Not knitting - bread making in a machine

#1

Hello
Does anyone use a bread machine to make breads which have added ingredients such as dried fruits nuts, seeds, grains?
I have never used a bread machine but looking to buy one. I like bread with lots of “stuff” mixed grains and seeds etc and I see there are machines which have a dispenser for these and the machine adds it in at the right time but I spotted a complaint from a reviewer saying the dispenser didn’t hold enough fruit for their recipe so was pointless. This has me wondering if the dispenser is a bit of a gimmick and not really needed.
Is this right? What do you think of them?

If there is not dispenser can you still make multigrain seeded nutty loaves, or fruit loaves? Does the machine just beep or something when it is time to add the extra stuff?
And do I need a particular machine or setting to make sourdough bread or will any machine be OK?

I should add there will be zero hand mixing or kneading due to my disability. I have convinced little Mister to agree to weigh out ingredients and pop them in if i buy the machine. I can manage to add a bowl of extras half way through or whenever it is but need to know it’s possible.

Anyway, thoughts, advice and opinions welcome.

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#2

Hi Creations, I don’t use a bread machine anymore but did years ago when they became all the rage. From memory, fruit and nuts were just added when there was about 5/6 minutes to go on the second knead. My machine definitely didn’t have a dispenser so it was just throw in the fruit towards the end. I remember very nice fruit bread. These days it’s made with a dough hook in the kitchen aid, just needs a light knead when it’s dumped on the board.
Hoping you can find a machine that suits, there’s nothing better than hot buttered fruit bread, enjoy :hugs:

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#3

Honestly saying waste of money. Old fashioned way is best. IMO untill hands aren’t dipped in flour bread don’t taste good :blush:

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#4

I go with the handmade technique but if that isn’t feasible a bread machine will work. It’s just not the equivalent of a handmade loaf.
There are also no-knead or almost no-knead alternatives available from America’s Test Kitchen. Their cookbook is often in public libraries but there are likely other sources for similar recipes.

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#5

I have no doubt that hands dipped in flour is by far the better bread than machine made, but if the options are not between hand made and machine made but rather between machine made and shop bought (factory made) then I think machine made must be the winner in terms of what goes into the bread.

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#6

I’ve never come across American test kitchen (being British), interesting, looks good. I can’t access their recipes without signing up but watched a couple of videos - including one comparing bread machines and hand made bread. Unfortunately couldn’t understand any of the quantities in the videos and never heard of the brand names and suggestions for flour etc so probably wouldn’t go for their books as I’d be trying to translate everything and find equivalent products here in the UK. The bread machine test results would have convinced me but those brands don’t exist here. Very interesting though. There are so many reviews for machines online it’s hard to know which to trust, I need a UK equivalent to your recommendation really, a trusted test and review of the machines available here (so many reviews online are fake now).

I’m not able-bodied enough even for ‘almost no knead bread recipes,’ not now. It would be great if I could improve and build up to that as an aim. I used to love soda bread which has very little action in the making but can’t make that any more either. And my carer is not going to be persuaded to bake bread of any sort! Ha!
I have wanted to switch to home baked for a long time but my health hasn’t allowed it.

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#7

I’ve had a bread machine for over 30 years and it makes fantastic bread! I’ve a Panasonic and you can do all sorts of recipes, including doughs ( it makes great pizza dough).
I rarely make bread the old fashioned way (apart from soda bread) and too be honest, I think the machine does a better job.
I find I only use it rarely now as the kids have left home, and we eat almost no bread. We’d get too fat as the loaf doesn’t hang around for long! :rofl::rofl:

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#8

Well that’s a great promotion for the virtues of a machine. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I ordered one yesterday, had been looking at panasonic as they seem to have good reviews but in the end went for a tefal which has a smaller footprint and also I like it has 3 size settings. I found a video of someone making a seeded loaf and adding the seeds later, no dispenser, which was kind of my final decider to just go ahead. I’m very excited now.

We don’t eat much standard loaf bread. Little Mister does like a sandwich for a weekend lunch though and I’ve noticed I’m gradually buying more baked things I didn’t used to buy.
One of my hopes (it may not work) is to set up a habit for little Mister so that by the time he leaves home he would just naturally continue making bread as part of life and be able to easily avoid the supermarket breads. If he expands from the machine to shaping and baking outside the machine great, if he extends that to hand made then great.

So excited!

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#9

My MIL gave us our first bread machine more than 30 years ago before they became popular.
The et first one was a Breadman brand and I used it so often I wore out a pan (the bearing in the spindle) and had to replace it. Got a few more years out of it before the motor wore out. I am on my third machine, the motors give out. For the last 15+ years I just use the dough setting, hand knead and place in a loaf pan for last raise and baking.

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#10

Have great fun with it! You can wean himself onto bread making by just doing the dough function, and then he can shape and do a final prove by hand!!

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#11

Sounds like it’s worked really well for your family. This is very encouraging.

