Baking Fresh Bread with a New Bread Maker

A bread maker can allow you to bake fresh bread in your own home in half the time it takes to make bread the traditional way. Enjoying fresh baked bread at home used to mean the household baker had to mix the dough, knead it, let it rise, and punch it down (several times), then shape it and bake it. The entire process could easily stretch from morning until afternoon. With a bread maker, however, the baker simply adds the ingredients, selects from a list of options (loaf size and crust color) and presses "start."

Voila! You now have fresh baked bread. It's that simple. Homemade bread without all the fuss and without all the required time. Some machines even have a "fast bake" option that lets you bake a loaf of bread in just under an hour. These units consist of only one bread pan and a stirring paddle, so clean-up is a breeze as well.

Most bread machines come with some basic functions. For instance, you can set a timer that will start the baking process at the desired time you have chosen. This function works as long as you are not adding perishable ingredients to the mix, such as eggs or cheese.

The typical bread machine comes with a one to two pound loaf size option, and a manual with explicit directions and recipes for baking a variety of breads. Prices range, usually from around $60.00 to over $300.00, depending on the complexity of the machine and the functions offered. Brands to look for are Kitchenaid, Cuisinart, and Delonghi, all of which are reputable kitchen appliance makers.