takes over all the work of kneading, setting and baking the dough; all you have to do is load the ingredients and press a couple of buttons. The cost price of homemade bread is almost 2 times lower than a loaf from a supermarket, and its quality and taste are much better. And the bread maker is good because it allows you to automate cooking in it not only bread, but also various muffins, pastries, pizza base, and in some cases even pilaf, yoghurt and jams. In this article we have compiled 12 tips on how to choose a bread machine and what to look for when comparing different models.

Breadmaker Tips

Tip 1. Think about how much bread you usually eat. Some bread machines can bake only a 500-gram roll in one cycle, and others - a loaf weighing 1.5 kg or more. Approximately per person accounts for 250-300 g of bread. Thus, the following recommendations will help you choose the right bread maker:

• For 1-2 people need a bread maker, giving 500-750 ready-made pastries;
• For a family of 3-4 people, an oven baking 800-1300 grams of bread will suffice;
• For a large family (more than 4 people), a stove is needed, designed to cook 1.5 kg of the product.

If you want to be able to bake both small and large bread, then look for a model with the function of choosing the weight of the finished bread.

Tip 2. A set of programs is perhaps the most important criterion for choosing a bread maker.

• Each program already has temperature and time settings, an established order of cycles for kneading, proofing and baking the dough in accordance with the recipes of various types of baking.

As a rule, inexpensive devices have 7-12 programs, models more expensive can have from 12 to 20 different programs. The more programs it has, the more expensive it is. If you are new to bread baking, then a standard set of programs is enough for you.

• Most programs of any bread machine are designed for baking different types of bread: wheat, rye, wholegrain (from the wallpaper flour), gluten-free (from rice, buckwheat flour), sweet, French baguette, bread with additives. In addition to bakery programs, ovens often have at least one program for kneading dough (yeast), a program for baking yeast-free dough and muffins (cakes, cakes or pastries) and a program for making jam / jam.

Here is a list of additional programs that breadmakers can have:

• Kneading dough for pizza;
• Kneading yeast-free dough;
• Pasta dough kneading;
• Extinguishing;
• Porridge;
• Jam (from 0.5 to 2 liters);
• Jam;
• Yoghurt (you can make sour milk, yoghurt, etc. dairy products);
• Soup;
• Pilaf.

In addition to programs, a bread machine may have the following additional settings:

• The degree of frying crust - a mandatory option, all ovens have, but in many models is available only for white bread.
• User mode / Favorite mode - it is desirable that the bread machine has at least one such mode, which will allow you to independently configure and remember your settings for your favorite recipe.
• Delay start - allows you to program the start of work at the desired time.So, you can load the oven in the evening, and in the morning get a freshly baked loaf for breakfast. Delay of start in different models varies from 3 to 15 hours.
• Keeping warm - the heating turns on automatically as soon as the bread is baked. Thanks to this function, the bread will stay warm for 1-3 hours (depending on the model) after turning off the breadmaker.
• Child lock - it can be arranged differently, for example, the cover can be blocked, and the control panel can.

Tip 3. Choosing the best model of the bread machine, pay attention to the power of the device.

• It can range from 450 to 1600 watts. The higher the power, the faster the oven bakes bread, the more it has functions and, of course, the higher its price.

Think about how much time you are willing to spend on bread making and how often will you use it?

• If you are ready to bake one loaf more than 3-4 hours, you do not need an abundance of programs and a lot of baking, then we advise you not to overpay and buy a standard oven with a capacity of 500-750 watts.

If you buy a big oven, want to cook bread quickly and you need additional programs, then choose a stove with a capacity of at least 800 W that bakes bread for no more than 3 hours.

Tip 4. The working bowl (bucket) is the weak point of the breadmaker and it is because of its wear that problems with the oven arise. Therefore, before buying a selected model, make sure that you can order its cup in special stores of household appliances or service centers.

