OK,, Ive just started making my own bread,, kneading it by hand,, useing a real simple receipe,, just have switched to whole wheat flour,, dont grind my own yet,, can find whole wheat without paying huge costs for shipping. Anyways,,, whats with the bread machines?? are they really that much easier? better?

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 29, 2001

Answers

Bread machines are easier. All you do is put in the ingredients and turn it on. But, I don't think the bread is as good and I don't like the shape of the loaves. They are good for times when you are rushed or are going to be away and want to have bread ready when you get home. If you get one, get one that has a timer on it so you can set it to come on at a certain time. I have put soup in the crockpot, bread in the bread machine gone out and come home with supper ready. That is convenient but once again, I prefer the old-fashioned way.

-- bwilliams (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), March 29, 2001.

Got a bread machine a year ago and sold it at a yard sale six months later.It just "aint the same"...small loaves, just didn't taste the same either....I love making my own bread, even the 10 minute kneading part..I play music and sing while I'm doing it! For those of you who are rushed for time, make your dough in the evening and bake it in the morning..yummy! God bless

-- Lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), March 29, 2001.

I love my breadmachine, but I NEVER actually use it to bake bread. I put in the ingredients and turn it on the dough cycle. The machine does the kneading & 1st rising, then I take it out, shape the dough into whatever I want (loaves, rolls, breadsticks, etc) and bake it in my oven. Bread comes out without that "machine" texture & shape.

-- Mary (1deal@quik.com), March 29, 2001.

I'm on the other side. Having made many loaves of bread by the "manual method", I find the machine made bread to be as good, and many times easier. I have my favorites for simple breads, and a few unusual ones, and all turn out well in the machine. Beauty is that it's done with little work in @ 3 hours. If you like, you can use the machine to do the kneading, and bake in the oven, which I do occassionally. But there are only 2 of us, and that means the machine is a bigger time saver and energy saver than the dishwasher. To each his own, I guess! GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), March 29, 2001.

I just got a bread machine a couple of months ago and I LOVE it. I do use the dough cycle a lot, for French bread and pizza dough, but also make regular sandwich bread, too. Make sure you get a "horizontal" one, so the loaf is fairly normal looking. Mine is a Black and Decker horizontal. It's also handy to have a cutting guide, a plastic or wooden thing which helps to slice it in nice thin slices.

-- Christina (introibo@yahoo.com), March 29, 2001.

I loved mine... But I left it back in IL when I moved. They are great so long as the electric stays on!!!

In retrospect, I should have brought it with me. I used to make a few loaves every week. Now I only make it once a month... Too lazy I guess.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 30, 2001.

I have 3 young kids and we have some type of bread with almost every dinner. It's pretty much come to be expected but not sure I'd be able to without my bread machine. I still do quick breads (pumpkin, banana-nut, etc.) the old fashioned way but right now all yeast breads are in the machine. As the kids get older I'll probably start doing more by hand but for now this is much more practicle. As far as taste, there is a difference between the two but I don't see one as necessarily better than the other. I like both.

-- Hoosiermom (hdnpines@hotmail.com), March 31, 2001.

I was given a bread machine a couple of years ago and I used it alot. But we are a family of five so one loaf of bread doesn't last long around here. So a friend of mine had a kitchen aide and was telling me about how easiy it was to make homemade bread with it. I borrowed hers and really liked it so now I use my kitchen aide to make 4 loaves at a time. I still use my bread machine once in a blue moon.

-- sara (tshoos@peoplepc.com), March 31, 2001.

Like Mary, I use mine alot for the dough cycle..I love my machine.

-- Lynn(MO) (mscratch1@semo.net), April 02, 2001.