Bread makers: Features explained
Features
Accessories
All the breadmakers come with a measuring beaker and a measuring spoon for smaller quantities. A few grams here or a teaspoon there can have a big effect on the taste, texture and appearance of your loaf, so unless you’re an expert judge by eye, use the utensils provided to get your measures spot on.
Bread pan
Non-stick bread pans make life easy
Your bread bakes in a non-stick bread pan. This contains the kneading paddle, a rotating shaft that drives the paddle and a handle to lift the pan out of the breadmaker. Use plastic rather than metal utensils on the non-stick surface and wash the pan by hand.
Cool wall
All of the breadmakers on test have insulated outer walls that stop the surfaces from getting too hot during baking. Nonetheless, they do get warm, so still take care around your breadmaker.
Kneading paddle
The kneading paddle mixes the ingredients in the bread pan and kneads them into dough. Some kneading paddles collapse after the kneading cycle so that they don’t leave a hole in the bottom of your bread. When you clean the pan, remove the kneading paddle as some baked bread can accumulate beneath it, which could affect the efficiency of the breadmaker.
Viewing window
If your machine has a window, you’ll be able to check your bread as it bakes without opening the lid and reducing the temperature, which could affect how well it rises.
Programming
Control panel
Selecting the right program for different kinds of bread is easy. Breadmakers have settings for the size of loaf, type of flour and even your preferred shade of crust.
Delay timer
Some 'rapid bake' settings let you bake a white loaf in under an hour
A timer with a long delay is the most helpful control you’ll find on a breadmaker. Set your machine before you go to bed and you’ll wake up to aromatic baked bread the next morning.
Rapid bake
You can bake a white loaf in under an hour with some breadmakers. This is useful if you’re in a hurry, but the end result is rarely as good as when you bake on a standard program.
Baking options
Bread
Breadmakers can produce white, brown, wholemeal and granary loaves. But you’ll have a wider choice of baking programs, loaf sizes and crust finishes when baking white bread.
Gluten-free
A breadmaker is handy if you suffer from coeliac disease and need to go gluten-free. Coeliac disease is a condition caused by intolerance to gluten, which is found in barley, rye and wheat flour as well as oats. Breadmakers allow you to make your own gluten-free bread using special bread mixes or the recipes provided.
Speciality bread
Some breadmakers can produce speciality bread as well as white, brown and wholemeal
Most machines come with recipes for more inventive bread as well as standard white, brown and wholemeal. If you’re looking to impress at a dinner party, you’ll be able to bake everything from ciabatta to sun-dried tomato and parmesan.
You can bake from scratch with the raw ingredients or use bread mixes that only need butter and water adding.
Other things you can make
Cake
Nearly all breadmakers can also bake cakes and they come with a selection of recipes to get your started. Most machines don’t mix the ingredients so you’ll have to do any stirring, beating and folding yourself, with the breadmaker only taking care of the baking cycle.
You’ll need to remove the kneading paddle and remember to line the pan with baking parchment before adding the cake mixture.
Jam
Breadmakers are a good gadget for making jam, with the fruit and sugar cooking at very high temperatures. And the finished product has a pleasingly home-made taste.
Jam making is possible
Dough
If you want to make bread rolls, buns or croissants, the kneading paddle on a breadmaker will do all the labour-intensive kneading for you. You’ll simply need to leave the dough to rise then bake it in the oven.
Pasta
Breadmakers can also mix and knead pasta dough. However, you will still have to roll it out and flatten it, using a pasta machine, then cook it in the usual way.
Cleaning
Avoid dishwashers
Dishwashers can damage the non-stick surfaces of your breadmaker, so always wash the baking pan and paddle by hand with a soapy cloth dipped in warm water.
Plastic utensils
You should use plastic utensils for scooping ingredients in or out of your breadmaker. Metal can damage the non-stick surface of the bread pan.