Knowing that there are many on here who like to bake and cook who regularly post pictures of their offerings, I wondered if anyone apart from myself was willing to admit in public, to owning and using a Bread Maker! I owned one many years ago, before Youtube was what it is today and I thought the only option was to go to the supermarket and buy a packet mix to which you added water. This meant the bread that you made was not very good! However, roll on 20 years and with Youtube's help, I now realise that many people own and make bread in them and far from using packet mixes you follow recipes! A friend 'lent' me one of these [URL=https://i.imgur.com/jf19JL7.png][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/jf19JL7.png[/IMG][/URL] I am hoping that they do not want it back! First attempt was a wholemeal recipe which looked fine but was very dense and not to be made again. yesterday I made a basic white recipe that churned out a really tasty loaf. So, I wondered if any budding chefs would share their methods and recipes on here please!

> @"dfk41"#p72221 This meant the bread that you made was not very good! However, roll on 20 years and with Youtube’s help, I now realise that many people own and make bread in them and far from using packet mixes you follow recipes! I was using one of those 20 years ago… 😉 - and no packet mixtures. They are essentially a mixer/oven all in one. Over the years, we had 4 of them. They do break, and the one thing which is likely to go wrong eventually is the paddle mixer inside the pan. Eventually, it will stiffen. The basic bread, white bread recipe works fine. The one main issue is that due to its confined space, here’s a lot of moisture in the bread, and it’s usually on the dense side. One tip is to take the pan off the machine and the bread off the pan as soon as it’s finish and let it cool down on a kitchen surface. It’s hot! Over the years, we used the machine to mix and kneed, but preferred then to finish off kneading by hand and use the oven to bake it. We also used it to make pizza doughs. These days, we have a kenwood mixer and use that instead. They are great for convenience: you can easily measure and bung everything in the pan before going to bed and wake up in the morning to the wonderful smell of fresh bread - and a fresh loaf to eat.

You can knock up a loaf from scratch surprisingly quickly - requires a bit of effort but not much. Secret is using fast acting yeast that doesn't need dissolving and feeding first. Bung it in with the rest of the ingredients (10 grms to 500grms flour and 10 grms salt and 650 - 700ml of water). You can use a mixer with the supplied dough hook to take the effort out. Leave it to rise to double in size (about an hour), knock the air out of it and fold into a log, let it rise in the bread tin and then bake off. Will produce a lovely loaf. Use very strong white flour with a protein content around, ideally, 14-15%. Using this method, you can produce a loaf start to finish in around 3 hrs.

I will have sat in the circle, held my hand up and said….Hello, my name is Pompeyexile, and I am an automatic bread maker user. Luckily though, those meetings worked, and I have long since kicked the bread maker habit and have my 20 plus years token to prove it. Arguments for using such a machine… I am old, have bad arthritis and cannot knead dough. I cannot bake. I just cannot be bothered. It is the only way of waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread. All of those may well be true, but no matter what anyone says, bread made the 'old-fashioned' way, knocks anything made in a bread maker into a cocked hat. Cannot physically knead the dough? Well most stand mixers do that, which is why they have a dough hook. Haven't got one? Well, there are hundreds of 'No knead' recipes out there which work great. You say you cannot bake? If you can read and follow a recipe to the letter, YES YOU CAN! Recipes are tried and tested. I have never tried a recipe and had it fail… as long as I followed it to the letter! That is not to say I have liked everything I have baked, because like you, I have personal tastes, be it about flavour or texture etc. The only ones I cannot argue against are, you can't be bothered and waking up to freshly baked bread. Oh, yes I can…. MOVE NEXT DOOR TO A CHUFFIN GREGGS! Thankyouandgoodnight [URL=https://i.imgur.com/0DWyACB.jpeg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/0DWyACB.jpeg[/IMG][/URL] Knocked this on up a couple of days ago. Half white, half brown. Chuffin lovely!

