Bread Maker

[Francis Asis]

What does a bread maker actually do? Obviously it makes bread but i mean do you bung all the ingrediants into it and it mixes them and kneads the dough and puts it in the airing cupboard for an hour then bakes a loaf?

[hippyhoppy]

Hence my 'don't spend a fortune' diatribe .. it'll end up in the cupbaor next to the toasted sandwich maker and the smoothie maker!!!

[Rosetta]

Thanks lorri, at least I know now that it is not just mine. I have had mine some years, maybe the newer ones are better but I must admit I am not inclined to get a new one

[annie0000]

Oy! hippy - I use my breadmaker - have used it 3 or 4 times a week for 8 years, also use my toastie maker avout every 2nd week, use my george foreman grill at laest once a week - never went for a smoothie maker as I have a hand blender that does the same job and have used it probably 4 times a week since I got it to make baby food 8 years ago. I must admit the popcorn maker was rubbish - it just spat hot corn everywhere - much easier to make it in a pot!!

[hippyhoppy]

I'm sorely tempted to go and buy a new bread maker now! lol ! even tho I know I won't use it to capacity! Laughing at the thought of annie being bombarded by hot corn - bless!

[Jugglering]

I've got a Panasonic and am not sure how I'd cope without it.... It's very easy to use.... put in appropriate amounts of dried yeast (fast acting), strong bread flour, sugar, salt and butter or oil, water. Turn machine on to either dough or bread setting as required (lots of different options). Walk away. Come back a few hours later to either a wonderfully risen mound of dough (ready to be made into bread rolls or pizza) or a baked loaf of bread.... The hardest bit is waiting for the bread to cool down enough to eat that first slice..... As the others have said, you can use the machine just to do the mixing, kneading and proving, then bake the loaf in a normal oven if you want. In my mind, anything that takes away the tedium of mixing and kneading properly is worth its weight in gold.

[eastern]

Hovis do bags of premixed flour/yeast etc, they cost �1 for 2 and all you do is add butter and 350ml water (must be at room temp). The bread is excellent ,especially wholegrain.