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Buying A Breadmaker, Part II-Hopefully, the final chapter!

What bread maker should you buy?

Lately, I have been writing a lot about bread makers in this blog.  I’m sure I’ll be veering off into other topics, but this is where my interests are at the moment.

These are the questions I have been asking myself: 

Is it better to buy a used bread maker or a new one? 

Are premium bread makers worth the upcharge? 

Do premium bread makers make a better loaf?

How have I explored these questions?  I have used many, many different bread makers, some new, many used. I have made hundreds of loaves of bread of all kinds over almost 40 years (actually 37 years) of using bread makers.

I have read countless threads on Facebook, Reddit, and other sites. I have watched many YouTube videos from first-time users, experienced users, professional chefs, and even shopping channels. I have also watched as many bread maker teardown videos as I could find, including some in foreign languages. 

I was trained as a research scientist before I decided to switch teams and go to medical school.  I’m also a chronic comparer.  I have always loved comparing things to see how different designers and engineers approach the same problem, often with different objectives. Sometimes the objective is to produce the best product possible; sometimes, it is to produce a good product the cheapest way possible; and sometimes, it is to design a product that will last just long enough to satisfy the customer while promoting the purchase of a replacement product. This last category has been classified as the ensh*tification of a product. Ensh*tification seems to be a recent trend in everything from cars to washing machines.

This is a teardown of an Oster bread maker from the early 1990s. Oster was a popular mid-priced appliance brand. You can see the quality of this appliance in the solid, well-designed chassis, the large, well-protected motor, and the thick oven chamber. The average bread maker in 1990 sold between $100-$300, with premium models selling for as much as $400. Four hundred dollars in 1990 is equivalent to $992 in 2026.

Here is a teardown of the very popular Oster 5838, introduced in the early 2000s. It still has a decent motor, but it is no longer protected. There is custom housing for the electronics, so that is good. The chassis is well-engineered, but it is clearly smaller, thinner, and cheaper than the 1990 Oster example. The case is now plastic, instead of metal. Still a great machine, but its design has been scaled down.

Here is a teardown of a BM1333, an ODM machine sold under many different brands. I have used this machine, and it makes decent bread. However, the chassis has been reduced to the bare minimum, the electronics are not protected, and the motor looks small and cheap. With that said, you can often find these bread makers in the $50-$70 range in 2026. That would be between $20-$30 in 1990s money!

Can I offer you absolute answers for the above questions?  Sadly no.  Despite using many bread machines, I don’t have the resources to examine all of them, let alone multiple copies of each model.  

Any information is impacted by a phenomenon called “confirmation bias.”  Humans tend to accept information that supports their beliefs and reject information that contradicts them. Before I retired, I couldn’t tell you how many people wanted me to prescribe an inappropriate treatment because some enthusiastic influencer heralded it as “the miracle cure that doctors don’t want you to know about.” In most cases, I was able to explain to the patient why a particular treatment wasn’t in their best interest, but a few were so convinced that they assumed that I was part of the conspiracy. Alas!  I mention this because no matter what I present, some will reject it because it contradicts what they want to believe. So be it.

That said, you should use this information as only part of your decision-making process, as it does have flaws. There is only so much information I can glean indirectly.  I can tabulate on YouTube which bread machines are getting their drive belts replaced or their leaking bread pans fixed, but these are only indirect indicators, since the majority of bread makers are simply discarded when they stop working, and I am only seeing those being fixed. Once a bread maker is in the trash, its history goes with it.

DIY teardown videos do allow me to indirectly assess the quality of the components used by their visual appearance.  How big is the motor? Are the electronics protected? How good is the overall construction?  How thick is the drive belt? …and so forth. 

I have also looked at repair parts sites to see what replacement parts they offer.  They wouldn’t be selling drive belts, bread pans, and dough paddles unless people were buying them.  

To summarize, the ways I evaluate these products affect the confidence in my conclusions.  However, they are still useful, if not absolute. Consider this information as a potential data point for your own purchase journey.

Lastly, I’m not accounting for the psychological reasons of choosing one machine over another.  I’m a practical guy who believes that form should follow function.  To use a car example, I would much rather have a good ol’ reliable car than an ultra-expensive head-turner that costs 4 times as much but doesn’t improve my trip to the grocery store.  However, there are those who insist on driving their kids to school in a G-Wagon or a loaded Escalade. It is all good,  I’ll do me, and you do you.

Observation 1

Most unboxing and first-time breadmaker users will rave about their first loaves.  However, I would consider many of their results sub-par, with a high percentage of their breads being either overproofed or underproofed. 

What these videos have in common:

-The users are inexperienced.

-The users don’t check on their dough ball.

-The users sometimes don’t measure properly

-The users almost never weigh their ingredients.

Observation 2

Experienced bread makers seem to produce pretty good-looking loaves no matter which bread machine they use.  This seems to apply to many types of bread.  There are many of these experienced bakers on YouTube.  However, two stand out for making a wide range of breads with consistently excellent results.  They are Dorinda from the channel Butterfly Meadows Homestead and Robyn from the channel Robyn On The Farm.  Dorinda uses an inexpensive KBS 17-Program machine, but has also used other machines. Robyn mostly uses a Zojirushi Supreme machine, but sometimes uses other machines as well. 

What they have in common:

-They know what a dough ball is supposed to look like and check the dough ball.

-They are very familiar with how their ingredients work, and they seem to stick to those ingredient brands that they are familiar with. 

-Their many years of experience have seemed to give them an intuitive skill in the art of making bread.

Observation 3

The construction of newer economyal machines seems cheaper than that of older ones.  More plastic and thinner plastic are being used. Many newer machines are significantly lighter than older machines. 

Implication

-Plastic is cheaper than metal. That doesn’t directly affect the machine’s quality.  However, it may imply that other components may be of lesser quality. 

-A mid-range bread maker from the mid-1990s would cost (in 2026 dollars) $300-$400.  You can buy a brand-new bread maker (with some hunting) for around $40-$70 in 2026.  How is that possible? Likely due to standardized designs, cheaper components, and less R and D (one model with many secondary brands).

This Tesco BM10 machine teardown illustrates how newer, less expensive bread maker designs have reduced costs by using lower-cost components and design shortcuts. Look at how thin the wires are.

Observation 4

There are a number of videos where individuals replace a shredded drive belt on newer, less expensive machines.  Often, these machines have been used consistently multiple times a week for several years. Some older machines have easy access to the drive belt.  It seems that most newer machines (including expensive ones) require extensive disassembly to accomplish a simple belt replacement. I have not seen any belt-replacement videos for expensive machines (like a Zojirushi); however, belts for such machines are sold, suggesting that someone must be replacing them. 

Here is a drive belt from an economy machine. Check out the arrow, this belt is pretty thin.

The forces on the drive belt are tremendous when kneading dough. This takes its toll on a thin drive belt.

Here is the drive belt on a Zojirushi (premium) bread maker. It is much more robust. Could it also fail? Of course, but it is likely to last much longer than the belt shown above.

Implication

-Some less expensive machines do seem to use cheaper drive belts, which can be a point of failure.  

-When the information is provided, it seems like these machines were well used and did provide years of service before their belts failed.

-I could find no DIY videos of belt replacements in premium machines, but replacement belts are being sold, suggesting that some are failing to some degree. 

-It is likely that someone who invests in a premium machine is serious about their bread making, and that group as a whole is more likely to regularly use a bread maker than someone who casually picks up an inexpensive machine. This would be a factor to consider when comparing the reliability of an inexpensive vs. a premium machine.

Observation 5a

All the articles and videos on what is the best bread maker are flawed in many ways (mine too).  Some are outright commercials with influencers gushing about a particular bread maker that they were given for free by the manufacturer.  Some of the top five videos appear to be AI-generated and just repeat the selling points from a manufacturer’s product page. Better reviews are also limited by the number of machines that they compare. Many will throw in a Zojirushi Virtuoso, which often gains the top prize, but they don’t compare it with the lower cost Supreme (which, in many ways, is the same machine with a few less bells and whistles-and yes, I have both). When the American Test Kitchen compared the two, they preferred the Supreme because of its simpler controls, so you have that.

