Bread Makers

Compare Best Bread Makers, Reviews & Buying Guide

The aroma and flavour of soft-as-feather bread – nothing like it. We show you the best way to make it, with the help of the best of the breed bread maker in the market. Read our expert reviews, take advantage of our special discounts and take our editor's advice on the best bread makers.

Bread maker Buying Guide

Bread making is an art by itself and it could not come out so well without a bread maker. Bread makers are quiet popular. They help us making delicious breads fast and easy at home with mouthwatering aroma. Depending upon the requirement, bread makers can give a variety of shapes and sizes to the loaf, while choosing the right maker is what is more important.

Are you confused in choosing a good bread maker, here are few ideas letting you know the features to look in while getting one.

To start with a bread maker, you only need to check if the machine has basic cycles like dough cycle, a timer and pre heat timing, as these can help you bake a loaf. Everything else that you see in addition in the machine are features that are “nice to have”. The pre-heat cycle is one most important feature to be check since most of the bread makers have long pre-heat timing consuming more power. Check for the bread maker with short pre heat timing.

Below are some of the features and cycles found on bread makers, have a glance and decide on the option that you find most essential.

Window

Bread maker with a window means that you can see things happening inside. The disadvantage is that most of the time they seem to steam up inside, making it not easy to see without a torch.

Timer

You come home late from office or wake up late in the morning and still want a loaf of bread to be all ready-set-go to eat, then a timer could be an useful option to choose. Most of the latest bread maker have this option by default.

Crust color selection

The crust color selection lets you control the crispiness of the crust. Three crust settings are available viz light, medium and dark that can make bread take a nice look on top.

Power Saver

In the event of power failure during the baking process, the bread need to be discarded and again be initiated from the scratch. The power saver option can avoid this by giving a spare time to restore power, ranging from 10 second to 10 minutes. If the power is restored within the set time, the cycle will continue the baking process.

Cycles

Cycles – the biggest area of confusion. Basic or white cycle, quick or rapid, whole wheat or whole grain, dough or manual, french bread, bake only, raisin/nut, sweet bread, cake, pasta, jam, pizza dough and programme and some of the cycle options. Read the manual or ask the store keeper to know the functionality of these cycle and sort the one that you find most essential.

Price

Remember spending more doesn't always get you the best machine. It is always wise to decide upon the options you would commonly use and get the one that will just do that.

Tips while using a Bread Maker

Returning home after a tiresome work, the delicious smell of the freshly baked bread from along side bakery tempts anyone to have a glimpse of the shop and the bread that is being prepared. The delicious smell of the baked flour raises the appetite and stops one from stepping ahead further. Instead is pulled in to the bakery to get a loaf back home. As one delights over the bread, mind is fully occupied with the thought of getting a breadmaker so that this delicious food can be self prepared as and when needed. Getting a bread maker once for all is not the solution. One must also know the basic safety measures and cooking tips while working with a bread maker. So lets go through a few.

Some safety tips

• Air vents must be left clear while the machine is running.
• While using ready made bread mixes from the store, make sure that you only put that quantity that can be taken by the machine. In short, do not overload the machine.
• Make sure you donot lose the receipt of the new breadmaker. It helps if at all the machine breaks down.
• Delay timer is not to be set if eggs or dairy products are used in the bread mixture.
• Use a surge protector to protect the machine from voltage fluctuations.
• Machine must be unplugged when not in use.
• Any running programme must be completely ended before the machine is unplugged.
• Bread must be removed from the machine as soon as possible if there is no 'keep warm' setting.
• Bread that is taken immediately after baking remains hot as a hot baking pan. Hence handle the bread carefully with some protective material.

Some cooking tips

• Flour,sugar, salt, yeast and salad oil must be in stock before you prepare the bread.
• Yeast must not be used more than the required quantity.
• Flours that is used to prepare bread must be in room temperature. Cold flour stops yeast growth thereby not raising the dough properly. Flour must be stored in cool dry place.
• The outcome of the bread depends on the order of adding the ingredients. Hence ingredients must be added in the proper order to get a delicious perfect bread out.
• It is good to have manuals that come with the breadmaker handy as it contains basic tips including some recipes.
• In case there is a hole at the bottom of the loaf left by the mixing paddle, then the loaf must be kept upside down for the steam to escape out.
• Slice the bread after the bread has cooled down or else the sliced bread will not be in good shape.

Following some safety precautionary measures will help enjoying bread making in the long run. Bread maker is after all a machine and the ultimate responsibility lies in the hands of the user to care utmost care of the machine to gain efficiency out of it.