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

Hi, we're Pook and Lulu and we are bread addicts (Hi both!)

[lulucthulhu.livejournal.com]

My mum bought me the the morphy richards fastbake for xmas. It's fabulous. even Pook can use it - and he does not cook. (He prefers to describe it as assembling ingredients and pressing a button.)

Once you have sealed the pan after first purchase, by heating it with a wipe of oil on it, it only needs ordinary washing up liquid and hot water to clean it. The first heat of 15 minutes is done empty so any machine oil burns off the contraption. and yep, you need to do this or it would taint the first loaf. (SMELL BAAAAD!)

Sometimes the little beater sticks in the loaf, but it's easy to get out with a chopstick. That's the only downside we've found.

It can do a loaf in an hour, but you get better results and a lighter loaf with the three hour setting. It also does two sizes of loaf and three colour settings. you can make dough to form in to bread rolls should you wish, or even pizza bases. (but we don't have a cooker so don't use this function)

And the space... we've made room for it. it gets used almost every day.
not used the timer yet, but honestly the bread doesn't get a chance to get stale.

Join us in the bread addict aisle....