Observation 5b

When some reviewers test machines, they use the same recipe across all machines for consistency.  This makes sense, but it also has problems. If you look at recipes from various bread machine manuals, you may be surprised to see that different machines are designed to use different amounts of yeast. A large white bread recipe from a Welbilt AMB6000 bread maker requires one tablespoon of yeast using the basic setting, while an even larger white loaf from a Panasonic SD-R2550 uses only ¾ of a teaspoon of yeast. It would be very difficult to adequately compare these two machines using the same generic recipe. 

-If a machine isn’t compatible with a particular recipe, it will produce a loaf that is inferior to a machine that is compatible with that same recipe. That could bias a reviewer’s opinion.

Observation 5c

When some reviewers test machines, they use the specific basic white bread recipe from the manual for those particular machines. Each machine is judged on a different recipe, but a recipe that the manufacturer felt was best for that machine. This makes sense, but it also has problems.  Case in point:  I sometimes make bread at my sister’s house using her older Breadman Plus breadmaker (a good machine).  In one instance, I made a very nice loaf, but my sister thought that it was rather “meh” in flavor.  On another day, I used a different recipe in the same machine, and she thought that that loaf was fantastic.  Both looked the same. What was the difference?  The second loaf had twice as much sugar!  

-Different recipes will have different flavor profiles, which can bias a judge’s opinion. 

Observation 6

I have observed that older used machines are more likely to over-proof bread, and some will also over-brown a loaf.

Here is an Oster 5838 (mid-range) breadmaker from the early 2000s. It can still make a great loaf of bread, but I had to do a little tweaking to convince it to do so. I’ll sometimes take a photo of my adjustments to a recipe so my retired brain doesn’t have to remember my alchemy.

-Some of the machines that I use are close to 30 years old.  It is shocking that a 30-year-old home appliance would even work.  When a machine is both overproofing and over-browning, the thermostat may be off. This can often be corrected by using a little less yeast and the light crust setting on the machine. 

-What if a machine is overproofing, but not over-browning? If you have been baking for a long time, you likely have noticed that the difference between active and instant yeast has narrowed over the last 30 years. If a machine were calibrated for the active yeast of the 1990s, it could possibly overproof using 2026 yeast.  The solution is to cut back on the yeast, typically starting at a ¼ teaspoon reduction.  

Observation 7

There does seem to be a reduction in the quality of bread machine components over time.  Tear-down videos of older breadmakers show very robust components, especially the motors.  Tear-downs that I have seen of newer Panasonic and Zojirushi machines also have robust components.  Teardowns of current economy machines vary; some have robust motors, while others have smaller, cheaper-looking motors.  

-The motor is a visual item that I can assess on a video.  It is likely that if a manufacturer is using a cheaper motor, they are economizing in other ways, for instance, by using lower-quality components on the unit’s computer board.  Cheaper components will fail more quickly than higher-tolerance ones.  

This is a teardown of a Panasonic SD 256 introduced somewhere around 2010. Man, look at this quality. Strong motor, fat drive belt, beautiful chassis, highly protected electronics, and so on. This is why you are paying hundreds for this machine, and it why you pay hundreds for other premium machines. Cheap bread makers can make excellent loaves of bread, I have used dozens of them. But a premium machine is built to last. That is why I can still use a quality machine from the early 1990s in 2026. It is unlikely that I will be able to use a cheap 2026 machine in 2056!

I don’t want to leave the Zojirushi fans out. Here is the drive mechanism for a Zojirushi unit. It looks solid enough to be used in a Mac truck. This is also a premium product.

Observation 8

Bread pans seem thinner in economy machines than in older or premium machines.

-This doesn’t seem to impact the final loaf.  However, I’m concerned that the non-stick coating may also be thinner, which could affect a bread pan’s longevity. 

Observation 9

With heavy use, bread pans can fail, often leaking, and bread paddles can strip.

-This occurs with both economy brands and premium brands.  This is normal wear and tear, but it should be considered if a used machine appears to have been well-used.

Observation 10

With economy brands, drive belts fail more than with premium brands based on the number of repair videos on YouTube.  In premium brands, drive mechanisms can fail, as shown in YouTube videos. 

-It would appear that premium brands use higher-quality belts, but mixing systems in these machines can be subject to malfunctions. 

Observation 11

There has been a race to differentiate bread makers based on the number of functions.  Newer bread makers are becoming more versatile by offering options like yogurt-making and stir-frying.  

-Although some may find some of these additional features useful, they are not part of the core bread-making functions.

Observation 12

Some machines seem to be more flexible and adaptable to outside recipes.  Other machines are picky with recipes.

-Most premium machines that I have tested tend to be a bit more flexible when using different recipes.  However, there are a number of economy machines that are also flexible.  The KBS 17 function machine comes to mind. A premium machine manufacturer invests in R&D to tweak their machines for specific regions.  

The yeast potency from one region of the world may differ from that used elsewhere.  A bread machine calibrated for an Asian market may not work as well as one specifically programmed for a US market in that market. However, with a little experimenting, you can get most bread makers to behave.

Observation 13

Bread pans can be deceptive.  Many economy 2-pound horizontal bread makers produce a 1.5-pound, normally shaped loaf or a 2-pound, oddly tall loaf.  Premium horizontal pan machines (both 1- and 2-paddle models) tend to have bread pans that are slightly larger, producing a more normal (but still not classic) two-pound loaf.

Here is a 2-pound loaf from a mid-priced Cusinart bread maker. This is a perfectly fine loaf, but it is oddly tall. However, if you make a 1.5 pound loaf in this machine you will get a more traditional looking bread.

Here is the teardown of the above Cusinart machine. The design and quality are not bad, certainly better than the BM1333 shown at the top of this post. However, it is not nearly as good as a premium machine, which is reflected in its lower price.

-I find that it is more realistic to make a 1.5-pound loaf in many economy machines if I want a normal-looking loaf.  I have better success making 2-pound, aesthetically pleasing loaves in premium machines, as the larger pans create a more traditionally shaped loaf.  Note, there are a number of two-paddle economy machines on the market that will give you a more normal-shaped 2-pound bread, too.  

Observation 14

A trend in breadmakers is to have more and more bread programs.

-This seems to be a way to differentiate models, but it may have limited utility. There may be a difference between a basic cycle and a whole wheat cycle, but how much real difference is there between a whole wheat cycle vs. a whole grain cycle?  

Observation 15

Older machines may lack features common in newer ones. I have used older machines that don’t have a nut/fruit “ding” reminder or even an end-of-cycle alert.  Some older machines may not have a power-failure feature, which restarts the machine from where it left off during a brief power outage. 

-All of these issues have workarounds, but they are less convenient. 

Observation 16

There are a few videos and posts in which professional bakers tested a very limited number of machines.  They typically cite that the premium machines make a technically better loaf of bread.  However, that difference is marginal. 

-They are often basing their opinion on the structure of the loaf, but still say that the economyal machines produce a pleasant,  acceptable loaf.

Observation 17

Reseller platforms like eBay and even Facebook Marketplace appear to inflate the price of used bread makers.  When shipping is added, some can be as expensive as a new, fully featured machine. 

-It is imperative to be a savvy shopper when buying a used machine.  Many bread makers have a long lifespan, but they were never built to last through the ages. A very old machine with an inflated price tag and a high shipping fee is no bargain.

The Bottom Line

Consider the above observations and your own research to formulate the best decision for you.

