Bread Machine

[sasso217]

Hello - I am new to the Celiac world and find these forums extremely helpful for hints and ideas. I would like to know if anyone uses a bread machine? I have found two that offer a gluten free setting, but I am not convinced I need to spend the money yet. If anyone uses a bread machine, can you please give me some guidance?

Appreciate any comments.

Thanks

[Tim-n-VA]

I can tell you that I didn't want to spend the money for the expensive Zojirushi brand that gets rave reviews. I bought the Sunbeam 5891 model for about 1/4 the price.

It is described as "programmable" but really it has 10 pre-defined programs that you can only add time as an adjustment. You could argue whether that is really programmable. It doesn't not have a gluten-free program.

I mostly use it to make the Pamela's brand mix. It works great for that on the standard setting. I've tried some other brands with less success.

Bottom line is that if you think you'll really need/use the programmable features, buy a higher end machine but if you like the basic mix bread from Pamela's, a cheaper machine is sufficient.

As a more general statement, I'd recommend you look on Amazon for any model you are considering and read some of the reviews at each "star" level.

[sasso217]

I can tell you that I didn't want to spend the money for the expensive Zojirushi brand that gets rave reviews. I bought the Sunbeam 5891 model for about 1/4 the price.

It is described as "programmable" but really it has 10 pre-defined programs that you can only add time as an adjustment. You could argue whether that is really programmable. It doesn't not have a gluten-free program.

I mostly use it to make the Pamela's brand mix. It works great for that on the standard setting. I've tried some other brands with less success.

Bottom line is that if you think you'll really need/use the programmable features, buy a higher end machine but if you like the basic mix bread from Pamela's, a cheaper machine is sufficient.

As a more general statement, I'd recommend you look on Amazon for any model you are considering and read some of the reviews at each "star" level.

Hi - thnaks for taking the time to respond. have you tried making other breads - say from scratch?

[JennyC]

I make bread from scratch in my bread machine. For some reason my bread seams to turn out better in the machine. I spent the money to buy the Breadman Ultimate with a gluten free setting, but next time I buy a bread machine I would buy a cheaper model as long as I can program it. I never use the gluten free setting because it only has a 20 minute rise time. That is just not enough time, and I bread would be four inches tall.

[Darn210]

I can tell you that I didn't want to spend the money for the expensive Zojirushi brand that gets rave reviews. I bought the Sunbeam 5891 model for about 1/4 the price.

It is described as "programmable" but really it has 10 pre-defined programs that you can only add time as an adjustment. You could argue whether that is really programmable. It doesn't not have a gluten-free program.

I mostly use it to make the Pamela's brand mix. It works great for that on the standard setting. I've tried some other brands with less success.

Bottom line is that if you think you'll really need/use the programmable features, buy a higher end machine but if you like the basic mix bread from Pamela's, a cheaper machine is sufficient.

As a more general statement, I'd recommend you look on Amazon for any model you are considering and read some of the reviews at each "star" level.

I'm with Tim on this one. I bought one that wasn't programmable but had a gluten free setting. Then we figured out that we prefered the Pamela's mix which uses just the standard white bread setting . . . go figure. One of the other bread mixes that I used did the same thing . . . just used the standard setting. I do use the bread machine though. With the labor involved in gluten free cooking (I do a fair amount of baking), I'm happy to just dump the bread mix in and let it go. Otherwise, I always seem to be MIS-timing my rise/cook schedule with when I have to take or pick-up the kids from something or other and the bread machine, of course, doesn't need me to be there to do anything once I've hit the start button. Also, the bread machine just seems much more consistent. I always had sinking problems with my "from scratch cooked in the oven" breads.

[Takala]

Before I changed my diet I used a bread machine.

Then I spent a few years nearly grainless.

Then when I started expanding my diet slowly, I used a lot of almond meal, so I was grinding it myself anyway in the blender.

I finally started scratch baking again. Started experimenting with all sorts of different gluten free flours. Used the oven, different pan sizes, I've purchased a new mixer and never even used it yet, instead, hand beating the batters.

Good grief, my metabolism finally started to process nutrients and now I can't possibly eat all the baked goods I could make if I were so inclined. I'm already up a jeans size. I feed them to my husband and still we couldn't go thru it without massive personal expansion, because I, alas, seem to have a knack. I take an old recipe, convert the thing, and the next thing I know there's a pan of several thousand tasty calories beseeching me to partake of it ! And I can't do much sugar, either.

I think a bread machine would be nice but I fear the consequences!

[mamaw]

Here's my two cents! I make both bread machine & oven gluten-free breads. I love my Zo & it has never failed me. I don't always have the time to make from scratch bread so the Zo is a lifesaver for me.

