Is it worth buying a bread maker?

Page 1 / 2
actros2, Apr 25, 2:49am
As per the title we have been considering whether to buy a bread maker. DH doesn't think it could be made cheaper than a loaf of Homebrand @ $1.65 currently (which I personally don't think is that nice). Has anyone costed out a loaf of bread for a BM?
Or if you own one do you think it was a worthwhile investment?
nzl99, Apr 25, 2:54am
I tried to today... but failed horribly.

I love my breadmaker.I use it often.I don't often cook bread in it, but use it for kneading.So that may be helpful... just a decent mixer with a dough hook would do similar...

Anywho... wouldn't be without it.Breville big loaf... or something like that.Makes upto a 1.5kg loaf.
korbo, Apr 25, 2:54am
I have 3, dont use them all at once. yes at $1.65 that is cheap, but you can make really nice and different loaves. If you can afford to buy one, then I would. I dont make bread every day, but more during the winter.
you dont get as many slices, but that doesnt worry me. I just like the idea that I KNOW what is in there.
hugh, Apr 25, 2:57am
Normally a 5 minute wonder - a nice smell to wake up to..but..novelty soon wears off. On a pure financial side - not worth it
beaker59, Apr 25, 3:10am
I prefer to bake freehand no Knead for a machine I am the breadmaker in this house :)

I find baking bread freehand is easy and not that time consuming you just have to be around to watch over it a bit but as I work from home thats not too hard.
samanya, Apr 25, 3:17am
If you are looking at only the investment side of it ...who knows?
There's more to it than just the initial outlay. I use mine a lot, pizza dough, focaccia, bread rolls, etc etc.
ppppaula, Apr 25, 3:21am
I never costed it out either and doubt that it would be less than $1.65 per loaf. I used mine at least twice a week for at least 3 years so disagree with the 5 minute wonder comment but everyone has different opinions on which appliances are most useful. I use it less frequently at the moment but I still wouldn't be without it for the convenience. I also have a Breville and as mentioned above, prefer the taste, texture and the fact that I know exactly what is in my bread.
kiwibubbles, Apr 25, 3:37am
yes definitely - if you are able to use to make bread rolls, pizza doughs, foccacias (all of which cost a lot in the shops) then you are saving money already.
kiwilewa, Apr 25, 3:48am
There is nothing like fresh homemade bread that dont have all the preservatives! The best brand for reliability and success in every loaf is the Panasonic brand by far! There is so much you can make besides bread which people have already commented on. Tailor made bread is sooo much better!
bgag, Apr 25, 3:48am
Imake bread and use the dough setting to make pasta, bagels, baguettes,pizza bases, calzone, breadsticks - the possibilities are endless....love it and a huge bag of homebrand high grade flour costs 11 dollars.
kiwilewa, Apr 25, 3:49am
we had a Breville....it was a disaster. Never got a good loaf out of it. It now sits in the garage cos after 6 months of daily use it stopped cooking the bread properly.Since then our panasonic has not missed a beat
peejeles, Apr 25, 3:51am
our family has been using them for years. we have blown up about 4 of them. it works out way cheaper. we make one loaf a day for our family of 5. a big yeast costs about 8$ and lasts a month. 10kg flour at about $6.50 lasts nearly 2 weeks. that works out to roughly $20 for a month of bread. the bread is so much nicer and it is much more filling. plus u know exactly what is in it. flour ,water, salt, yeast.
peejeles, Apr 25, 3:52am
have not tried the pansonic. we always buy the tefal one. i will try the panasonic next.
kiwilewa, Apr 25, 3:55am
Random question: I have never used anything but Surebake yeast. Tasti yeast is cheaper but I have been scared to buy it for fear of bad bread. Anyone tested it?
kiwibubbles, Apr 25, 3:58am
I've used the Tasti yeast for dough - seems to come out ok - i used the breadmaker mix.
kiwilewa, Apr 25, 4:01am
Awesome. Good to know. Yes, I stood at the supermarket for a good minute deliberating last week reading both Surebake and the Tasti breadmaking yeast...lol...then went with the known and faithful. Will try tasti next week!
angelbaby69nz, Apr 25, 4:15am
Yes def worth buying one! home made pizzas with home grown tomato - paste, fresh basil and mozzerella mmmmmmm, hot x buns, bread, french loaf, foccassia.....mmmmmm yummo!!!
kernal1, Apr 25, 4:18am
I am no cook so only used a panasonic one for bread making! Smell, fresh bread daily was lovely BUT a teenaged son could eat it all in almost one sitting! Friends love them but just for making bread maybe not a great investment.
If you know someone with one try borrowing then decide.
rchelley, Apr 25, 4:24am
I have not costed it out per loaf.We brought a breville bakers oven at christmas and have used it a lot.Although not every day as the man of the house doesn't like the bread he thinks it is too 'yeasty' yet the recipes I have been using use less than the pizza base I make that he likes so can't win.I made the kids hot cross buns and raisin buns over the weekend and will get back into making rolls etc when school starts again.