  1. It is surprising how well old thrift store machines can work. You can often find a bread maker for less than $10 with a little hunting.  I wrote about what to look for in my last post.  Read that article for more information. Taking a reasonable risk on a machine that costs $20 or less is… well, reasonable.
  2. Facebook Marketplace or eBay are often the places to find used premium machines, as they seem to have evaporated from thrift stores. However, expect to pay considerably more than $20.  It is reasonable to pay about 50% of the retail price for a used premium machine in very good to excellent condition.
  3. Panasonic makes excellent machines, but resellers don’t view them the same way they do a Zojirushi unit.  You may be able to find a good older Panasonic at a thrift store at a great price.
  4. I have seen ancient Zojirushi models being sold on eBay for insanely high prices.  Zo’s are built very well, but they are still built to consumer standards.  Buying a very old model from many years ago is only worth it if you can score one for a good price.
  5. I have used both versions of the Zojirushi Virtuoso (Virtuoso and Plus) and the Supreme models (X20 and C20).  They are all great.  Unless you have exceptional needs, the Supreme model offers better value, with performance similar to the Virtuoso in many instances. 
  6. There are a number of economy machines that work very well and bake great bread.  Many of these machines are made by ODM (original design manufacturer) companies and sold under different brand names. For instance, the BM1333 bread maker is sold under the Kitchen In The Box, Rosewill, Tesco, K-Mart, Aumate, Anko, Lotus, Gamit, and likely other brand names worldwide. Identical but rebranded machines that can vary considerably in price.  Shop around for the best value.
  7. Since many economy brands use ODM machines built by different ODM companies, it is possible to find a brand with one model that is excellent, with another model only being so-so.  
  8. There are some objective criteria for what constitutes a good loaf of bread, but taste criteria are often personal preferences.  When experts compare high-end machines with economy machines, they may objectively prefer the high-end loaf. But that is often based on the bread’s physical structure. However, the same experts often say that the economy machine produces a good loaf, just not as excellent as the premium machine. Most of us would not notice the difference.

I believe this Welbilt ABM 6000 machine was marketed in the mid-1990s based on its display/control panel characteristics. This bread maker is built like a tank and produces absolutely beautiful bread in 2026.

Here is a slice of bread from the Welbilt; it is as technically good as a slice from one of today’s premium bread makers, and it was delicious. Excuse my socks being in the shot!

So, what should you buy?

  1. If you are on a budget or just toying with the idea of making your own bread, consider a thrift-store machine.  The investment is low.  I have used many of these bread makers, and if you follow my purchasing guidelines from my previous post, you are stacking the odds in your favor.  I have been able to get every machine that I have ever tested to make a decent loaf of bread, with one exception: a DOA (dead on arrival) machine that I returned to Amazon. However, I have had to tweak some recipes to achieve acceptable results with some models.
  2. If you already have an old machine, consider resurrecting it from the basement before buying a new one. It is a great place to start and may be all that you need.  Additionally, it is easy to replace a stripped kneading paddle or leaky bucket, and if you are moderately handy,  you can probably change out a drive belt if needed. 
  3. If you are a more experienced baker looking to check out bread-making machines, consider one of the many excellent economy machines.  Many make wonderful bread.
  4. If you know you are committed to bread-making and want a machine that will likely last, go with a premium brand such as Zojirushi, Breville, or Panasonic.  Different brands have different features, but they all seem to be built like tanks and shriek quality. 
  5. If you want to go with the Zojirushi brand and make typical breads, consider the excellent Supreme model. It is more similar to their top-of-the-line Virtuoso line than different.
  6. If you want to go with the Zojirushi brand but only the best will do, or if you have special wants like a built-in gluten-free program, consider the Virtuoso Plus. It is top-of-the-line, but you will be paying for that status.
  7. If you only use your machine to knead and ferment dough, and then bake your bread in the oven, most any working machine will do the job, from a $5 thrift-store find to a $500 premium brand.
  8. If you only use your machine for kneading and fermenting dough, you may want to consider a Chinese dough maker. Depending on their bowl size, they can make enough dough for 2-4 loaves at a time.  These machines are inexpensive and function similarly to bread makers but without the specific programs and baking features. 

Here is a decent loaf from a BM1333 bread maker. The machine isn’t built to last through the ages, but it is very inexpensive. It can introduce you to using a bread maker, and it will likely work for several years or more.

This Osipoto bread maker is inexpensive, but it does a very good job making bread. It also seems to be a bit more flexible when using recipes derived from sources outside of its instruction manual.

You don’t hear as much about Breville bread makers in the states, but Breville makes premium products. This single paddle machine has a bread pan that is a bit larger than those on economy machines so its bread has a more traditional look. This loaf was excellent and delicious!

Here is a wonderful loaf of bread made in a premium Zojirushi Supreme. Less expensive bread makers can also make an excellent loaf of bread. The increased cost of the Zojirushi is warranted due to the significantly better build quality.

Here we have the top-of-the-line Zojirushi Virtuoso Plus. As far as I can discern, the mechanics are the same as a Zojirushi Supreme with the addition of a top-heater, a different control interface, and a micro-switch. It is also possible that additional memory has been added to allow for more custom programs, or as Zojirushi calls them, “courses.” I have both the Virtuoso Plus and the earlier Virtuoso. If you want the niceties of the Plus, but at a bargain price, consider a used Virtuoso. Beyond the interface, the main difference between the two is the additional courses. In my opinion, some of the additional courses are a bit… hmm, gimmicky. However, your opinion may be different. As always, you do you.

Peace, and happy bread making!

Mike

Images are either my own or screenshots from YouTube creators.  All images are used for educational purposes only. 

bread makers, bread making, frugal cooking, frugal living

How To Fix Underproofing In Bread Machine Bread

I am a big fan of bread makers.  Why? I love machines, and I love food!  When bread makers came out in the 1980s, I was in line and purchased a Sanyo that made 1-pound loaves. It was very basic, but I thought it was amazing.  Soon, manufacturers were making machines that made 1.5-pound loaves, then 2-pound loaves.  Some machines offered programs for different types of bread, like whole wheat.  Still others went from vertical to horizontal pans, while still others adopted a two-paddle system, and so it went.  I was very curious about these innovations, and so I explored them.

The popularity of bread makers waned in the late 1990s, and that was actually a boon for me.  People were dumping their bread makers at thrift stores, and they could be had for pennies on the dollar.  With patience, I could pick up a perfectly good machine that originally cost several hundred dollars for less than $5.  Editor’s note:  see my post from March 26, 2026 for a very comprehensive guide to buying a used bread maker. 

I have used many, many bread makers.  I have given some away, returned some back to thrift stores, and sold some at garage sales. With that said, I still have way too many of them that I can’t part with.  If you are a practical person, you are likely shaking your head and thinking,  “You only need one bread maker!”  I’m not always practical, as I like to compare things to see how one engineer or designer rethought and reimplemented an idea.  That’s just me. However, since I have used so many bread makers, I have gained a broad knowledge of the machines and of baking bread in them. All bread makers are extremely similar, but their nuances can impact the end user’s experience. Your friend may give you a recommendation based on their particular machine; it may be a great suggestion or not pertinent to your gadget.  This post is based on a crazy guy who has used dozens of machines.  I have baked many wonderful loaves, but I have also had my share of less-than-wonderful ones, too. Let me share my experiences with you.

The biggest problem that I have had to conquer has been overproofing.  This is likely because the older machines (some 30 years old) I frequently use may have thermostats slightly out of calibration. Additionally, over the decades, yeast strains have likely changed, with active yeast and instant (bread machine) yeast becoming increasingly similar. A machine programmed for a yeast strain from the 1990s may overproof a bread dough using a 2026 yeast strain.  I wrote a detailed post on how to deal with overproofing on March 9, 2026.  Check that post out if you are dealing with overproofing issues.

This is NOT underproofing. This is a severe case of overproofing where the yeast expanded so much that it actually popped the top of the loaf during baking.

This post will explore the opposite problem, underproofing, or what to do when you bake a brick instead of a loaf of bread.  Underproofing is often easier to deal with than overproofing, so that is the good news.

Here is a severe case of underproofing. However, it is more common to have a “too short” loaf, where you don’t get the expected rise.

Is underproofing the bread machine’s fault?

