Best bread makers: Quality fresh bread the easy way

We test a series of standardised recipes for wholewheat and white loaves, ensuring to check crust firmness and general cooking quality; in other words, how the bread cooked through out.

We also test how well they cope with loose ingredients (seeds and fruit) and how easy are the instructions to follow.

It’s worth keeping an eye out for a few key features in your hunt for a breadmaker. For instance, most machines offer three loaf sizes, but some compact models offer only one or two. Your breadmaker should also have a minimum of around a dozen programs including white, brown and wholemeal loaves.

Many bread makers offer ‘fast-bake’ programs but make sure you keep an eye out when considering these since some only have fast recipes for white loaves – not very helpful if you only eat wholemeal bread. Also, check out the timings of such programs, as some machines can make a large white in less than an hour, while others take longer.

Avoid any bread maker that doesn’t have a timer delay. These are handy for baking bread that’s ready just in time for breakfast or your return from work. Other extra perks can include a seed dispenser to drop in seeds at just the right time, a yeast dispenser and a kneading blade for loaves that use rye flour.

A seed-and-nut dispenser is a great way to create filled bread, with the bread maker releasing the ingredients at just the right point so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the loaf.

These aren’t just for seeds and nuts, either: many models can use the same dispenser for fruit, too, which is great if you want to make something different or tackle a sweet, rather than savoury, bake.

It can be tricky to buy bread flour all of the time, so can you use normal flour in your recipes? The answer is, maybe. Bread flour, usually called strong bread flour, has a higher percentage of gluten (typically 12% to 14%). Gluten is important in the breadmaking process, creating the elastic texture in the dough.

As the dough proves, the yeast produces carbon dioxide that causes the bread to expand and hold its volume; without enough gluten, the bread won’t rise as much. Most all-purpose flour in the UK has a gluten content of only around 10%, which won’t hold volume as much. So, you can make bread with all-purpose flour, but you’ll find that it won’t rise as much and you won’t get the best results.

You can’t bake bread rolls in a bread machine, as they are designed for baking loafs whole. However, this doesn’t have to restrict you, as the hardest part of making bread is in the mixing and proving, which the bread maker does automatically for you.

So, to make bread rolls, you can first use your machine to make and prove the dough. At the end, you can remove the dough, cut it up into roll-sized chunks and then bake yourself in the oven to get perfect results.

You can make loads of different kinds of bread in most bread makers, ranging from traditional loaves to those with added seeds or nuts. There are some limitations with some models, but for a better idea on what you can and can’t do, check out our guide to the best bread maker recipes. You can also find more information on getting the most out of a machine by reading our bread maker tips and solutions article.

It depends on what you mean by better. In terms of cost, when factoring in the price of a bread maker, you’ll most likely find that store-bought bread comes in a little cheaper, particularly for budget loaves.

However, with your own bread maker, you can decide what goes into each bake, giving you more control over the final product. This also means that you can tweak recipes to your liking, producing results that you’re happier. And, let’s face it, there’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly-baked bread, and you just don’t get that if you pop down to your local supermarket. For more information, check out our article, breadmaker vs store-bought.