Bread machines

[Hazel at the Hill]

I woke at 4:30 to the sound of the breadmaker mixing dough. Have hardly used it since.

What do you do? Sleep in the kitchen?

I have a most basic and ancient breadmaker which I've had for about 10 years. I know that it was a real expense at the time, but I make a loaf a week, and can't see that the running costs are much more than heating the oven....especially as I would only be making one loaf at a time in the oven.

Also, I'm not sure that I'd make my own bread otherwise....have tried in the past, but it seems to come out rather brick like!

Freshly baked bread in the morning? Yes please!

[johnty greentoes]

What do you do? Sleep in the kitchen?

I have a most basic and ancient breadmaker which I've had for about 10 years. I know that it was a real expense at the time, but I make a loaf a week, and can't see that the running costs are much more than heating the oven....especially as I would only be making one loaf at a time in the oven.

Also, I'm not sure that I'd make my own bread otherwise....have tried in the past, but it seems to come out rather brick like!

Freshly baked bread in the morning? Yes please!

I've joined the croissant brigade on this one. So much easier for all the olfactory pleasure.

[Alison]

Must admit to being with Hazel on this one - always used to MEAN to bake my own bread (love the smell, know what's in it and good for agression!) but only ever managed it on rare occaisions. Can manage a perfectly good loaf / rolls but never managed to make it into a routine. Since splashing out on a bread maker last autumn haven't bought any bread (only the occaisional crossiant) and use it every 2 to 3 days - came in last night to the smell of bread, can't beat it and the butties I've just eaten were truly lovely. As I've said before, I know there isn't a massive amount of time spent actually DOING anything when bread making but it does take quite a while from start to finish and unfortunatley I can't always be in for that lenght of time to keep the supply coming (don't want to block the freezer up either).

Re the noise, can hear it if I'm in the kitchen but that's about it - the only problem I have when I leave in on overnight is the smell drifting upstairs and making me hungry - it seems too long to wait for it to cool down enough to eat!!!!!

[Hans Mum]

i'm with hazel & alison on this one, we got one (from ebay for �20 because i thought it would be like all the other kitchen gadgets stuffed at the back of the cupboards) but we have used it time & time again and like alison we dont buy bread anymore, its easy and even the jam i made in it was fab & much cleaner than doing it on the hob.....i'm a messy cook and there's no more nipping to the corner shop late at night because there's no bread for next days lunch boxes!!!!

[johnty greentoes]

HATH

Obviously I wouldn't hear the blessed machine if I did what you must do and sleep in the west wing awaiting the staff and come to rouse me for breakfast.

[Hazel at the Hill]

In the interests of balance, I will make a loaf of bread by hand this weekend, and then I can add to this debate from a position of knowledge.

[johnty greentoes]

In the interests of balance, I will make a loaf of bread by hand this weekend, and then I can add to this debate from a position of knowledge.

So will I. What recipe will you follow.

See pics attached of loaves "grown" in plant pots in school last week. Do you want to try it?

[Hazel at the Hill]

So will I. What recipe will you follow.

See pics attached of loaves "grown" in plant pots in school last week. Do you want to try it?

Sure do - those look fantastic - pumpkin seeds on top of a couple of them?

Johnty post the recipe for your plant pot bread but start a new thread otherwise it will just get lost in this one.

Please put the recipe up, JG, and let me know how you prepared the clay (?) pots - can you really cook the loaves in them? They're porous, aren't they - so do you have to line them?

[johnty greentoes]

HATH

Have started the new thread.

[Two_Sheds]

I have done it. I feel unfaithful, but I couldn't resist.
I have made bread in the leccy thingy instead of by hand (well, its not made yet, its still going round and round). I can't believe you just plop all the stuff in the hole, hit Start and then its all done. It can't be that simple, what have I forgotten? the flour? Cripes.
I was feeling a total cheat, cos i used packet bread-mix (hey, it was in the cupboard, I didn't buy it) so I made it 'my own recipe' by sprinkling in some pumpkin seeds.
I'll report back this evening on the state of the loaf ...

[Potter]

Hi Jools, I have recently bought the Panasonic 255 which I think superceded the 233. I LOVE it!! We make 3-4 loaves a week and use the nut dispenser nearly every time as we like a kind of wholemeal & white seeded batch (for the seeds)). We bought ours because we were buying 2-3 seeded batch loaves a week at �1.40 a pop and wanted to try to make our own for a third of the price. I don't mind the hole in the bottom, or not being able to see it rise in a window (as mostly we put it on on the timer overnight) and apart from the one time we forgot to put the paddle in (hmmmm!) we haven't had a bad loaf yet. I did lots of research and it was well worth the money I think.

[Two_Sheds]

The loaf was good. It lasted about 2 hours, we ate the lot with allotment soup. Yum. I think I'm converted.
It didn't cook a cake though. It was in for 3 hrs and still came out raw in the middle.

[Tora]

It's interesting to hear people's opinion on machines and how they use it. I bought mine last year at a carboot sale for �8.00. It works fine but I use only 'dough cycle'. I baked loaves a few times but I noticed that the machine gives off smell when baking (nasty smell of plastic elements being heated).
I knead by hand when I'm making certain kinds of bread too. I don't use the machine so much but it certainly made me discover joy of bread making!

[scared55]

Hi Jools, I have recently bought the Panasonic 255 which I think superceded the 233. I LOVE it!! We make 3-4 loaves a week and use the nut dispenser nearly every time as we like a kind of wholemeal & white seeded batch (for the seeds)). We bought ours because we were buying 2-3 seeded batch loaves a week at �1.40 a pop and wanted to try to make our own for a third of the price. I don't mind the hole in the bottom, or not being able to see it rise in a window (as mostly we put it on on the timer overnight) and apart from the one time we forgot to put the paddle in (hmmmm!) we haven't had a bad loaf yet. I did lots of research and it was well worth the money I think.

I'm with you, Potter. I like to try all the recipes in the book, then modify them. Currently I prefer pesto or garlic. Real garlic bread, hot with home-made garlic butter is deeeelish. OH makes loads of regular bread, which has, as TS intimated, a shelf life of about 2 hours.
Oh yes - and I left the paddle out once, too.

KK

[SMS6]

If you use oil instead of butter how do you work out the quantity?