In almost all cases, the answer is no.  The only exception would be a bread maker so broken that it would need repair. 

Let’s look at some problem areas and solutions

Solutions: 

The operator error issue

We all make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes can lead to baking a brick instead of a nice loaf of bread.

Solution: The solutions are obvious here.  If you left out the paddle, insert it next time.  If you used the wrong program (pressed jam instead of basic loaf?), use the right one next time.  You get the picture.

The recipe issue

All bread makers follow a similar pattern of operations, but they are not identical.  A recipe that works well in one machine may not work as well in another.  This makes it tricky when using a recipe developed by an individual.  Cookbook writers often test recipes across multiple machines, so their recipes tend to be more reliable.  However, with AI, many bread-making cookbooks use recipes that are basically borrowed (stolen?) from internet sweeps.  I’m leery of books that tout “New For 2026!!” and list a specific bread maker brand in the title. They will often include a folksy author’s name and even an AI-generated photo.

I purchased one of these books, and it was an absolute mess with some of the worst editing that I have ever seen.  It felt like the “author” told an AI bot, “Find bread maker recipes and turn them into a book.”  Formatting was abysmal, there was no consistency between recipes, and some were clearly very wrong.  

Solution: All bread makers will come with a recipe booklet.  If you bought a used bread maker, you can likely find that machine’s manual/recipe PDF online. An established brand will provide you with tested recipes.  I did find some brands that used OED-distributed machines that had terrible recipes, for instance, listing regular flour as an ingredient in gluten-free bread, so they can be poor, too.  With that said, start with your machine’s basic white bread recipe.  If you have success, you can examine that recipe to discover its secrets.  I have seen some machines that use only 1 teaspoon of yeast for many of the basic recipes, and others that require a packet of yeast (2.25 teaspoons). Obviously, the amount of yeast will make a difference. 

If you want to go the cookbook route, there are some classics (pre-2004) books that have very adaptable recipes.  Invest in those.  Are there good recipes developed by individuals?  Absolutely!  I have used many of them.  However, start with the white bread recipe from your owner’s manual first, so you know that you are doing everything right before you venture into the unknown. 

The “I’m smarter than the recipe creator” issue

I sometimes see folks on YouTube “adjusting” a recipe.  They may substitute one type of sugar for another, or change the ratio of white to whole-wheat flour.  Perhaps, they believe that twice as much butter would be nice, or maybe buttermilk might work better than regular milk.  Sometimes they are successful and create a whole new bread.  Sometimes they are not. Bread makers run on very rigid programs and are more intolerant of recipe change than making bread by hand.  

Solution: Stick to the recipe as precisely as you can.  You may find that a recipe variation is incompatible with your machine, even if it works well in your friend’s machine.  For whatever reason, some bread makers are more tolerant of recipe changes than others.  Know your gadget!

Once you successfully bake a recipe, feel free to modify it to your liking.  You will quickly discover what works and what doesn’t work at that point.

The environmental issue

Most breadmakers will turn on their heating element during proofing; however, if you are making bread in a cold environment (let’s say below 60º F/16 °C), most breadmakers won’t compensate adequately.  

If your bread maker is in a very drafty place, it can also negatively impact bread proofing.

The solution: Move your machine to a more environmentally friendly spot.

The measuring issue

You hear about this time and time again.  If you are making bread by hand you can often compensate for poor measurements.  However, that is not the case with a bread maker as it uses a fixed program.

The solution: If at all possible, weigh your ingredients (especially your flour)  instead of using standard measuring cups.  I always weigh my flour, and it is easy to convert cups to grams: 1 C of flour is around 120-130 grams. I will often weigh my other ingredients as well.  However, I use standard measuring spoons for the yeast and salt.  Most scales are not very accurate below 10 grams, and salt and yeast are typically below that amount.  Naturally, I level off the measuring spoons just like someone would level off a measuring cup. 

The yeast issue

Most of us know that very old yeast eventually dies.  However, it is possible to buy a brand-new block of yeast, which can be bad if stored improperly in the warehouse or transported incorrectly. 

The solution: Yeast is extremely easy to test. Sprinkle some into ½ cup of warm water, along with a pinch or two of sugar.  Wait about 15 minutes and check if the mixture is frothy.  If it isn’t, your yeast is bad. 

Although active and instant yeast have become more similar over the years, you should use the type recommended for your machine until you are very comfortable with its workings.  Once you have successfully proofed bread, you can experiment.

I always store my yeast in the freezer (not the refrigerator).  I’m using yeast that is over a year old, and it is still doing its yeastly work. 

If you are feeling desperate or particularly wild and crazy, you may want to try a small bump in your yeast, let’s say a 10-25% increase, or try around ¼ of a teaspoon extra.  Do this at your own risk.

The ingredient issue

When it comes to ingredients and underproofing, yeast is your number one culprit.  However, other older ingredients, especially flour, can also affect your final product.  

Solution: Flour is cheap; when in doubt, buy a new bag to test. You can also try a different brand of flour. 

The type of bread issue

Different types of bread require greater yeast lifting power.  Whole-grain breads or breads with a lot of heavy ingredients won’t rise as much as basic white bread. That is normal.

Solution: Adjust your expectations and/or seek out recipes that have been created to achieve maximum rise in a whole-grain/heavy loaf. A 100% whole wheat loaf won’t rise as much as white bread, but if you are baking bricks, you need to make adjustments.

The dough ball issue

Even if you weigh your ingredients, you may still need to make a micro-hydration adjustment to your dough.  A dough with insufficient liquid will be too stiff and won’t rise properly.

Solution: During the first knead, check your dough.  It should form a smooth, slightly tacky ball.  If it forms a rough, ragged ball or several balls, it is underhydrated.  Add one tablespoon of water and wait around 30 seconds.  Repeat as needed until you achieve the desired consistency. Naturally, you can have dough that is too slack; in that case, you do the same with flour.  However, over-slacked dough is a cause of over-proofing, the opposite problem that we are talking about here.

The salt issue

I often hear people talking about the different salts that they insist on using when baking bread.  Sea salt, mineral salt, “real” salt, Kosher salt, table salt, so many salts!  Here is the truth: they are all the same sodium chloride.  Will you get any significant extra minerals using special salts?  No, the levels of extra minerals are insignificant.  If you believe otherwise, congratulations, you have been played by excellent marketing. However, different salt types do come in different grain sizes depending on how the sodium chloride has been processed.  Table salt is very fine, Kosher salt and sea salt are much coarser, and some finishing salts have absolutely huge crystals.  The size of the crystals determines how much salt you can pack into a teaspoon measure.  The finer the crystals, the more you can pack. Salt not only adds flavor to bread, but it also modulates yeast growth. Too little salt and you will get yeast overgrowth and overproofing, too much and you will inhibit the yeast and produce a brick.  

Solution: Salt is cheap; use the type of salt recommended by the recipe.  If it says “salt,” use table salt.  If it says Kosher salt, use that. In most cases, I recommend using standard measuring spoons for salt instead of weighing it.  Kitchen scales are awesome, but have a higher error rate when measuring very small amounts, let’s say below 10 grams.  What about those scales that can measure in 0.1 gram resolution?  Well, I guess they would be better, but they are far from “lab accurate.”  When I was a research scientist (yep, I did that before becoming a doctor-I guess I couldn’t make up my mind!) I used lab-grade scales that cost hundreds of dollars.  You can only expect so much from a scale that costs less than $20. 

I have compared many kitchen scales (I’m one of those kinds of people).  Every one I have tested is accurate enough for measuring heavier ingredients like flour, and I’m pretty confident using them for non-critical items that weigh over 10 grams, such as powdered milk.  I just won’t use them for salt and yeast.  However, you do you. 

We all hear not to mix salt with yeast.  That is good practice, but probably doesn’t make too much of a difference if the salt is in crystal form on top of the flour, along with the yeast, and you immediately start the baking process.  It will all get mixed up and diluted. However, it could make a difference if both the salt and yeast were in solution at the start of mixing.  I always separate the two out of habit.  It takes no more effort, so why not?