@"Pompeyexile"#p72232 My constraint is my wife! I have made bread by hand before but not for years. In order to make bread of some sort I had to out think her hence getting her friend to lend me hers! In truth though, I could not be bothered with the little faff making bread takes. Yes I bake and have a good mixer and dough hook……..perhaps that will come again later…….meanwhile I am happy with the bread maker!

We used to have a bread maker. I recall the results weren't bad at all, especially given the lack of effort required. Bought a Kitchenaid mixer about 4 years ago and it makes the process a complete breeze. Must've used it hundreds of times. Ingredients in, dough hook on, mix for six or seven minutes. Rise, shape, prove, bake! Also use it for cakes and pizza dough

As I bake bread every week, I splashed out on a good (and yes, fairly expensive) mixer too. It is Swedish and built like a tank. I give you… the Ankarsrum. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/CtIqzeb.jpeg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/CtIqzeb.jpeg[/IMG][/URL]

@"Pompeyexile"#p72240 My son works for Warburtons and his partner a line manager in Greggs Pasties division! What does your Ankarsum bring to the table then?

I saw a YouTube video with one of these Italian Sunmix mixers the other day. Fortunately for my bank balance (and marriage) there’s no way I’d fit it in the kitchen. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/ubcNg0U.jpeg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/ubcNg0U.jpeg[/IMG][/URL]

> @"dfk41"#p72242 Greggs Pasties division! That's not a job - it's a vocation.

My advice would be to sack off the bread maker and have a dabble with sour dough. I use it mainly for my pizzas and I promise you that you won't be able to buy or make anything better in a bread machine. It's another huge rabbit hole to go down if you want to take it that far but the taste and health benefits are night and day. You'll hear the argument that it takes too long, blah blah blah but fermentation takes time. The sourdough discard can also be used in many other tasty recipes, sourdough pancakes for breakfast is one of my favourites.

Bread Makers

Systemic

Just out of the oven - 1kg each prior to baking. 25% wholemeal, 10% rye and 65% strong white.

EddieMoonshine

Systemic looks delicious. Do we get a picture of the money shot?

HarveyMushman

Systemic

Looking delicious!

What sort of hydration are you using for sourdough? I generally do the Tartine Country loaf and it’s 75%, I’d get in a right old mess having to do that by hand.

RickO88

Systemic 2kg, works fine. That is total dough weight. Your bread looks perfect 👌

Systemic

EddieMoonshine

Pompeyexile

My Ankarsrum can make p to 5kg of dough.

The roller shown acts like fingers kneading the dough.

The initial rise in the bowl…

Shaped and placed in the Pullman tin for the second rise and then baked…

The recipe is pretty standard, although I always add a tangzhong to my initial mix which gives a much softer crumb, great for sarnies.

Systemic

@EddieMoonshine thanks - always wait at least 24 hrs before trying to slice the loaves so check back later tomorrow.

Jony

Who owns that posh mixer they are pricey ,looked at these a while back they are nice . Whenninwas choosing my Flour Mill .

Systemic

These were 70% hydration.

Systemic

We’ve got a new oven with a dedicated bread setting which makes a real difference to achieving a good spring.

RickO88

How does that work? I mean how is that achieved?

Systemic

I bake at 230c for first 20 mins. That plus pre-heating the Dutch oven I bake the loaves in helps achieve good oven spring.

dfk41

Does anyone make Banana (bread, loaf, cake) in their machine, or for that fact anything else? I remember making butter and jam but it is years ago!

RickO88

Sourdough tin loaves

EddieMoonshine

Systemic looks awesome, I’d smash that toasted covered in butter and a nice wedge of Lancashire cheese on the side.

Adrianmsmith

EddieMoonshine Lancashire cheese

Oh no, has to be extra mature cheddar 😜

EddieMoonshine

Adrianmsmith I thought my Lancashire cheese comment might cause controversy 😂

Systemic

I might sound like a heretic but I like it with tahini at breakfast. I am addicted to Belazu tahini which is head and shoulders better than any other tahini I’ve tried - nutty and subtly smokey.

Jony

EddieMoonshine Lancashire Crumbly can’t beat the tang on sourdough toast

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