• The work bowl is made of aluminum or stainless steel and coated with a non-stick coating. The aluminum bowl is cheaper, but wears out faster. The steel bowl is more durable, but it significantly increases the cost of the device.

Before buying the oven, be sure to inspect the non-stick layer. It should be completely flat, smooth, without scratches and bumps and, preferably, thick.

The working bucket can have 1 or 2 kneader (kneading blades) depending on the size. They are removable and also covered with a non-stick layer. Sometimes manufacturers produce bread machines with two different kneaders - for baking and for jam. However, as practice shows, the kneader for baking copes well with jam / jam. By the way, since the kneader is baked into baked goods, in order for you to get it conveniently, it is advisable that a special hook be attached to the oven.

• The shape of the working bowl is often rectangular and bakes an ordinary loaf. But if you wish, you can search for models with a round bowl that bakes round loaves or with baking molds at once 4 baguettes. For example, some models of Moulinex bread makers are equipped with baguettes.

Although the shape of the bread does not affect its taste, round loaves bake somewhat more evenly and quickly.

Tip 5. As for the material of the furnace body, here the question of choice comes down to personal preferences and budget, because it does not affect the quality of work and durability. The stainless steel body is stronger, looks better, but it makes the device heavier and increases its cost. In addition, polished steel leaves fingerprints. The plastic case is lighter, easier to clean, cheaper, it heats up a little less stainless steel, but less wear-resistant.

Tip 6. Well, if the lid is removable, it makes it easier to wash. And it is also very important that the lid of the bread machine has a large viewing window.

Tip 7. It is desirable that the bread machine had a special dispenser for additives (in the photo).

You only need to fill it before starting, say, berries or seeds, and the stove itself will add them at the right moment. This option is especially convenient when delaying the start, for example, when you turn on the bread maker for the night and go to bed yourself.

• If there is no dispenser, then the additives must be poured manually, waiting for a sound signal, which can be listened to inadvertently. In addition, the additives in this case are not crushed, but whole.

Tip 8. Decide where you put and keep the bread maker. Think about what size it should be, what color the body fits better into the interior and how long the cord is needed (1 -1.7 m).

• Keep in mind that a square-shaped device is smaller and more convenient to store.

Tip 9. The bread machine can be quite noisy at the stage of kneading and kneading dough. This is especially noticeable when the oven cooks pastries at night.

• To avoid this, before buying a bread machine, make sure that the withered noise level is no more than 55-60 dB.

Tip 10. Bread machines often have a mechanical control system, which is more reliable.

• However, the touch panels of expensive models have significant advantages: they are very convenient and easier to clean. When choosing a device with a touch control panel, make sure that it can be blocked. Otherwise, your cat or child can turn on the device with one touch or change settings.

And one more tip: a backlit control panel is much more convenient than a monochrome one.

Tip 11. If in your house often there are failures in electricity supply, then we recommend to buy the bread machine with function of a store of memory. Thanks to her, after stopping the power supply, the furnace will be able to continue its work at the stage that was interrupted.

• Memory in various models can range from 5 minutes to 1 hour.

Tip 12. Proper reviews from users from sites like: irecommend.ru, ixbt.com, otzovik.ru and culinary forums will help you choose the right bread maker. After all, only from them you can learn such nuances as:

• Is the kneader easily removed from the bread?
• Does the bread stick to shape or lobes?
• How long will the bowl last?
• How loud is it?
• Do the signals that the oven makes when they finish work or “ask” them to add additives are annoying? Or maybe they, on the contrary, are too quiet?
• How clear is the instruction and correct recipes from the manufacturer?

We offer to watch video reviews on the most popular breadmakers of well-known companies.

Review of bread makers Panasonic - outdated models 257 and the new model SD-2511WTS, which is very popular:

Review of the expensive Kenwood BM450 bread machine:

And here is a useful video from the “Test Purchase” on how to choose a bread maker for the house.

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