Desperation move: If all else has failed, you may consider making a very small reduction in your salt to see if that helps.  However, this would be a last resort measure and could alter your overall end result.  

The sugar issue

Yeast is a living organism that produces enzymes that break down the starches in flour into the sugars it needs to grow. Given enough time and the right conditions, it is possible to make an excellent loaf of bread with zero added sugar. Bread is mostly starch, and starch is simply sugar molecules chemically linked together, so don’t get hung up on adding a tablespoon or two of sugar when making a loaf of bread. A little sugar will enhance yeast growth, just like having that candy bar at 4 o’clock may give you that little extra boost of energy.  However, too much sugar can have the opposite effect, inhibiting yeast growth for a completely different reason: it can draw water out of yeast cells, dehydrating them. 

Different sugary ingredients contain varying amounts of actual sugar.  For instance, half a cup of honey contains about 140 grams of sugar, while half a cup of molasses contains only 96 grams. This probably doesn’t make much of a difference when a recipe calls for a tablespoon or two of sugar, but it could impact your loaf when making sweeter breads with higher sugar contents. Remember, your bread machine runs on fixed programs.  If you are traditionally baking bread, you can lengthen or shorten proofing times.  Your bread machine can’t.

Solution: Use the recommended type of sugar until you successfully make a particular recipe.  Then experiment with other sugars if you wish.  

Desperation move: If all else fails, consider a slight increase in your sugar.  Remember, too much sugar can actually hamper yeast growth and alter the characteristics of your final loaf. Note: It is well established that sugar adds flavor and helps brown the crusts of bread. However, it is less clear if sugar increases fermentation.  Virtually every cookbook and breadmaker manual I have read says it speeds fermentation.  However, a couple of YouTube videos show that it doesn’t have much impact on the dough’s rise, as the yeast gets all the sugars it needs by breaking down the starches in the flour. Take this information into consideration before you decide to increase the sugar in a recipe in hopes of fixing an underproofing problem.

The water issue

This had a negative impact on my bread-making, and it took me a while to figure it out.  I have municipal water that is chlorinated.  I’m very happy that this is the case, as chlorine protects my family and me from all sorts of nasty pathogens that could make us sick. However, yeast doesn’t like chlorine, and chlorine in the water can slow its growth.  

Solution: Use non-chlorinated water in your recipe.  You can use bottled water, but that can be expensive.  I use the filtered water from my refrigerator.  If your fridge doesn’t have a water filter, you can buy an inexpensive pitcher filter that removes chlorine.  These are the filters with activated charcoal. Using non-chlorinated water made a huge difference in increasing my bread rise.

The ingredient temperature issue

Being a living organism, yeast grows very slowly in cold environments and can be killed in hot ones. 

Solution: The best practice is to have all ingredients at a normal room temperature.  However, you can speed things up by warming your liquids. Don’t get too crazy about this.  I warm my fridge-cold water or milk until it is, well… warm. If I can keep my finger in it, it is probably OK. That “warm but not hot” rule goes for all ingredients.  For instance, if the recipe calls for melted butter, wait until the butter cools to warm before adding it to your mixture. 

Bonus Round!

Are there other things you can do to prevent underproofing?

Dough enhancers

These are commercial concoctions that vary widely in formulation, but many include yeast enhancers.  Typically, a small amount is added to your ingredients.  You may have greater success trying one of these.

Diastatic malt

This may sound very sciency and chemically, but fear not.  Diastatic malt is simply spouted barley that has been carefully dried and ground into a powder.  It is different from regular malt powder.  The process of making diastatic malt increases the barley’s natural enzymes, which break down starch into sugar.  This speeds up yeast growth and yields a darker crust.  Only use a little of this stuff.  I typically use one-half to one teaspoon per loaf.  Too much will cause excessive conversion of starch to sugar, resulting in a gummy loaf.  However, if used properly, it can help. 

Other agents

Yeast is a living organism, and, like all living organisms, it requires specific nutrients and conditions to thrive. Commercial bakers may add enzymes to convert starches into sugars, yeast needed vitamins, essential amino acid mixtures, phosphorus, and inorganic compounds to supply the nutrients that yeast needs to grow.  However, these additions are well beyond the scope of a home baker.  However, you may find some of these agents in dough enhancers available to home bakers if you choose to experiment a bit. 

There you have it, a guide to solving your underproofing problems.  Best of luck to you, and happy bread-making!

Mike

A tale of two breads, made the same day in the same machine. Something went very wrong with the bread on the right, but I corrected the problem to produce the very nice loaf on the left.

bread makers, bread making, frugal cooking, frugal living, Uncategorized

A Very Comprehensive Guide To Buying A Used Bread Maker.

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I’m a chronic comparer.  I take great pleasure in seeing how a similar item or problem can be approached in different ways.  Variation is the essence of creativity; variation sometimes improves a product, and at other times it does the opposite. 

My habit of comparing things is lifelong. When I was a pre-school kid, I had no resources, so I collected and compared pencils. You would think that all pencils are alike, but they are not.  When I got a little older, I did the same thing with pens.  Why pens?  For the same reason as pencils.  They were inexpensive and varied by brand. 

Over the years, I have compared many things.  A few years ago, I compared many blood pressure cuffs and found most of them somewhat inaccurate, with the expensive ones not much better than the cheap ones.  A note about home blood pressure cuffs: although they’re not as precise as those in the doctor’s office, they still provide valuable information.  If your doctor wants you to record your blood pressure at home, please do.

It must sound funny to some readers that a person would devote energy to such trivial pursuits, but my chronic habit of comparing is harmless. It used to bug my wife, as it made little sense to her. To be frank, it makes little sense to me, but I love doing it. My wife now understands how much enjoyment my habit gives me, so she now accepts me for who I am.  Interestingly, this strange interest has benefited me throughout my life, as I am able to examine things with a critical eye trained since childhood.  It is easy for me to evaluate what is an important change vs. one that is just fluff. 

So why compare bread makers? I love gadgets, and few things are more gadgety than kitchen appliances. Most kitchen appliances are simple machines that need to differentiate themselves from one another.  Sometimes this is done by improving the unit’s quality.  For instance, a stand mixer may have a more powerful motor and an all-metal housing.  Sometimes this is done by fluff.  Using the same example, a stand mixer may come in a variety of colors. 

I have been comparing bread makers since the late 1980s, with my first purchase being a Sanyo that made a one-pound loaf.  Bread makers are interesting devices, as they are simple in design, consisting of a motor, a heating element, a thermostat, and a control board with a display and buttons.  All bread makers have these components, so why are some new ones $70 and others $500? Partially, this is due to brand recognition, but the price increase is also due to the level of construction, the feature set, and the quality of the components.  I’ll talk more about that later.

I have been able to coax just about any bread maker into making a nice loaf, but each has its quirks.  However, to quote Father Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town, “There is no such thing as a bad bread maker.”  Well, I think I almost got that famous quote right.  With that said, some do this with fewer adjustments than others.

My wife knows me and thoughtfully found a used bread maker, which she cleaned up for my birthday. This old Oster had a tendency to overproof, but with a little tweaking and some basic food chemistry, I was able to coax it back to its former greatness. My wife told me that she paid $10 for this gem.

It is surprising how robust bread makers are.  I have used many that were sold in the 1990s that are fully usable in 2026.  How many other small appliances can say that?  Perhaps a KitchenAid mixer, but that is about it. 

I picked up this used bread machine for $5.99. It was produced sometime during the 1990s, and it still works great today!

Are the older bread makers built better than the newer ones?  I can’t say for sure, but it would seem so on first blush. Many older units are made of solid metal and have a heavy, quality feel.  New premium brands continue this tradition, but many newer, less expensive bread makers are lightweights.  Does that impact their longevity?  There are no MTF (mean time failure) rates available on bread makers for end users to peruse. However, a lighter machine could suggest lighter-duty components, such as the motor and the drive belt. 