I think if you work & have a family finding time to bake isn't always easy. For these times I think the bread machine. If you love to bake & have time the oven scratch bread is good as well.

I do recommend the Zo but know the Breadman works well also.

[TrillumHunter]

I love my Zo and use it several times a week. It has instructions for programming for gluten-free bread in the manual. The timing works PERFECTLY for Lorka's bread--a recipe you can find on this site and Recipezaar. Can I tell you this bread is wonderful? The best recipe by far I've tried. I had a cheap bread machine before I was gluten-free and it was okay for mixing and rising but not for baking. It was too uneven.

[miles2go]

Hi, I'm a former gluteny oven and bread-machine (2 Sunbeams) baker and I'm now a gluten-free oven and Zo bread-machine baker. It was a step spending that extra, but I'll never go back. And it makes all kinds of other stuff, too.

[Ginsou]

I have 3 bread machines....Zo, Oster, and Breadman...all were purchased at thrift stores for $15-$20, and all were unused. (I keep one at the house, one on the motorhome, and one for a spare.)There were no instructions, so I went online and obtained instructions for all models. I've been trying many bread recipes and haven't found the perfect one yet. I travel quite a bit and am always at a different altitude and I think that may affect the end result. Most of my sandwiches consist of a filling between 2 corn tortillas, or even 2 large leaves of lettuce, until I find the ultimate bread recipe.

Lorka's recipe did not work out well for me....made it twice and it turned out to be about 3" high, gummy, heavy, but quite good tasting! I ate it anyway. Mike Eberhart's Brown Honey Bread recipe has been the best result....oven baked...many ingredients, time consuming. Wonderful hamburg rolls, with a wheat like flavor. I will give Analise Robert's recipe a try next.

I used the machine also to make pizza dough....it worked out well. You really have to experiment with a machine and see what suits you best. I'd say go for a bread machine.

[TrillumHunter]

Lorka's recipe did not work out well for me....made it twice and it turned out to be about 3" high, gummy, heavy, but quite good tasting! I ate it anyway. Mike Eberhart's Brown Honey Bread recipe has been the best result....oven baked...many ingredients, time consuming. Wonderful hamburg rolls, with a wheat like flavor. I will give Analise Robert's recipe a try next.

Strange, because that recipe for me turns out perfect every time for me. I do have a custom setting on my Zo that I cannot find this am! This will drive me crazy until I do. I got the setting with my machine. It does not have a second knead and rise. I have never turned out a good loaf using the traditional 2 knead and rise periods like for gluten breads. I will find it and post it.

[Ginsou]

None of my machines have a special setting to interrupt the bread cycle in order to have just 1 knead and 1 rise, and I think that may be part of the problem. I'm ready to buy a 4th machine...one that can be manually programmed for 1 knead and 1 rise.

I do have a "quick" setting on 2 machines, will have to check the manual to see if that cycle may be a better choice.

[nasalady]

For most of my life I've been baking bread....I used to make my homemade whole wheat bread for my family, 4 - 5 loaves a week, 52 weeks a year. Until now I've never used a bread machine. In fact, I secretly sneered at them!

I guess part of it was that I loved the physicality of kneading the dough....it really made you feel like you were accomplishing something! But gluten free breads can't be kneaded, which is a drag.

Anyway, a few days ago I purchased the Zojirushi BBCC X20, and I simultaneously bought Annaliese Robert's book on gluten free breads for the Zo, along with a case of the new Pamela's Amazing Gluten-Free Bread Mix. Wow! I'm in love!! My family is SO happy with Pamela's bread, and I plan to try some of Annaliese Robert's recipes next weekend.

My 2 cents....

[JennyC]

None of my machines have a special setting to interrupt the bread cycle in order to have just 1 knead and 1 rise, and I think that may be part of the problem. I'm ready to buy a 4th machine...one that can be manually programmed for 1 knead and 1 rise.

I do have a "quick" setting on 2 machines, will have to check the manual to see if that cycle may be a better choice.

You can remove the paddle after the first kneading cycle. I do that even with my machine so that the hole in the bottom of the bread is smaller.

[Juliet]

After 3 1/2 years of close to twice (sometimes thrice) weekly use, my Breadman Ultimate Pro breadmaker broke. I do still make bread in the oven, but our bread use has cut down dramatically to less than once a week. Our whole household is gluten free, and we both work from home, so we eat a lot here! There's nothing better sometimes than dumping all the ingredients in just before you go to bed and the next morning you slice it for your kids lunch. For convenience sake, it's worth every penny.

And when I had one, after the first mixing and kneading cycle, I would pull out the paddle, too (as long as I was awake that is )