What to Think About: Buying a Bread Maker

Published on 11th October 2013

Whether you have had a bread maker previously or this is your first foray into the glorious world of fresh, homemade bread, choosing a new one can seem a daunting task. This is due to the fact that in recent years there are more new bread makers on the market than any other kind of kitchen appliance. Once thought of as one of those fad gadgets, the fact that we are becoming more educated in healthy eating is encouraging more and more of us to make our own bread.

a new breadmaker

Unwrapping a brand new bread machine is exciting! (image source: Flickr)

The Brand

Brand wise, one of the biggest is Panasonic. They now produce a wide range of top end bread makers that are often endorsed by celebrity chefs. They can, however, be a bit pricey as they come with all manner of features. The fact they are such high quality also guarantees the perfect loaf time after time, and if you are dedicated bread maker then investing in one of these machines will certainly be money well spent.

Kenwood are another well known brand who produce quality bread makers. Their machines vary in price depending on features but even the cheapest, most basic model will still produce good loaves. The range goes from your basic bread maker to those that allow you to make bagel, sweet treats and all manner of other food stuffs too.

Other Considerations

It shouldn't just be brand you are considering however, especially if this is your first bread maker. If you are a beginner you want something very easy to use as if you jump in at the deep end and buy an expensive machine that does everything but sing and dance and bring you a coffee in the morning, it may soon find itself at the back of a cupboard if it is too complicated to use.

Other things to consider is the size of the machine which will determine the size of loaf you can make and also the energy efficiency of the bread maker as the whole point of making your own bread is to make it cost effective. As with all electrical appliance, the greater the rating the more it will cost to run, so look carefully at the labelling as these vary greatly.

If you are feeling more adventurous and don't want to be limited to bread making then have a look at the models that allow you to make pizza dough, bagels, cakes or even jam. A good place to start is to head online and read the reviews of the machines you are most interested in. These will give you a good idea of how easy they are to use, what you can make with them and how energy efficient they are.