Bread machine

[littleweedontheprairie]

Those of you who have a bread machine - is it worth it? Any brands/features you would recommend ?
I currently make my own bread just kneading myself and baking it in the oven. Aside from maybe 30 minutes of "hands-on" time, it doesn't require much- just a couple hours for rising and baking. I bake one or two batches a week (of 3 loaves each). But - even as a stay at home mom, I find myself sometimes short of time for this: it seems the kids always need attention when my hands are in the dough, and I let it over-rise or over-bake more often than I'd like. I am expecting another little one in a few months and trying to find ways to save time and sanity where I can.
I'm thinking about just grabbing the first cheap one I find at the thrift store, but would like to know first if it's worth using one in the first place. And if there are any really handy features to look for.
Thanks!

[SimpleCycle]

Do you have a stand mixer or food processor?  When I had a breadmaker I pretty much only used the dough setting, which is fairly well replicated with a few minutes and the dough hook or dough blade.  I find that much more versatile and takes up far less space.

[draculawyer]

My mom is obsessed with her bread machine. She got one that does the mixing/rising cycles for her, which I recommend if you’re going to invest in one. When Mom has guests over for parties there’s usually a whole lot to do, and she’s actually said that she probably wouldn’t be able to do it all and make bread if it wasn’t for the bread maker. And IMO if you’re baking as much bread as you do it would probably save you a lot of time.

[Syonyk]

I'm thinking about just grabbing the first cheap one I find at the thrift store, but would like to know first if it's worth using one in the first place. And if there are any really handy features to look for.

That's the way to go.  Get a cheap one at the thrift store, use it for a while, find out what works, what drives you insane, and what features you want, then look for one with those changes at the thrift store.

It's also a good bit cheaper to heat a small space than a full (electric) oven, and in the summer, it doesn't heat up the kitchen nearly as badly as the oven typically does.

[sanderh]

I mix my microwave bread dough in the same bowl I cook/bake/microwave it in, using a fork. Self-raising flour plus oil, mixed together, then add milk, mix again. About 10 min for the mixing, 4 min for baking (microwaving). So for me, a bread machine would definitely be unnecessary.

[englishteacheralex]

Two full time jobs and two toddlers. We bake all our bread using a bread machine.

Machine #1: Put out a call on our faculty list-serve--anybody got a bread machine they don't use? Scored one for free. It shorted out and died six months later.

Machine #2: Craigslist. $30. Got a bread slice guide thrown in by the seller. The teflon on the loaf pan started to suck about six months later--unusable.

Machine #3: Craigslist. $30. Brand new. Still going strong 1.5 years later.

I have a book of recipes called Bread Machine Magic. Cost $5 with shipping off Amazon. I recommend this. Bread machine recipes are different from normal bread recipes.

Making a perfect loaf of bread takes me 6 minutes of hands on time. I have my go-to recipes memorized. I never screw up the bread.

This bread knife is a great $13 investment. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PS1HS6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Strongly recommend it.

[Cranky]

I generally use mine (which I bought at the thrift store) in the summer when I don't want to heat up the house, or when I want to start up the crockpot and go about my afternoon. It works great for that.

It does produce a fluffier bread than the hand kneaded, oven baked process.