Bread machines?

[ffutures]

I'm vaguely thinking of getting a bread machine - I get the impression that very little real skill is needed to use them, which suits me very well, and I do like really fresh bread in the morning occasionally.

But I don't know much about them, and there seem to be a lot of models with different features. So what I'm wondering is which are essential, and which are just feeping creaturism?

This page shows the models sold by Argos, about the most ubiquitous store in the UK. Since I want to try this without spending a fortune I'm tempted to go for the cheaper Morphy-Richards model - they have a long history of making reasonably good domestic appliances such as electric blankets and hairdriers. but I don't know it if has all the features I need.

All comments gratefully received.

Comments

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

OK - the cleaning aspect is something I hadn't realised, I sort of thought they cleaned themselves somehow. Greenness may also be a good point, as is buying one second hand.

Of course I could just try traditional baking, I suppose, but it's the "fresh bread for breakfast" side of it that appeals.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

I haven't found the bread machine we have either hard to use or hard to clean. Quite the opposite. I don't use it very much, but that's mostly to do with the fact that it's huge and I don't have much counter space, so I have to go to the trouble of making room for it before I can make bread. If I had the room to leave it set up, I suspect I'd use it more often. Especially if I had one that would bake bread overnight, on a delay.

[uninvitedcat.livejournal.com]

The bit I have the most problems with is getting the blade out of the cooked loaf at the end of the program.

But I do still haul my (Cookworks) bread machine out of the cupboard occasionally, and make fresh bread. But only when I know I've got someone coming over to help me eat the loaf, as it won't keep as long as commercially produced bread, and I can't quite manage a 1.5lb loaf on my own!

[inamac.livejournal.com]

From friends who worship their breadmakers I understand that Panasonic is generally well regarded as a manufacturer - and the gadjet for putting in the nuts/raisins etc half way through is worth going for. If you want to clutter up your kitchen...

OTOH I've found that the packets of bread mix designed for use in the machines work perfectly well for hand-making bread - you get to do all that theraputic kneading yourself, fill the house with the smell of oven-baked bread, and only have to wipe round one ordinary bowl to clean up.