Since I have been unable to obtain actual statistical data on bread maker failures, I have had to use softer data.  This is what I know:  In a heavily used bread maker, the first component that is likely to go is the paddle.  Paddles are made of aluminum, a soft metal, and with heavy use, they tend to strip.  The next component to break is often the bread pan, which has several failure points, including the non-stick coating, the paddle assembly, and the seal around that mechanism.

The motor of a bread maker connects to the paddle assembly via a tough drive belt.  I have read reports that lower-cost bread makers’ belts will strip under heavy use, and I have also read that the premium Zojirushi brand is built with an extra-thick, strong drive belt.  

I bought up this used Zojirushi at a reasonable price. It is a quality machine that runs like new today.

Replacement belts are available for many bread makers, but installing one requires extensive disassembly. There are several YouTube videos where YouTubers have replaced a belt and restored their broken bread maker.

Naturally, any other component on a bread maker can fail, from displays, to buttons, to computer boards, to the heating element.  However, these seem less likely to do so.

How to test a used bread maker.

Ideally, the best thing you can do is to bake a loaf of bread, but that isn’t going to happen with a used purchase. You can run some basic tests to tell you whether a machine is likely to work.

  1. Check for obvious signs of severe wear and tear.  Make sure that the baking pan and paddle are present and in reasonably good condition. They don’t have to be perfect.
  2. Plug in the machine.  Make sure its display lights up.
  3. Press every button to make sure that they work.
  4. Press the cake/quick bread cycle.  The kneading paddle should start up.  If the machine doesn’t have a cake cycle, press the dough cycle.  This second option can be a little tricky, as some bread machines have a rest period to allow ingredients to reach an optimal temperature, and they can appear inoperable during that time.  Note: If you hear abnormally loud squeaking when the paddle is moving, the machine has failed, and move on. On most machines, the paddle starts and stops repeatedly; this is normal. The goal of this test is to see if the motor mechanism works; you only need to run it for about 30 seconds. Cancel the cycle by long-pressing the stop or cancel button, then move on to the next test.
  5. If the bread maker has a bake-only cycle, press it and wait a minute or two to see if the heating element starts to warm.  If both #4 and #5 work properly, the bread maker has passed a basic electrical/mechanical test. Long-press stop or cancel to end this cycle and move on.
  6. Look for obvious signs of misuse.  The stainless steel on newer bread makers is very thin, so don’t be discouraged by small dents.  However, such damage should lower the asking price.  However, if a machine has been clearly abused, give it a pass.
  7. Many machines at thrift stores are pretty grubby, but most will clean up well with soap/water and a bit of effort.
  8. It is possible to buy new paddles and even bread pans for selected machines, but some can be pricey, so be aware. 

What size loaf should you consider?

A machine that can make both a 1.5-pound and a 2-pound loaf is ideal.  But a machine with a maximum loaf size of 1.5 pounds can also do the job. Some machines make only a one-pound loaf.  That size can be limiting, but it may be adequate for a single person or a couple with low bread needs. 

Vertical or horizontal loaf?

Most modern bread makers produce a horizontal loaf that looks like a typical loaf of bread when making a 1.5-pound loaf, but can make a very tall yet horizontal 2-pound loaf. 

Some bread machines have a longer horizontal pan that has two kneading paddles. These tend to produce a more traditional loaf.

Some bread machines produce a vertical bread tower.  Cutting perpendicular to the loaf creates a slice that resembles some commercial sandwich breads.  I used to have negative feelings about these machines, but I have come to appreciate them.  The loaf may not be as aesthetically pleasing as a horizontal loaf, but in many ways, it produces a more practical slice of bread for sandwiches and toast.

What cycles are important to have?

Less than you think.  You need a basic/white bread cycle that allows you to choose loaf size and crust color.  This cycle can be used to make many types of bread.

Many machines have a whole wheat cycle that may allow for extra kneading or a slightly longer rise time.  If your machine doesn’t have this feature, you can still make whole wheat bread using the basic cycle.

Many machines have a fruit/sweet cycle that may bake a loaf at a slightly lower temperature, as sugary breads tend to brown quickly.  However, if you don’t have this cycle, you can still succeed with the basic cycle.

A dough cycle is very useful, as most will knead and ferment bread dough, which can then be removed to form and bake in your regular oven.  Think pizza, dinner rolls, and the like.

Many machines have a quick loaf cycle that bakes bread in record time. However, a quicker ferment often results in a less flavorful bread with a poorer texture.  I don’t think I have ever used a quick cycle on a bread machine.

Many machines feature a dozen or more cycles, but most are slight variations of the above cycles.  You may find them useful, but I typically don’t

Many newer machines have a gluten-free cycle that may or may not be useful for making gluten-free bread.  I don’t make gluten-free bread, but I have explored this topic, and it seems that some gluten-free users like using the gluten-free cycle, while others use the basic bread setting. If I had Celiac Disease, I probably would opt for a machine with a gluten-free cycle just to have that option.

Extra Features

Some bread makers have features ranging from a fruit-and-nut dispenser to dual heating elements to very fancy displays. Most of these features are unnecessary.  You may find some handy, but if you don’t have them, you can still produce a good loaf of bread.

Programmability

Most machines have fixed programs; some machines allow you to change some parameters of a program, some have additional programs that do a singular function, like kneading or baking, and some machines permit you to write a complete custom program that allows you to control every aspect of the bread-making process from start to finish.  

If you have a machine that is working up to spec and plan to make standard breads, like white, whole wheat, and raisin.  You don’t need programmability.

I have used a number of programmable machines and have made hundreds of loaves of bread, including many specialty breads, without ever needing to customize or write a program. One exception may be a used machine that is slightly off calibration.  If you had such a machine, the ability to program various parts of a baking program may be useful. With that said, I have used machines with slight calibration issues and simply adjusted the yeast or made other easy recipe fixes to achieve a good result.  

What has my experience been in buying used machines?

The least expensive place to buy a used machine is a thrift store, where you can often score one for under $10.  Next would be Facebook Marketplace. There are some great deals to be found on Marketplace, but you will also find resellers who buy thrift store machines and then jack up the price.  eBay is also a viable option, but it usually has the highest prices, plus shipping. However, eBay is often where you can find premium used machines, such as Zojirushi models. Amazon sometimes sells refurbished and used machines via affiliate sellers. 

This thrift store special looks pretty grubby, but she was less than $5. I had to rescue her!

A little soap, a little water, and a little elbow grease and she is as good as new!

I have purchased machines from all four venues.  Thrifted machines are often very grubby, but typically clean up well with some soap and water. Marketplace machines are usually cleaner, and Marketplace often has newer machines than thrift stores.  EBay is variable, but typically these machines are cleaned up and tested in a rudimentary way.  The one used machine I bought from Amazon looked brand new, but it was the only one that was D.O.A. Luckily, Amazon has a good return policy. 

When possible, I follow the above testing rules.  I consider machines under $20 to be a casual purchase, and as long as they seem to be working, I’ll buy them.  If a seller expects a high price, I expect the machine to be working at factory specs. 

What is the number one problem I find with used machines?

The number one issue that I find with used machines is a slight temperature miscalibration.  This usually means the machine is running slightly higher than normal, which can lead to overproofing and, sometimes, a darker crust. I wrote an entire post on how to deal with overproofing (see my March 9, 2025 post). You can always use a lighter crust setting if your crust is too dark, or take your bread out 5 minutes before the bake cycle ends. 

Once I know a particular machine’s quirks, temperature miscalibrations become a non-issue.

I have seen more minor temperature miscalibration issues with used Cuisinart machines than with other brands. However, I have also seen these problems with a newer KBS machine, a very old Breadman machine, and a very old Oster machine. I can make excellent bread in all of these machines with just minor recipe tweaks. What tweaking?  Again, see my post from March 9, 2026, for exhaustive details.

