Are Bread Machines Worth It?

Bread machines are kitchen devices that make your bread for you. Essentially, you mix up all of your ingredients, and pop it into the bread machine.

Homemade bread has never been easier! Baking bread can be a strenuous task, but with a bread maker, it takes a lot of the foot work away. However, are bread machines worth it?

Most bread machines will produce a beautiful warm loaf, but is this better than making your own in the oven, or is it better to just buy bread?

In this article, we are going to be finding out whether bread machines are worth it, and how they work. Let’s get on with it!

How Does A Bread Machine Work?

Bread machines are also known as bread makers, and they can help you achieve the perfect loaf. They can get you homemade bread within three or four fours.

When using a bread machine, you typically add all of your ingredients to the machine, and the machine will knead and prove the bread for you. Most bread machines will even bake the bread for you.

You can pre mix the ingredients yourself, adding it to the machine to be proofed and kneaded, too.

The loaves that are produced from a bread machine are almost always square, because they have a bread pan in this shape. They weigh around the same as a shop bought loaf, but it is homemade bread. An average bread machine makes 750g of bread, and you can make lots of batches in a day.

How Much Are Bread Machines?

Bread makers tend to be on the cheaper side of large kitchen appliances. Most bread makers are priced between $80 and $150 for a good quality one.

When you add up the cost of buying bread over several years, the cost of the bread maker is better in the long run.

Store bought bread is expensive in the long run, and making bread by hand is time consuming. A bread maker saves you a lot of money in the long run, and the delicious loaves help, too!

Are Bread Machines Worth It?

Now you know everything about bread machines, are they worth it? Well – this completely depends on how much bread you eat, how often you make bread, and the size of your family. Bread making is extremely time consuming.

Having to knead the dough, as well as letting it rest, is difficult and time consuming, making the whole process pretty long. Let’s look at some reasons why a bread maker why be worth it for you.

Store Bought VS Homemade Bread

Home made bread is always more delicious than store bought bread. Additionally, it is a lot cheaper. Store bought breads are expensive, with multiple loaves of bread being purchased per week.

If you have a loaf ready from your bread machine, you can actually save a lot of money.

It is estimated that a loaf of bread will cost you around $1.50 to make with your bread machine, as opposed to over $2.50 to buy a store bought loaf. Your first bread machine is a big purchase, but you will notice that it will save you a lot of money, as well as making higher quality bread.

Convenience And Ease Of Use

Let’s look at another reason why bread makers are worth it. If you want to get a bread machine, you can look forward to freshly baked bread whenever you like.

There are so many delicious breads and delicious recipes for homemade bread, and investing in a bread machine is worth it for the hot, fresh bread.

Are Bread Machines Worth It?s

You can make white bread, whole wheat bread, as well as sandwich bread. There’s nothing better than a freshly baked traditional loaf of bread.

With certain models of bread machines, you will find special features. You can make cinnamon rolls, Italian bread, and regular dinner bread. However, a lot of bread machines have a gluten free cycle, too.

A gluten free cycle is ideal for those who are gluten free, as it will make sure you can eat the bread, even with a wheat intolerance. This is a great answer to ‘are bread makers worth it?’

Space Saving

Additionally, if space is something you value, a bread maker may be worth it for you. It saves a lot of counter space, especially if you tend to make bread by hand.

A stand mixer is good for mixing bread and making bread dough, pasta dough, and homemade pizza dough, but it takes up a lot of room. Bread machines are large, but they are easy to store.

Many bread makers have storage space saving options, where you can pack them away in a certain order.

A bread machine is great for space saving in the long run, with no use of your electric oven, stand mixer, or food processor. A bread maker may be worth it for you if you value space.

All-In-One

Another reason why a bread maker is worth it is because they do everything for you, all at once! The bread machine will mix all of your ingredients together, including bread flour, and even dried fruit!

One loaf of bread by hand will take you hours, but it will take you just under three hours with a bread machine, saving lots of room, too.

There are countless bread maker recipes out there, and making bread by hand will not cross your mind again. Mixing all of your ingredients in one place, and having the machine do the mixing, proofing, rising, and baking is extremely convenient.

There is a bread machine cookbook containing lots of bread machine recipes that will most likely come with your bread maker, making it super easy to make your own bread.

Can You Make Artisan Bread?

One of the downsides to a bread machine is that you will find it more difficult to make artisan bread. This includes sourdough and other shaped breads.

You can absolutely make bread with the same ingredients, but you cannot make them in the same shapes as artisan bread, mostly because the shape of the pan is one size fits all.

You may use a Dutch oven for artisan breads, but because the bread maker includes a dough cycle, it does all the work for you.

It will knead the dough, as well as bake the actual bread. If you are after a machine that just makes bread, it is super easy to bake bread with a bread machine.

Final Thoughts

What is more satisfying than making your own bread? Bread making is incredibly time consuming, taking hours for just one loaf of bread.

Having to do everything by hand is difficult, making a bread machine worth it for the convenience and ease of use.

Baked bread is always delicious, and bread makers can even make gluten free bread with complete ease. If you are into bread making, and you enjoy fresh bread, a bread machine may be worth it for you.

Kathryn Sewell

Kathryn Sewell

Hi! I'm Kate and I have been baking and cooking for as long as I can remember. I like to share the most interesting tips and recipes I try here on What Kate Baked for you to enjoy. If you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share send it over on social.

About the Author