Bread machine - how to choose?

Today, one of the most popular household appliances is a bread machine. How to choose such a unit to be completely satisfied with its work? The choice must be made consciously and competently, so that the convictions of sales consultants interested in selling and people's reviews do not confuse the correct definition of the model. How to choose a breadmaker, what parameters to look for when buying and what functions may be useful to you in the kitchen, and our article is devoted.

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Do I need a bread machine at home?

Some people are ardent opponents of clogging free space in the kitchen with various appliances, thinking that a bread machine is an absolutely useless and unnecessary thing. Bakery products are now sold at every turn, why spend effort and baking at home?

These people probably never tasted the freshly baked bread that this appliance prepared. Otherwise, they would not say that, because when preparing flour products at home, you are confident in the quality of the products and you know what you put inside.

Important! Unfortunately, some manufacturers of bread bake it from flour of the lowest quality or from ready-made mixtures, the origin of which is in doubt. To improve the taste of the product, synthetic additives of a cheap sample are often added to baking, which have an adverse effect on our body.

And the price of bread does not mean anything at all, because even in the most expensive and elite bun there can be harmful additives. All this is one of the important reasons why you should buy a bread machine.

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Why do you need a bread machine?

This appliance will become a truly indispensable and most frequently used unit in the kitchen in the following cases:

• If your family lives in an area where the store is far away, or there are problems with the supply of bread to it. If for the summer you are leaving to live in a summer cottage in a village, then a bread machine is the first thing you should pack with you.
• If you follow proper nutrition and eat only natural products.
• If you are an ardent supporter of eating only homemade food. Perhaps you still remember the smell and taste of homemade bread baked in the oven. In this case, you simply need this device.
• If your family loves delicious bread, in modern bread makers there are a lot of functions that allow you to cook different breads.
• If you have absolutely no time for kneading dough, but all members of your family love flour products. Many units have such a function that greatly facilitates the work of the hostess.

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How does a bread machine work?

The first such unit was developed in 1987. Since then, it has been greatly improved. The principle of operation of the bread machine is almost the same. The device has in its design an engine, one or two heating elements and a container for ingredients, in which there are blades for mixing the dough.

Important! The container is usually coated with a non-stick or ceramic coating.

You only need to put all the ingredients in the required proportions into the container and select a program. The baker herself will do the rest:

• mixes the components;
• preheat dough;
• give the test a certain time;
• knead the dough;
• bake;
• keep baking warm for several hours.

As soon as the bread is ready, the unit will emit a sound signal informing that its work is finished.

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Homemade bread maker - savings are obvious

This unit is not worth a penny, but if your family consists of 4-5 people, then its cost will pay off in a year. From 1 kg of flour, approximately 4 loaves of bread are obtained, weighing 400-450 grams.

The remaining ingredients that are required to make delicious bread are not expensive. Therefore, we can safely say that choosing a bread machine (expert advice will help with this) and acquiring it is very beneficial both for the family budget and for the health of all your household.

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How to choose a home baker? - Criterias of choice

To determine which bread machine is better among a wide range of models offered in the store, it is necessary, first of all, to pay attention not to the appearance of the unit, but to its characteristics. So, what parameters are important in this device, how to choose a bread machine?

The volume of baked bread

This parameter is one of the most important criteria for choosing a bread machine. Before buying, be sure to determine the amount of bread that is needed for your family per day.

Based on this, it is worth choosing a bread machine:

1. Appliance models can bake 450, 680, 900 grams of bread at a time.
2. Some devices are designed to produce all three volumes of baked goods.
3. Recently, models have appeared that allow you to immediately bake 1,500 grams of bread at a time. For a large family, this is a great option.

Body material

The case of the bread maker can be made of metal or plastic. Which baker is better? - Make a choice based on such recommendations:

• The metal casing is more durable and resistant to temperature changes. It is guaranteed to last you longer.
• Bread machines with a plastic case are cheaper. They are convenient to use, since water stains do not remain on the plastic, and it simply washes. But upon impact, this material is easily cracked.

Important! Poor quality plastic can produce substances that are harmful to health when heated.

Power

This appliance parameter directly affects the bread preparation time and the amount of electricity consumed. The power of the breadmaker can vary from 450 to 1650 watts.

Important! If you want to choose a bread machine for the home, then the optimal number for this indicator will be 550-900 watts.

Number of blades

The appliance may have one or two vanes for kneading dough. If you think that the number of oars is responsible for the quality of the batch, then this is not entirely true. Unit power in this process is also very important.

Practice shows that if the breadmaker has sufficient power, then the number of blades does not play an important role. But the number of rubber gaskets that isolate the bottom of the tank from leaking at the blades is better to minimize. From frequent and prolonged contact with liquids and greasy components, gaskets deteriorate.

Dimensions

As a rule, a bread machine takes up a lot of space. Therefore, before buying, immediately decide where you will stand and how much space you can afford to allocate for it.

Important! The weight of the device can vary from 4 to 10 kg.

Viewing window

This design element not only decorates the bread machine, but also allows you to observe the process of baking bread.

Important! A large viewing window, due to the fact that it contributes to some heat loss from the bread machine, often becomes the reason for the absence of a beautiful ruddy top of the bread.

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The main programs of the bread maker

Any bread machine model has a set of basic programs.

Standard

It is the main and main program that implements all the processes for making bread. In time, it usually takes about 3.5 hours.

Accelerated

All models of this device have such a program. About 2 hours is spent on baking. But housewives use it infrequently, since loaves and bread do not come out so lush and tasty. And this is not surprising, because the dough is not so thoroughly kneaded.