The bread is more filling - the kids will eat 4 slices of homebrand bread for lunch against 2 slices of homemade.
poppy500, Apr 25, 5:21am
Fresh (wet) Yeast is only $4/kg from Moore Wilsons (ask them where it is)- cut it into right sized squares and freeze. Lasts about a year. I think it has a nicer flavour than dried yeast- and if you are thinking of budgets 10-15 gm/ loaf = 70-100 bakes worth of yeast for $4.00.
nauru, Apr 25, 7:32am
I have a breville too and like you I use it mainly for dough.It makes great jam too, have you tried it?
lythande1, Apr 25, 3:08pm
x1
I had one once. Sold it. I make it by hand, it's not slower at all and easy.
All depends where you buy your ingredients and what you put in the loaf.
www.mybreadmix.co.nz $19.95 for 25kg flour.
Thats about 40c for 1 loaf, plus say 30c for the yeast. 70c a basic loaf.
lythande1, Apr 25, 3:12pm
What I do.
1 cup warm water, add 1 sachet yeast, measure out 4 cups flour , 2 tsps salt, mix into the flour, 2 tsps bread improver(plus any other bits you want to add, grains, herbs, whatever). Stir into water (don't worry about waiting for yeast to foam). Once it's roughly a dough ball, tip onto a floured surface, fold it over, push, fold until it stops being sticky. Don't over flour, once it's smooth and not sticky give it a poke, if it bounces back, it's done. Place in your loaf tin or form into rolls or whatever, then let it rise until double in size. bake at 200 degrees. No double rising or fluffing around and it comes out great, crusty but fluffy on the inside.
lythande1, Apr 25, 3:14pm
If you want to work it out, it's about 125grams per cup of flour. Divide into whatever size flour you buy to get the cost per cup, then x by 4 (or whatever amount you use).
Cost in egg, yeast, oil, grains, whatever else you use.
As I say a basic loaf costs me about 70c, but it might be more if you buy flour 5kg from Pak n Save or something. plus how much you pay for your other ingredients if any.
uli, Apr 25, 5:21pm
I calculated the costs once - several years ago - and it came out much much cheaper to bake three huge loaves at once in the normal oven. I have 3 very big tins that fit the oven.

The energy costs of the oven were then about the same (for 20 minutes pre-heating and 50 minutes baking) versus the 3 hours or thereabouts of having the bread maker going. However that costs needs to be checked again - maybe the bread makers are now more power efficient - but then so may be the modern ovens.

Otherwise all the costs are the same: flour, salt, yeast, water - and oil for the tins. There is nothing else in bread, so contrary to popular belief you do not need soybean flour, eggs, milk powder, bread improver or anything else.

I used to leave half a loaf to eat straight away and the rest was frozen either in half loves or in slices, which thaw within 1 hour if needed quickly.

So rather than buy a bread maker which will make very small amounts only - and sits on your bench top - I have invested that money into three big tins that fill the oven and made bread only once a week or fortnight while cooking dinner.