Homemade bread is healthy and delicious, but it takes a lot of hard work. Mixing the ingredients, kneading the dough, waiting for it to rise, re-kneading it and baking it, take a lot of time and effort, but it doesn’t have to be this way. A bread maker will take care of all the hard work for you, and all there will be left for you to do is enjoy the delicious flavor of homemade bread. If you are still not convinced and you are wondering whether or not it is worth investing in such an appliance, we are here to answer all your questions. Keep on reading to discover the main advantages and disadvantages of baking with a bread machine.
There are various types of Bread Machine such as Alarm bread machine, Adjustable bread machine, Whole wheat bread machine, Programmable bread machine and Rapid bake bread machine. Using a Bread Machine we can prepare various recipes like Easy beef stew, Pea risotto, Easy sweet mochi, Spinach meatloaf, Tomato soup, Deep, dark chocolate pudding, Maggy noodles and Easy rice pudding.
Advantages of using a Bread Machine
1. Healthier and more flavorful bread
Unlike store-bought bread which is full of synthetic additives, homemade bread requires only natural ingredients. Aside from flour, yeast and water, you can also add special ingredients like seeds or nuts to make it even healthier. Due to the fact that you use fresh ingredients, homemade bread is also more flavorful, and you can personalize recipes according to your individual taste.
2. Stress-free baking
The traditional way of baking bread requires a lot of hard work. Not only does the preparation of the bread take a lot of time and effort, but this is also a rather messy process. Let’s face it, you can’t really knead dough, without getting flour all over yourself and the entire kitchen. And if that is not enough, you also have to clean a lot of dishes afterwards. However, with a bread maker, all you have to do is throw in the ingredients, and clean the pan after the bread is done.
3. Special recipes
Modern bread machines come with a lot of special settings that allow you to prepare many bread specialties. Such a machine can be particularly useful for people who are intolerant or allergic to certain ingredients, like gluten. Most bread machines also come with a recipe book, featuring dozens of recipes specifically designed for baking with this machine. With a few recipe adaptations, these machines can also be used for recipes other than bread, such as jam, fruit butter, tomato sauce, casseroles, scrambled eggs and even cakes.
4. Modern features
A state of the art bread machine will come with a lot of sophisticated features meant to make your life easier. To see some of the features of the best bread machines, read some reviews on Bread Machine Mom. From intuitive buttons, to easy-to-read displays, and even delay timers, these units are designed to make the baking process as effortless as possible. The delay timer is one of the best features, as it gives you the freedom to program the machine to start baking at a certain time, so that you can enjoy warm bread in the morning or when you come home from work.
The seed and nut dispenser is also a great feature, as it automatically adds special ingredients at the right time during the kneading process. You can’t add special ingredients along with the basic ingredients, because seeds, nuts and dry fruits will make it harder for the dough to mix properly.
5. Savings
While supermarket bread is not extremely expensive, homemade bread is way cheaper, and owning a bread machine can save you a lot of money in the long run.
Disadvantages of using a Bread Machine
1. Only one loaf of bread at a Time
If you have a big family, a single loaf of bread may not be enough per day. In a conventional oven, you can bake several loaves at once, although it will take a lot of time and work to prepare the bread.
2. Fixed paddles
Most bread makers have fixed kneading paddles that remain in the middle of the dough when it is baking, often resulting in a hole in the middle of the loaf. However, there are a few modern bread machines on the market that have collapsible paddles.
3. Recipe limitations
Despite the fact that most bread machines are very versatile, they will never give you the full baking freedom that you have with an oven.