We have a Regal bread maker that is at least ten years old. Honestly, I've never been impressed by the bread it makes. We hadn't used it in quite awhile and DH dragged it out the other day and made wheat bread from a kit for bread makers ....it was inedible! We threw it out. I told DH maybe he should try making bread the old fashioned way! Will be interested to see if anyone loves their bread makers and what brands they are.

I like mine...it is a Panasonic I've had probably 20 years. I do NOT like any bread mixes. I have a very very simple bread recipe that I almost always use. We do NOT use it as often as we did when we first got it and bread machines were all the rage. Very similar to how we use our waffle iron...couple of times a year. Look for a good used one on AMAZON, not Ebay.

My parents gave theirs away. The bread always tasted bland, but I think they only used packaged mixes.

boop..I would be glad to walk you through making bread without a "bread maker"...you would be IT! There are so many easy formulas out there. You can start with the Sullivan bread and then move on to ones that have more grains and seeds. Once you start you will be so happy that you did.I taught classes today at my home. She had never made bread before and was able to make 2 loaves of Sourdough using my starters and then made 2 batches of bagels !! 16. she will be back in the AM to finish up and I am also going to let her do a very wet baguette dough as she did so well today. I am serious. There is no bread machine that can make good bread...it is always stale immediately .

There are lots of youtube videos out there for this and also plenty of websites. Check the one below and then a couple more and go for it !!

Check The Fresh Loaf for lots of info for newbies also. Here is the link to the Sullivan Bread. rococcogurl makes it all the time and it is wonderful ! c

Here is a link that might be useful: Sullivan bread

I always found our breadmaker more complicated to use than making from scratch (if you wanted to get a decent loaf that is). Also, you miss the best part of bread making - the zen. Making bread is more therapeutic than meditation.

If trail and I haven't convinced you, I also had a regal and hated it, so avoid it when buying yours.

There are a lot of threads on this subject on the CF. If I were buying today I would get the Zojurishi Virtuoso. My son has and loves his Zo. If you go that route, you can save by using a coupon at BBB. They aren't inexpensive, but last forever. I hear Trail and Daisy; bread-baking is therapeutic, but I also know sometimes with young kids, time is scarce. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Liz

Had one, it was a gift, don't use it. I make all our bread either by hand or with my KitchenAid with a dough hook. Baking bread is very enjoyable and satisfying but also it is the only way I can control the ingredients, organic whole grains, seeds etc.

Trail and others....can you recommend any bread cookbooks? I would like to get one or two for DH for Christmas. Thanks!

Good Morning Joanie. It would depend on what particular kind of bread your DH is interested in making.There is Artisan Bread in 5 minutes and that is a particular niche bread..I personally don't care for it but many many do. The more technical bread books are "over the top" for many folks and will lead to frustration...Forkish's bread book has a formula that takes 88pages !!

I would suggest looking at the Amazon reviews. They really are pretty truthful when you look at the 1 and 2 stars ....you get the "real" review there :) To tell you the truth I have a LOT of bread books and I never open them. I rely on The Fresh Loaf for formulas and there are certain posters that I can count on to be very accurate in their formulas. On the Book link at the top of their site they have some of their favorite bread books listed. You can then look of reviews of those books...Reinhart and Hammelman both have books out. Maggie Glezer also. The local libraries usually have a selection and that is a great way to see if you even like the look of the book and how it is laid out.

Here is a list of Amazon most popular bread books. Beware of Tartine as it is like Forkish...80 page recipes ! Then you just make the same thing over and over with variations. It has its place but not for beginners. Bread Baker's Apprentice is a good beginning book.
I will link to The Fresh Loaf below.

Again I would suggest the library and read Amazon reviews and look at The Fresh Loaf on the link below to see some more books. Let me know if you have questions about a particular book...I have many of them LOL ! c

Here is a link that might be useful: book reviews

Trail...thank you so much! We're not retired yet and he travels during the week, so he's probably not interested in breads that take 24 hours of kneading and pounding...he'd be gone again by the time it was done...haha! 88 page recipes...I'm speechless! This is a great list and I'm sure I'll find a book or two.....thanks again!

Hi Boopadaboo
I'll answer your question.
Yes, I have one and I LOVE it.
I looked at a lot of brands and read a lot of reviews and found one that suited my needs.
Mine is the Cuisinart CBK-100 2 lb Programmable
I bought it on Amazon for $100 and it's currently on sale for $75 - it comes with a pretty nice assortment of recipes too.
I buy the best ingredients and the bread is excellent, imo.

It doesn't compare to artisan bread by any stretch of the imagination but it makes me happy to have the option of a warm loaf of bread when I want it.

I am NOT going to make bread by hand, just not going to happen and I know others feel the same way.
Did it once in my life and that was enough for me - I am not interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart CBK-100 at Amaxon

DH informed me he did NOT use a kit, but the bread he just made was just awful and as I've said I've never been impressed with any of his bread...sorry to say. Is it the maker or the machine (an old Rival)?