All the thrifted Cuisinart machines I have tried tend to overproof, likely because their thermostats are slightly mis-calibrated. However, with a little tweaking, I can get them to behave. In this case, all I had to do was reduce the yeast by 1/4 of a teaspoon.

Another issue

I have found a few machines (usually newer ones) that seem to have been programmed for a different market.  These machines can be used successfully, but they can be a pain, as each type of bread requires some trial and error.  These problems have occurred with bread makers from companies that also sell some excellent machines, so it is difficult for me to give advice on brands to avoid.

In-house, OEM, and OED manufacturing

Zojirushi designs its bread makers and has its own manufacturing facilities.  Other premium brands design their bread makers, but then have an OEM manufacturer build them.  A more recent trend involves OED manufacturers. These third-party companies not only build a product, but they also design it.  That is why you may find nearly identical bread makers sold under several different brands.  A company may sell an awesome machine alongside a so-so model, as the models may have come from two completely different OED manufacturers.

I bought a nice, lesser-known KBS machine for under $100, and found the exact same machine selling for over $200 under a different brand name at a different store. 

What brands to consider?

Premium brands like Zojirushi, Breville, and Panasonic are built very well and may last longer than those from a more price-conscious brand.  I have a Zojurushi Supreme BBCC-X20 from around 2008.  This almost 20-year-old machine was purchased used and runs like a new machine. I also have a Panasonic SD-150 bread maker that was purchased new in the 1990s, and it works flawlessly in 2026. 

Here is a Zojirushi Virtuoso (top-of-the-line) that I picked up for $70. You may think that is a lot of money for a used machine, but these bread makers retain their value. In fact, the price was low. It works perfectly, but it has some superficial dents, which lowered its resale value.

Every once in a while, I see a post from someone who scored a Zojirushi, Panasonic, or Breville machine for next to nothing.  However, these desirable machines are often picked up by resellers and up-charged on sites like eBay.com or sold on ShopGoodwill.com. With that said, I have bought a couple of premium machines on eBay at a reasonable (not bargain) price, and you can too if you are patient and catch the right deal. When it comes to eBay, always check the shipping costs, as I have seen sellers list a machine at a reasonable price only to tag on an astronomical shipping fee. 

My wife bought me this Panasonic YD-150 new sometime in the 1990s. It works perfectly in 2026.

Two quality brands you can still find at thrift stores are Breadman and Regal.  Both of these brands are built very well, and I have found units from the early 1990s that run perfectly.

Oster has been making bread makers since the 1990s.  They tend to be more lightweight (more plastic), but users seem to like them.  The same can be said of Wellbuilt.  I have never tested a Wellbuilt machine, but it is not uncommon to see people using old thrifted ones on YouTube videos. I also watched videos of people happily using thrifted Sunbeam machines.  On the surface, their construction appears similar to that of an Oster unit. 

There are many other machines from the past from brands like Toshiba, Toastmaster, and even Betty Crocker.  My view is that if a machine passes the simple test I listed above and costs under $20, it is worth giving it a try.  Your mileage may vary. 

A number of newer brands have emerged, many of which seem to be made by OMD manufacturers. I have tried several KBS machines with good results; however, one KBS machine tended to overproof.  I bought that machine on Marketplace for $20, and it looked brand new. The overproofing was easily corrected with a simple recipe adjustment.  I have also tried the brands Kitchen-In-A-Box and Osipoto with good results. 

I picked up this KBS machine on Marketplace for $20. It looked brand new, but it was overproofing, which is likely why the seller wanted to get rid of it. However, all it took was reducing the yeast by 1/2 teaspoon, and it is now making great bread.

So what do I do?  I make most of my own bread and bread products.  At this point, making bread takes only 5 minutes. I often rotate my machines for no reason other than that I think it is fun.  Yes, a bit weird to think that using different bread machines is fun, but no shaming, OK?

The bottom line is that you can very likely find a working bread maker for very little cash if you shop the used market.  It is also likely that you can buy a premium used bread maker for considerably less than new if you take your time and do a little hunting. 

You likely don’t need all of the bells and whistles that some bread makers offer, as most of us will only use the machine’s basic functions.  However, you may want those additional features if you do a lot of experimenting and recipe conversion.  The vast number of bread machine users (based on my watching of dozens of YouTube bread-making videos) make one or two types of bread.  Many also use their machines to make dough.  Those who are regularly making different types of bread seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Lastly, don’t forget that you can start with a decent used bread maker to test your bread-making chops and to see if using a bread-making machine becomes part of your regular routine.  If you then get the itch for a new premium machine, you have lost little in the process.

Happy purchasing!

Mike

This is a gag photo that I sent my wife, telling her that I “accidentally” found myself in a thrift store and couldn’t leave this lonely little breadmaker. In reality, I couldn’t pass up its $5.99 price tag.

bread making, Uncategorized

Getting An Unruly Overproofing Bread Maker To Cooperate

This post is for those of you who have a bread maker that consistently overproofs your loaves.

If you have read my posts, you know I love machines and love comparing one machine to another. I like kitchen machines as they tend to be simple and understandable, given my non-engineering scope.

I have been playing with bread makers since the late 1980s, and I have used over 20 machines during that time. In fact, I have quite a few of them as I write this. You may think I have spent a fortune on these machines, but I buy almost all of them used and have spent as little as $4.99 on a working one.

Bread maker components are all the same. That is not to say that they are all of the same quality; instead, all bread makers have the same types of components.

All bread makers have a simple display with a tiny microcomputer that controls things like kneading and baking times.

All bread makers have a heat system with a thermostat and one or two heating elements that are used for baking and sometime proofing.

All bread makers have a motor that turns a kneading paddle in the bread pan.

Add to this a case, buttons, and a bread pan, and you have a bread maker.

Manufacturers may program their bread makers slightly differently, so one brand may knead a bit more, another may use a different proofing schedule, and another may have a slightly different baking temperature or baking time. That is why one brand may make a loaf that is more to your liking. However, all should be able to make a decent loaf of bread.

Since most of my machines are used, I always run them through their paces when they are first acquired. I’ll make sure that they power up and that all of their buttons work. I then make sure the paddle turns and the heating elements warm. If all is good, I’ll bake a loaf of bread. Typically, I’ll use the white bread recipe from the machine’s instruction guide at the machine’s maximum loaf size. If that is not feasible, I’ll use a standard white bread recipe that I know has worked in a variety of machines. Surprisingly, the majority of these used machines continue to make excellent loaves of bread, even my 30-year-old ones.

However, on rare occasions, I run into a clinker. I got a used machine on Amazon for a great price. It worked perfectly, except the paddle wouldn’t turn. I was able to send that one back to the seller. And then there was this machine, a Cuisinart CBK-200 bread maker, gotten at an amazingly low price on eBay. It passed all of its preliminary tests with flying colors, but my test loaf came out hopelessly overproofed. Returning something to eBay is not as easy as doing the same on Amazon. This would be a good time to apply the scientific method and develop a solution.

The Cuisinart CBK-200 is a classic bread maker that has been sold for over 10 years, suggesting that there was something specifically wrong with this unit. Likely the reason that they were selling it on eBay.
I made this loaf using the 2-pound white bread recipe from the Cuisinart instruction manual. I was very meticulous, weighing and measuring all ingredients. The bread was made at home at around 70°F and with normal humidity. Bread was made using program 1, medium crust, 2.0-pound loaf. What a disaster!

Cuisinart has sold this particular model for over 10 years, so its overall design can’t be flawed. Therefore, the problem had to be with this machine. The solution was to find a workaround that was as simple and reasonable as possible.

I was a research scientist before I went to med school and am well-versed in setting up experiments. Experiments have constants, which don’t change, and variables, which do. Many experiments involve adjusting variables and recording the outcomes from those adjustments. In a perfect world, an investigator changes one variable at a time. However, I’m just trying to get a bread maker to make a good loaf of bread, not publish a paper. I don’t want to have to make a dozen loaves, each with a slight change. Besides, my funding director (AKA my wife) would disapprove of me wasting ingredients! I needed to be as efficient as possible.

