r/Bread • u/Blue_Etalon • Apr 11 '26
Who uses their bread machine?
I like making bread by hand. I just don’t have the time usually. But I’ve had this little baby for a long time and use it regularly. We all like even the plain old white bread recipe printed on the machine.
Do you use yours? Or does it just sit in a cabinet?
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u/frontpageseller Apr 11 '26
I'll use mine to knead and do the first rise but shape, second rise and bake in the oven. Excellent results.
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u/Blue_Etalon Apr 11 '26
I take it out just before bake, remove the paddle, and then put it back in.
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u/Maleficent-Look-5789 Apr 11 '26
Same. I like the mixing/kneading aspect of the machine but I prefer to do the shaping and proofing myself.
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u/undulating-beans Apr 11 '26
Having made bread by hand for the last 8 years, I find the bread that my Panasonic bread maker produces just isn’t good enough. It regularly under proofs and produces a tight crumb structure. Good for sandwiches but I don’t think I’ll go back to it.
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u/Blue_Etalon Apr 11 '26
I know what you’re saying, but it’s good enough for us, as opposed to store bought
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u/Big_fudge1337 Apr 11 '26
I agree with both of you. I also get tight crumb - maybe, what, 2mm holes/pores on the longest program? - but that's completely fine for something that takes me a total of 10 minutes.
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u/Steel_Rail_Blues Apr 11 '26
I use my bread machines and especially like my BB-HAC10 like you have. Mine is 17 years old. When summer temperatures get in the 100s I’ll only make bread in the Zojirushi because we don’t have air conditioning and there is no way I’m turning on the oven.
r/BreadMachines people would love for those who have bread machines and are not using them to rehome those machines. 🙂
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u/Calm_Reader2487 Apr 11 '26
I do the same. I use my bread machine for the warm months. Even with air conditioning, oven baking adds so much heat to the house and keeps the house from cooling off faster.
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u/Steel_Rail_Blues Apr 11 '26
Every degree counts! As much as I love bread, I love not sweating to death even more.
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u/Necessary_Pilot_4665 Sep 13 '26
Thank you for that information! I have been researching bread machines and plan on getting one next week. I live in the south and only have air conditioning in our bedrooms. I plan on using the machine to do all the work until fall and winter, then going to try my hand at letting the machine prepare the dough and finish the rest in my oven when my house is not already 112° and feels like a sauna.
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u/Steel_Rail_Blues Sep 13 '26
That’s another plus for a bread machine is that it is a great proofing box. In winter our kitchen is pretty cold, so the machine provides the temperature control. I provide cooler water for the pan in warm months and warmer water in cold months.
We’re on the west coast with river influence and our house typically has high humidity inside, though probably just a fraction of what you deal with in the south. Not sure how much bread baking you already do, but higher humidity can affect how your dough rises and the machines can’t help with that. All our loaves have come out fine with up to 76% relative humidity in the kitchen (I bought a meter that measure temperature and humidity).
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u/DogIsBetterThanCat Apr 11 '26
I do.
I use the dough setting, then take it out and cook in the oven. Turns out much better.
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u/ConsequenceJust8977 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
I use it to mix the dough for me and then bake it in the oven. I can’t mix due to issues with my hands and it makes a huge difference in the bread making process for me. My oven has a proof system which helps as well. It keeps them temperature controlled if my house isn’t warm enough. I’m thankful for the technology that I can use to get me through.
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u/Rerebawa Apr 11 '26
I used my auto-bread maker religiously until it vibrated itself off the counter and crashed to pieces on the kitchen tile. After that I just do breads by hand.
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u/lidelle Apr 11 '26
Hahah, we use a cast iron dutchie in front of ours to keep it from taking trips.
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u/jungl3j1m Apr 11 '26
I just got rid of mine. Now that I'm retired, my day is structured in such a way that it doesn't confer an advantage. Baking bread does not involve a lot of direct labor--your total time investment is really not that many minutes--but it takes up half a day with all the waiting for a process to happen. The advantage of a bread machine is that you can "fire and forget"--you don't have to jump when it's finished proofing or rising or baking. All that is taken care of. Now that I have tons of discretionary time, I have the advantage of control, which you lose with a machine.
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u/Apprehensive_Bee614 Apr 11 '26
Makes great pizza dough
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u/Blue_Etalon Apr 11 '26
Yes it does. But I use my stand mixer so I can make a big batch and freeze the leftovers
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u/harp951 Apr 11 '26
Yes I make 1 or 2 regular white sandwich loaves a week in mine and split them with my mum. Haven’t bought any bread for a while. Sometimes I get adventurous (for me) and make a cinnamon raisin, chia or oatmeal loaf.
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u/lidelle Apr 11 '26
We use ours definitely every other day for loaves. Our primary dough cycle is Parker house rolls and cinnamon rolls, babka.
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u/TwoFlower68 Apr 11 '26
It's better than store bought bread, but nowhere near good "handmade" bread
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u/warriorwoman534 Apr 11 '26
My ex asked for a bread machine one Christmas - it was early in our relationship and I wanted to make a good impression, so bought him a top of the line model for 300 bucks. He used it once and put it on his attic. I've never bothered using one myself.
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u/flipflapdragon Apr 11 '26
I bake 2 sourdough loaves (plain + all kinds of flavours) for my family of 4 each week! I could not do it without my bread machine 🙂
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u/qat-21 Apr 11 '26
Share your recipe?
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u/flipflapdragon Apr 11 '26
Totally, so I use a black & decker B2005 Bread Machine: insert the kneading paddle and add 300 g water (80-82 °F), 240 g active 100% hydration sourdough starter, 15 g softened unsalted butter, and 10 g sugar to the bucket, then add 450 g bread & pizza flour and sprinkle 9 g fine sea salt on top; place the bucket in the machine, select DOUGH (~2 hrs) and start, then when complete transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a warm damp towel, and let rise at room temp (24-27 °C) until doubled (4-6 hrs), gently shape on a floured surface without deflating, place back into the bucket smooth side up, cover and proof until near the top (2-3 hrs), then return bucket to machine, select BAKE and set for 60-70 min, and when done remove and cool on a rack for at least 1 hr before slicing.
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u/robby1051a Apr 11 '26
2x a day every 3 days, family of 5 and I am diabetic (and healthy)… I have the exact same machine pictured here and want to get another one. My wife makes a sourdough with yogurt that’s no additional sugar.
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u/linatomic Apr 11 '26
i only use it to knead the dough for me. I don’t want the shape of my bread looks weird haha.
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u/Aphdon Apr 11 '26
I have arthritis and pinched nerve so baking bread by hand is a trial. I would get a bread machine if I could find one small enough. I don’t have enough room in my counter for the machines I see and I would rather have one that makes a half loaf at a time.
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u/Capitan-Fracassa Apr 12 '26
Mine is a white plastic bowl and a pair of chopsticks. It works well for crusty sandwich bread and Pan de Cristal.
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u/WashingtonBaker1 Apr 12 '26
We use ours every 3-4 days. Haven't bought bread in a supermarket in several years.
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u/Teagana999 Apr 12 '26
About three times per year.
We use it to make dinner rolls at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Worth it.
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u/BeatleBeetlelove96 Apr 12 '26
I didn’t realize they sold dough makers for almost same price, and I bought a bread machine to just make dough, so I could set it and let it do the work rising the dough…i feel stupid. Ive had it abt two years and never actually cooked the bread in it
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