#12

I love my bread maker. I’ve had it for years but really got back into during pandemic & retirement. I have a Hitachi machine. In answer to one of your questions, mine beeps when it is time to add ingredients like raisins etc. My favorite thing I make are cinnamon rolls. It does all the mixing kneading and one rise. Then I manually roll out dough and add the filling, roll up and cut and 2nd rise and ready to bake. My granddaughter loves these and believe me I don’t think I’ve met a pickier eater than her. I really like the recipes of “bread machine diva”. You might check that site out.

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#13

This is great info knittingGigi, thanks.
Fresh cinnamon rolls must be fantastic! That’s one of the things I think my little Mister might, one day, agree to do a bit of hands on to create. I’m not going to push it too soon though. He’s not a kid that’s really into cooking like some are. In the school cooking classes it was quickly apparent he knows a great deal more than his peers about ingredients, nutrition and cooking methods but he doesn’t really have the desire to spend long in the kitchen making or experimenting.

It’s great that ingredients can be added later, we love seedy nutty grainy rye bread type loaves. Just now he’s not to have nuts and seeds due to having his braces fitted and I’m told hard foods can damage the brace, so we will start with smoother recipes for now. We could grind seeds to a smoother texture and add those but I don’t know if that would effect how a recipe works with the wrong texture being added.

I’ll look into bread machine diva, thanks for the tip.

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#14

@Creations, we have a company here in Australia called Simply No Knead. I have bought flour from there, but made bread or pizza dough the usual way, back before I got really unwell.

Your post made me wonder if there really was a bread recipe that required no kneading. So I had a read of the recipe from this company, but there is still a fair bit of mixing and handling of the dough, and it requires a “stretch and fold” action that sounds a lot like kneading, if slightly easier.

I have never thought of a bread machine before, but now it is suddenly obvious to me how helpful it would be for people who can’t knead, or can’t stand at a bench for long periods, or can’t even remember to turn the oven off (me).

Perhaps I will get one. Home made fruit bread would be such a treat to have again!

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#15

Here is the “no knead” recipe for anyone interested.

I guess it is the improver that removes the need for kneading?

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#16

Yes! You’ve got it exactly right.
Your example of the no knead recipe is probably wonderful for people who want something with a bit less work and who have a bit less time - but who have the physical ability to mange the process. Reading the recipe (thank you for the link) I would not be able to do the first part, mix it. Add liquid and the mixing is even harder, I can’t lift the bowl of dough that heavy (heavy for me) to tip it onto a worktop, never mind the stretch and fold, pressing, shaping. And I can’t lift the tray with that weight of dough on it into the oven.
It sounds ridiculous. I sound pathetic. But I know I’m not alone in the world having such limitations.

Since my second spine surgery (around 9 or 10 months ago) I am improving and improving but I was/am in such a state it is still an extremely difficult task even to wash and dress.
I set myself tasks, tiny things really, getting myself a drink was one of the first and marvelous goals, not relying on someone else for water, it is an amazing feeling!
Last week I made a cheese sauce because we haven’t had a lasagne in about 2 years (because I have been unable to cook, I have someone who cooks but there’s a limit to how much someone else can/will do). Carer made tomato veggie sauce with all the chopping, stirring, cooking involved in that. I made the white sauce and little Mister layered the pasta sheets and sauces and lifted it into the oven. White sauce, it’s like 5 minutes at the hob, little Mister lifted out the pan, the spoon, the flour, the butter, milk, and cheese… all I did was put the things in the pan and stir it. I was exhausted and in pain. I was stiring maybe 50g of flour, not 450g - big difference.
We all clapped and cheered my success and the lasagne (which was amazing) and it felt like a good good day and the meal was bliss. Lasagne and a mixed salad. Heaven.

I know bread machines aren’t for everyone. I think they have their place for usefulness. I hope ours turns out to be well chosen and will make a loaf, I hope we manage to form the habit of bread making (just weighing ingredients and putting them in the machine) so it is a normal part of our week.

Home made fruit bread is going to be a joy!
I’ll let you salivate at the thought of it whilst you consider whether you want to try a machine.

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#17

My machine had a setting for adding nuts or fruit. But all it did was stop & beep to let me know it was time. I put in the extra stuff & pressed a button to let it finish. I got rid of the machine when the NYT no-knead breads came into view. Those are even easier than the machine imo. And I prefer the firmer, sturdier texture too.

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#18

Had two bread machines and the novelty wore off really quick.
My kitchenaid kneads bread with the dough hook. You still have to add ingredients.
Then let the bread go through it first rising. Add fruit and use the machine to mix it in.
Though with a kitchen aid it mixes everything. The pastry paddle is wonderful for cakes and muffins.
I just need my honey to move the mixer to the counter as I to can’t knead the dough.
The bread machine is nice too, I didn’t have the fruit dispenser feature on mine. I found the kitchenaid easy to use and more versatile. Though try the bread machine it might be what you need.

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#19

Thanks for the info.

Ours has been delivered and we are in the process of choosing our first couple of recipes and ordering ingredients. My regular supermarket doesn’t stock some of the flour we want so it’s either switch allegiance or, perhaps better, I have a UK site which is all about sustainable farming, organic and UK grown, fewer food miles, they have a variety of grains, beans, milled flour etc which can be delivered. I’ll probably stock up from them.
Recipe book with the machine is limited so need to buy a book too.

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