Bread

A question about : Bread

Sorry folks, I know this has probably been done to death, but thought I'd ask anyway.

I've been thinking of making my own bread, but I don't know whether it's worth getting a breadmaker, or just doing it by hand. Aside from a one off in primary school I've never made my own, so I really have no clue what I'm doing!

There's just the two of us in the household, but we do often find that bread goes off, or goes stale, before we've chance to use it. I was thinking it might save us a little if we can make smaller, nicer, fresher loaves as we need them.

Any help appreciated!

Best answers:

• There are only two of us as well. We split the loaf into 3 and freeze. So we only have a 3rd of a loaf out at a time.
• There is only one of me. My bread goes in the freezer, I take out as and when I need it. Make sandwiches with frozen bread, when I come to eat them they are thawed. I put two frozen slices in the toaster when I want toast. Bread never goes off in my house, I buy it on yellow stickers, for those reasons I wouldn't bother making any.
  Ilona
• There are 2 of us and we would not be without our bread maker. It is so much nicer than supermarket bread, also a lot more convenient if you need bread just put a loaf in (5 minutes to prepare), 3 and a half hours later a fresh loaf.
• two of us here and I have had a breadmaker for many years, through having a family at home to them leaving. I got a new one 2 years ago and it is now taking up a shelf in a cupboard, redundant. Hand made artisan and sourdough bread is far nicer and bread made this way keeps a good few days to a week. If I make a large loaf (a boule) then I simply slice the excess and freeze. My bread rises over 48 hours so is far easier to digest
  I am going to give my panasonic bm to a dd, she has a family and will use it. I would not recommend a bm for two, unless you eat bread at least two meals a day
• i have a bread maker but make mine by hand. its easy. ten minutes and i have a loaf been left to rise and its lovely
• I "gave" myself a breadmaker from Lakel**d for Christmas. But only on the strict understanding that I now NEVER buy bread. Otherwise it would go the way of other kitchen gadgets. I wouldn't be without it now. It makes a small loaf, half goes in the freezer and I make a loaf every four or five days depending on menus (there's only me). As I also have a very small kitchen it was well worth it as I really didn't have room for kneading etc.
• I bought a bread maker a few years ago and it has been at the back of the pantry for most of that time.
  The loaves I made were small, heavy and had a hard crust .There was a lot of waste from taking the blade out of the bottom, which resulted in most slices having large holes.
  The only good result was fruit loaf.
  Perhaps machines which make larger loaves are better, but they are too expensive to try.
• i can hardly boil an egg but i make bread in my Panasonic bread maker. Which i picked up cheap on amazon. I did a lot of research about them and Panasonic came out miles ahead on real person reviews online. (and this site)
  Its great. Really great. The small loaves are fine.
• We had a breadbasket for 10 years and used it all the time. We used the dough only setting then baked it in the oven. Not only bread, but pizza crust, brioche, hot cross buns etc. It works out as pennies, and no additives.
  It broke the same week I bought a kitchenaid mixer. Now I make the dough in that. Just chuck the ingredients in and turn it on for 5 minutes to knead. Then I leave it in the bowl for an hour or so before shaping it. It really is no more trouble than using the bread maker on dough only.
  Whichever way I cannot recommend making your own bread highly enough.
  I have just made and eaten homemade pitta bread. It was lovely!
• I used to have a breadmaker and went off it because the loaves were a funny shape and hard to cut, as well as having a hole in the bottom where the paddle was.
  I use a recipe for white and another for wholemeal which I got from a supplement in a newspaper. They take almost no kneading (1 min max) and are very easy and foolproof. They do require you to be in the house and to do a tiny bit of doing now and then. I reckon a big loaf (made with about 1lb flour) costs me about 90p plus oven heat, but of course you can do something else at the same time. Happy to post recipes if of use. And I agree, freeze (sliced) what you won't use within 2 or 3 days, when defrosted it's as if it was fresh.
• I have a breadmaker, i'm here by myself so slice the newly baked loaf before putting it in the freezer then get out just a couple of slices at a time.
  I was in Lidl at the weekend and got wholemeal breadflour for 75p, much cheaper than any of the other supermarkets.
• I'm on my own and use my breadmaker quite often. I don't have a lot of bread in my diet if I can help it as I'm type 2 Diabetic, but it is so much nicer than shop bought. I mostly use it on the dough setting, and then just a couple of kneads and another rise, and cook it in the oven That way I can make whatever I want....rolls or two small loaves which is handy as it makes it easier to freeze as well....I'm terrible for cutting doorsteps from a large loaf!
• Clever idea....hadn't thought of that!
• Two OAP's here.We have an oil range cooker so make 6 loaves together in the winter and freeze 4 keep two out to use. We always use wholemeal flour. Too hot in the summer. We had a breadmaker (cheap) and didn't like it one bit. Bought a Panny last summer and love it. We do, however still prefer the more solid handmade loaves to the 'fluffier' breadmaker ones-most people would probably prefer the breadmaker result.jac.xx