Bread Makers

About Bread Makers

For a long time, traditional bread-making at home involved no kind of small kitchen appliances. Instead, it took a rather long and sometimes hard manual labour. Machinery was reserved for professional bakers and their extensive production. However, modern technology greatly simplified the home baking process, allowing home users to get creative while saving significant portions of time. 

Bread makers are kitchen appliances used for creating homemade loaves, equipped with kneading blades and paddles that process the ingredients. A bread maker prepares the dough, raises it, and bakes it. Most models can make anything from simple rustic bread to artisan recipes. A user can wake up in the morning to the smell of fresh bread right next to a coffee machine, or return to it after a long day out. 

The bread made in a home bread machine is equally suitable to be eaten fresh or used in toasters and sandwich presses. 

Bread Makers Advantages 

• Quality control: A user knows all the components used to create the loaf. This is particularly convenient for those on a diet, gluten intolerant or prone to allergies. 
• Always fresh bread: The machine can prepare the desired amount of bread overnight and have it ready for use in the morning. 
• Diversity of taste: It's possible to create personalized recipes, including flavoured, sweet, extra toasty, salty, or any kind of bread imaginable. 
• Hassle-free process: Most bread makers are designed to work independently, with an automated process requiring no or minimal attention. A user needs to place the ingredients inside the appliance, set the program, and let the computer do the rest.  
• Convenience: Programmable timers allow the user to set-and-forget until the loaf is ready. 

Types of Bread Produced

The bread-making appliances are distinguished by their functionality and the number of different featured settings. 

Basic 

The basic setting is a staple of every bread maker and serves to create a simple, traditional white loaf. Some appliances come with the choice of crust doneness. 

Whole-Grain 

This setting allows the longer rising time necessary for whole-grain types of loaves. 

Sweet Loaf

"Sweet" function is designed for making bread that requires additional ingredients such as nuts or dried fruit. A timer beeps during the second kneading, alerting the user that it's time to add the enhancements.

Continental 

Shorter kneading results in the crispier crust, resembling French and Italian loaves. 

Cake 

This function is designed for the creation of yeast-free bread and cakes.

Gluten-Free

Alongside standard options, many devices can create specific diet versions with substitute flours.

Yeast -Free

This option is convenient for those who enjoy making muffins, damper loaves, and a variety of recipes based on baking powder or bicarbonate of soda.

Pasta Making

Some units can even prepare the dough for homemade pasta. When ready, the mass can be used in a pasta machine or shaped manually. 

Pizza Dough Bread Maker

The pizza setting produces flatbreads and dough for pizzas and focaccias. 

Bread Makers Settings 

Bake Only

Convenient for users who prefer to knead the dough by hand, this option sets the machine to baking-only mode. It replaces the conventional oven and allows for the preparation of the frozen doughs. 

Dough Only 

The dough setting eliminates the hassle of kneading the dough. The mass can rise in the machine, after which it's taken out to be finished manually. The dough can be baked inside the oven, thrown into a deep fryer, or dried in a pan over a hot plate.

Whole Grain Rapid Function 

Grain choice is typically accompanied by the rapid function for speeding up the process when necessary. It reduces the rising and cooking time.

Loaf Size and Shape

Many models allow the choice between a horizontally or vertically shaped loaf. Their size can vary between six to sixteen slices. 

Crust Control

Most units allow the choice of light, medium or dark crust. 

Manual Control

For advanced users, the pause button allows 10-minute intervals to get creative with the dough. This setting makes it possible to remove the dough from the container, upgrade it in a chosen way, and place it back for further processing. 

Speed 

This setting cuts one hour of cooking time, producing faster but also denser and heavier loaves. 

Delay Start

This function comes in handy for busy users and those who like to wake up to the smell of fresh loaf. It allows precise timing of baking basic types of loaves without eggs and other perishable components.

Keep Warm 

Convenient for unexpected delays, the keep-warm function preserves the bread in ideal condition for extended periods of time. 

Things to Consider Before Buying Bread Makers

• Progress indicator: Electronic display window on digital bread makers shows the current stage of the process. 
• Viewing window: Transparent segment allows visual control.
• Automatic nut and fruit dispensers: For the creation of more diverse types of bread and cakes, an automatic dispenser can be programmed to add toppings at a specific moment.
• Jam: Special function for jams and fresh fruit preserves, designed to replace the stovetop method.
• Removable lid: A handy feature for more accessible cleaning 
• Power failure protection: A memory function that saves the loaf/fresh dough in case of interruption. Some models take a few minutes pause to restore power, while others stop for up to one hour before continuing the cycle.
• Additional cooking programs: This option allows more advanced use of the appliance. It allows users to add different toppings to the loaf, fill it, or produce various snacks such as breadsticks, rolls, and sweet pastries.