Kneading dough

This function works differently with different models. Some devices can only knead the dough with yeast, others can make the dough for rye bread, and others are designed for cooking various types of baking and have several types of blades for this. Accordingly, the more functions of the dough kneading, the more expensive the model of a bread machine will cost.

Crust color

This option allows you to choose which crust you want to have on pastries: pale, golden or fried.

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Additional programs

The price of the device depends on the availability of additional programs and their quantity. If you want to get more than tasty “ordinary” bread from the unit, you can choose a breadmaker with other interesting programs.

French bread

The longest program in time, which allows you to cook a special bread - airy and soft.

Important! We have prepared a separate article in which we described in detail how to cook a popular one at home french baguette.

Cupcakes

This program for different models works in its own way. Some devices fully perform all cooking processes, while others only bake muffins.

Important! Based on user reviews, this program is often not used, since the process is quite time-consuming, and it turns out to be quite difficult to select the ideal recipe for your device.

Jam

The function is not very popular among consumers, since it takes a lot of time, and the result is a small jar of jam.

Important! Manufacturers claim that this program preserves a large number of vitamins in the finished product, which can not be said about jam cooked in the usual way.

Rye bread

This program is very useful, and you will definitely use it. Not always eat only white bread.

Other advanced features

Breadmakers, in addition to the described options, can have the following functions, which you will use or not - it's up to you:

• Baking with additives.
• Pumpkin pie.
• Baguettes.
• Honey mustard bread.
• Sour cream loaf.

Important! If these functions are not in your bread machine, then there is a high probability that with the help of the main program you can bake this and other delicious pastries. The main thing is to choose the right recipe.

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Additional options of the bread machine

Many units are not limited to baking tasty bread and other baked goods. Some models boast a range of interesting features.

Keeping warm

This option works like a thermos. Thanks to her, even after two hours after the end of baking, the bread will remain warm and will have a fresh aroma.

Automatic weight adjustment

This function allows you to change the size of the baked bread. If you needed to bake a loaf of smaller size, then it will take less time to bake it.

Important! In devices where this option is not available, the cooking time does not change from the number of loaded products.

Timer

A very useful and necessary option. With it, you can delay the start of any program for 6-15 hours. Also, thanks to the timer, you do not need to stand and monitor the device all the time.

Dispenser

This innovation is a special compartment from which additional components are poured into the dough at the right time. In models that do not have a dispenser, you can fill up the necessary components after a beep just by opening the lid.

Child lock

This protection does not allow to open the lid of the device during its operation. This function is not always in demand, because a bread machine can simply be put in a place inaccessible to children.

Power failure memory

This function allows the device to do without electricity for 5-40 minutes. That is, after connecting to the network, the unit will continue to work from the moment at which it turned off unscheduledly. This option is especially useful when a house often has power outages.

Surge Protection

This function increases the durability of the unit.

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Which bread machine to choose? - Browse Popular Brands

Arriving at the store and watching a large number of different brands with different prices, we do not know how to choose a bread machine. Expert advice comes down to a simple one: you should choose a trusted brand, under which not only devices, but also component products are produced.

Important: Moulinex, Kenwood, Panasonic, Philips, LG brands are verified, for which cookbooks are written and are dedicated to the Internet community. More loyal in cost, but good in quality are considered Supra, Scarlett, Mistery.

Consider the most popular bread maker models.

Moulinex OW613:

• It is a 700 W device.
• It has a metal case.
• The volume of the test can reach 1.5 kg.
• 2 blades for kneading perfectly cope with a large volume of dough.
• It allows you to bake a wide range of products, as it has 19 automatic cooking programs.
• It is equipped with a timer, which can delay the start of the program for up to 15 hours, and a dispenser.

Panasonic SD-2501WTS:

• The power of the unit is 550 watts.
• The maximum volume of baked bread is 1.25 kg.
• The body of the device is made of plastic.
• The number of blades for kneading - 1.
• It has 12 baking programs in its arsenal.
• Equipped with a dispenser and timer for 13 hours.

Philips HD9016:

• The power of the device is 500 watts.
• The device has a plastic case.
• Kneading is carried out with one blade.
• Bakes up to 1 kg of bread.
• Has 12 baking programs.
• Additional options: 13-hour timer.

Kenwood BM260:

• Power model 455 watts.
• The body of the device is made of plastic.
• The maximum baking weight is 1 kg.
• Has 11 programs.
• Additional options: 15-hour timer.

Mistery MBM-1201:

• The power of the breadmaker is 500 watts.
• The maximum baking weight is 750 g.
• Kneading dough is carried out with one spatula.
• Has 12 baking programs.
• Equipped with a timer for up to 13 hours.

Supra BMS-150:

• The power of the unit is 530 watts.
• The case of the bread maker is made of plastic.
• The dough is kneaded with a single spatula.
• The maximum weight of ready-made pastries is 500 g.
• Has 5 programs.

The given rating is just an example of the most popular models among buyers.

If you want to choose a bread maker personally for your needs, then you first need to build on them. Consider how often you will use features such as baking muffins and making jam. Based on this, you will understand whether you need to overpay for these functions or any other additional options. If this purchase is your first such device of this purpose, then choose a simpler model. The taste of homemade bread often depends not on the bread maker model, but on the quality of the products used for this.

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Make a start when choosing a bread maker with the tips provided in this article and your purchase, be sure, will delight you and your family with delicious and fragrant bread for years.