OK, talk at me about about breadmakers

[Jonathan_Chance]

So my 19 year old is home from college. Has been for a month. Is finishing up her online finals next week.

Her birthday is in two weeks and I’m thinking breadmaker. She’s expressed interest in such in the past and already likes to bake - it’s helping to keep her sane during this interregnum - so I figure it’s a natural. Plus, she can take it to school when they ever go back and make bread for people there.

Amazon is a bit bewildering. So help me out here, people. I want a decent, simple breadmaker for less than $200. Help me find one and tell me what supplies she’ll be needing.

Give a guy a hand, will you?

[markn_1]

Cooks Illustrated did a review of breadmakers in 2015. They actually were not very enthusiastic about any of them.

@Cooks Illustrated

While a few machines produced loaves with a uniform crumb, all the breads emerged overbrowned and stiff on the sides, with pallid, squishy tops. The bottom of each loaf was punctured by at least one large hole where the mixing paddle(s) remained during baking (the only way to avoid this is to remove the paddles after the mixing cycle), and the gluten-free loaves were universal failures—“squat,” “doughy,” and “mushy,” testers reported—whether we used our recipes or those provided by the manufacturer.

They only recommend (with reservations) three models. Two are below $200:

T-fal Balanced Living Breadmaker
Zojirushi Home Bakery Mini Breadmaker

[nightshadea]

heres a breadmaking thread in which people talk about theirs … maybe you could ask there too
https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=894157#post22259460

[engineer_comp_geek]

Moderator Action

Moving thread from IMHO to CS.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

You might want to feel her out about whether she’s still interested in one. If baking is keeping her sane, a breadmaker might take away the parts of baking that she enjoys.

Baking is keeping me sane. The slow process of bread, including the central knead, is not something I’d want to hand off to a machine.

[Yorkshire_Pudding]

You know her and I don’t, obviously, and I know you’ve said an interest has been expressed…but if somebody enjoys the process of baking and finds it therapeutic, is a machine which automates everything and removes them from the process really a good fit?

Before anyone leaps in with accusations of puritanical bread snobbery (wouldn’t be the first time), I promise that’s not it! To each their own, seriously. But as somebody who enjoys baking all our bread and who therefore really wouldn’t want a bread maker, I thought I’d offer that perspective.

[VOW]

I found breadmakers to be horribly overpriced on Amazon right now.

When I convinced myself to lower my standards and consider a “gently used” machine, I took a peek at the specs. It was 220v! Be CAREFUL.

I ended up getting the Zojirushi of my dreams from Bed, Bath and Beyond. I paid a helluva lot less than the $500+ Amazon was asking!

Do a lot of research. My Zojirushi has a yogurt setting, can make orange marmalade, and I found a recipe for meatloaf in the instruction book! Once you decide what machine you want, then you can poke around the Internet for the best price.

Be warned! Both flour and yeast can be hard to find in some areas! A gift of a breadmaker should also include a sack of flour and some yeast.

Above all, everybody should have fun! I will try to make bagels this week!
~VOW