I have found the Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum to be fantastic. King Arthur flour recipes are often quite good as well. They have many recipes on their website too. King Arthur Flour has a cookbook dedicated to whole grains as well (the spelt pita is quite good).

The bread machines I have used I was not fond of. Bread making can be a very forgiving process but it is not always an exact science, and the dough was not always ready according to the time table of the machine.

I use a bread machine and really like the convenience and everyone loves the bread. We have a Breadman.The only downside for me is the awkward shape of the loaf. I know the Zojirushi is amazing, but I am not ready to spend that much.
It takes just about 5 minutes to fill and then just pop it in and walk away.I made bread by hand for years and then moved to using my KitchenAid mixer to make bread.
Now I need the time saving convenience the bread machine provides, especially getting ready for a sales weekend.
Don't worry Caroline, one day I may go back to making bread by hand! :)

Thank you all so much for responding! I just don't see me making bread from scratch at this point. I think when my youngest gets a bit older, then I could work that in. Hopefully more weekend cooking for the week too!

I do appreciate all the feedback, and I will keep reading. Maybe I just have to pass up on the bread made at home till I can put in the time.... It does seem that some of those bread makers recommended here have good reviews on Amazon though. :)

If you're too busy to bake then go to a trader joes or equivalent and buy some Ezekiel bread...or they have other well made wholesome breads.

I recently had an issue and needed to be on a liquid diet for awhile followed by a bland diet. Man that white bread stuff is just awful! I haven't had it in so many years, I'd forgotten just how bad it was.

Unfortunately It is a bit of a trip to go to a store like trader joes, so it doesn't really seem worth the trip for bread. I have tried the frozen Ezekiel bread that they have at the regular supermarket and my kids will not eat it. :(

We do get what I guess you would call artisan breads from the regular supermarket.

There is a juice and organic cafe/store near work that just expanded. I might check them out. Maybe they carry more perishables now. They kind of rubbed me the wrong way during their expansion (asking for donations multiple times) but I should probably suck it up and go there again. :)

Have not used mine in years and it's taking up valuable Real Estate space in my kitchen. I think it's a Bread man. I buy Killer Dave's Good Seed bread. Pesky, I bet you know the brand. It comes from your State.

interesting discussion, because I've been contemplating buying a bread maker. I am NOT happy with the bread options in my supermarket.

The problem with making by scratch is timing--I can't seem to be able to fit it in my schedule. I have a nice book -- Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day, which I keep meaning to try. May actually do it some day.

So . . . I bought a yogurt maker today. ;)

Don't have a bread machine, but have made it by hand several times. However, my current favorite is a "beer bread". I use half white & half whole wheat flour & add things such as shaved cheddar cheese, chopped stuffed green olives, sliced scallion.

Jumping in late ... I have a inexpensive Regal bread Machine and use it all of the time. Takes me about 4-5 minutes to throw the ingredients in and the short cycle will make a loaf in and hour and twenty.

I use it for making pizza dough and breadsticks too. Have also used it for making jam and rice. I am surprised by how much I use it - even more so in the winter.

Quality-wise the machine has worked fine. The pan is getting old though and now and then I have trouble getting the loaf out. It takes a few good thwacks to loosen the bread from the pan.

I have the Zo 2 lb.

I love it but don't use it nearly as much as I should. I am just an adequate cook and don't see myself ever making truly homemade bread but when I use my bread machine my family thinks I have really done something :-)

Here is the ridiculously easy recipe I used on Thanksgiving. It sounds like it shouldn't turn out good, but it was scrumptious. I timed it to finish up just as the rest of the meal was ready so it was warm when it was served.

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipe

red_lover, that's the same recipe I use to make pizza dough and breadsticks (using the dough cycle).

Going to have to try a loaf too!

Pizza dough...omgosh. So glad you told me that. I'm going to try it.

How do you do your breadsticks with the dough? My boys would love them!

Is there a particular brand of flour that people like? Does the flour make a difference?

red, I make the dough and use half for one pizza crust (which I freeze) and the other half for the breadsticks.

Here is the instructions I used. I did not use her recipe (but it's really close to ours).

I usually avoid bread with most meals and just make them for my dh and family but once these were in front of me there was no way to control myself. lol!

joaniepoanie, speaking for myself, I just use Adli's flour and it's fine. Though I do have plans to try c's healthier bread recipes!

Here is a link that might be useful: Bread Machine Fluffy Breadsticks

I have a zojirushi bread machine and I love it. I knew I wanted the zoji so I watched Craigslist and got one for $90.
I use the dough cycle a lot. It saves me time. I can put the ingredients in at 5 am and set the timer to deal with the dough when I am home from work.I make foccacia, bagels, pizza dough. I do bake bread in the machine too and it is great for a soup and bread supper and I have several sandwich loaves we like.
I would recommend getting a food scale too if you don't have one. I find bread in bread machine or by hand works best if you weigh instead of meadure.

I just received for Christmas a Zojirushi bread machine.. I have made bread and cinnamon rolls so far and I love it !! I am looking forward to trying many more recipes ..

I just wanted to follow up on this. I got the Cuisinart listed above and we love it.

Here is a link that might be useful: My favorite bread!