If you make bread the traditional way, there are quite a few steps you can take to address overproofing. However, many steps in a bread maker are fixed and therefore constants. On this particular machine, kneading, proofing, and baking times, as well as temperature, are fixed and can’t be changed.

There were some variables that I could change, so let’s take a look at those.

Environmental

Excessively hot or humid conditions can affect yeast growth, leading to overproofing. However, my room temperature was around 70°F, and the humidity was within normal limits. This was a variable that I couldn’t easily change.

Baking programs

Like most modern bread makers, the Cuisinart has many preset programs for making various types of bread, such as white or whole wheat. Cusinart thoughtfully provides a timetable for these programs. Some did have shorter final rise times (which would reduce overproofing), but they also had changes to other parameters, like kneading times. I didn’t want to have to experiment with every bread recipe, trying multiple programs until I found the one that worked with that recipe, so that option was out.

Another possibility was to use the dough function, terminating the last rise early, and then using the bake function to bake the bread. Honestly, that would be more trouble than it was worth for me. I have other machines. If this one was going to enter the rotation, it had to be as easy to use as the other ones.

However, I was willing to try one option. I usually make 1.5-pound loaves instead of 2.0-pound loaves because the bread is the same length but shorter, and more “store-bread”- like. I knew from experience that sometimes a machine does a better job making a 1.5-pound loaf vs. a 2.0-pound loaf. I decided to give that option a try, and in this case, I used a Betty Crocker recipe that works in multiple machines. Here are the results:

This loaf looks better, but the top has collapsed, a sure sign of overproofing. The loaf color is good, but a bit dark. I made this loaf on the medium crust setting, but it looks like I used the dark crust setting. Could the thermostat be off? Perhaps the baking chamber is overheating during the proofing cycle. However, I have no way of changing that.
Here is that loaf sliced. Wow, many indications of overproofing, including the top of the slice being missing and huge air holes throughout. This bread was edible, but hardly ideal. Time to do another experiment.

Impact of Ingredient on overproofing

Every ingredient has an impact on the final loaf of bread. The good thing about experimenting with simple white bread is that the ingredient list is short. The only additional ingredient in the Betty Crocker loaves is a little dry milk powder. That may add some sugar, but it wouldn’t be the first variable I would test.

Flour

Bread flour works best, and I was using a quality bread flour. If the dough is too wet (slack), it doesn’t provide enough resistance to the CO2 gas bubbles and will overproof. However, I always check my dough during kneading, and it was fine.

My dough ball was smooth and slightly tacky. Just the way it should be.

Sugar

Sugar adds flavor and helps the yeast grow. Sugar could be reduced, but by how much? Also, sugar varies from recipe to recipe. I didn’t want to have to calculate a sugar amount every time I made a different loaf. How much should I reduce 2T of sugar? What about a recipe with 3T or 1/3 cup of sugar? Too complicated for me; pass on this variable.

Salt

Salt controls yeast, so adding a bit more should inhibit the yeast. But how much? Plus, I don’t want salty bread. I would consider adjusting salt, but it would be an option of last resort.

Yeast

Now we are talking. Yeast can be adjusted easily. Most advise a reduction of 10-25%. This recipe uses 2t of yeast, so I could easily change it to 1 and 1/2t (25% less). But heck, let’s make some other changes too. I had used instant yeast, which can be a bit more active than active yeast. For this round, I went with active yeast. Lastly, I changed the loaf color from medium to light to see if that would make a difference. I know, I know, I’m changing three variables at once. However, this would be my third loaf in less than 24 hours. I needed to be flexible. But what were the results?

Here is the loaf. It looks pretty good! Let’s see how it compares with the other 1.5 pound loaf that I made.
Much better! Look at the difference between the beautiful dome of the 1.5t yeast bread vs the loaf with 2t of yeast! However, it remains the same color even after selecting a light crust. Clearly, the temperature is a bit off, which is why the machine is overproofing. However, I can change the yeast variable and compensate for that.
This slice is just about perfect. Job done!

If your machine is overproofing, check the obvious things first. Is the room too hot or humid? Did you measure everything correctly? Is your dough hydrated correctly? Are you using a recipe that you know works across multiple machines, or one that was specifically designed for your machine? If you have done everything right, then look towards the ingredients. Many of them will impact the rise of the loaf. However, adjusting the amount of yeast is the simplest option. I also changed from instant to active yeast. I’ll continue that too.

In this machine, I think it is increasing the temperature slightly. I’m basing this on the fact that the light crust still looks pretty dark. I can’t change that, so luckily the yeast trick works.

Think like a scientist, bake like a chef!

Mike

bread making, frugal cooking, frugal living, Uncategorized

Save Money, Make Sally Lunn Bread In Your Breadmaker.

Inflation and the Trump tariff taxes have moved me into savings mode and I’m returning to my cooking roots. I love bread, but artisan and specialty breads are expensive. Yet, their ingredients are relatively cheap.

Kneading homemade bread can be therapeutic for some, but for me the process is too time consuming. However, with a bread maker making bread is literally, “set it and forget it.”

Making a custom loaf of bread takes about five minutes of adding ingredients to the bread pan then pressing a button. Three and a half hours later I have a fresh loaf of bread. This has allowed me to customize a bread for a particular dinner that I’m making, such as making a herb bread to accompany a hearty stew. I’m not baking bread for every meal, but I do it often enough that the process has become routine.

My bread maker is accessible; I don’t have to get it out of a basement or the garage every time I need it. The same can be said for my ingredients which are handy; putting a loaf together is effortless.

As far as measuring ingredients is concerned, I do the easiest accurate method possible. Some recipes are listed by volume (measuring cups and spoons). This isn’t the most accurate, but if that is what’s listed, that is what I’ll use. The one exception is that I will always weigh the flour (roughly 125 grams/cup of flour) as measuring flour by volume is notoriously inaccurate. If I’m given a recipe by weight in grams, I will gladly pull out my food scale and use that. Baking by weight is not only more accurate, it is less messy as I can weigh everything directly in the bread machines baking pan. In this case I may still measure very light items, like salt and yeast as I find scales are a bit flaky when measuring very small amounts. No mater what method I use, making bread is very simple, even when making loaves that include a few extra ingredients.

Today’s recipe is for Sally Lunn bread from The Betty Crocker Best Bread Machine Cookbook.

Sally Lunn bread has a brioche quality, but it is a bit less sweet. Its texture and color are similar to brioche and it makes a wonderful sandwich or toast. In fact, I toasted some this morning for an open face PB J sandwich for breakfast. Delicious!

A word about keeping bread fresh. All homemade breads will stale much faster than store bought breads as homemade breads lack preservatives. I have tried a variety of methods and in general two works the best. If I make a specialty loaf that I know won’t be consumed at a meal I’ll freeze half of the loaf for a future meal. If I make a general purpose loaf I have found that a traditional breadbox works the best to keep the loaf reasonably fresh and mold free. In my climate I can still use bread that I made five days earlier, although I’ll likely be toasting it towards the end. Plastic bags will keep the bread softer, but mold usually appears in 3 days. The fridge tends to make the bread go stale faster, so that is a no go. However, if you don’t want to buy a breadbox and want to keep your bread out for a few days then do what my grandmother did. She would wrap her bread in a clean cotton kitchen towel.

Here is the recipe for Betty Crocker’s 2 pound recipe for Sally Lunn bread:

I put two eggs in a measuring cut and added enough water to make 1 and 1/3rd cups of total volume. Not shown: I also added to the bread maker 1/3rd cup softened butter.

I added 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of regular table salt.

Then 2 tablespoons of sugar.

The recipe calls for 4 cups of flour. I always prefer to weigh my flour. Four cups should be around 480 grams (120 grams/cup), but I’m finding that I have to add more flour when I check my dough ball in the machine. Now, I weigh a bit more flour, 500 grams (about 125 grams/cup). That has been working out well.

Finally, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of instant yeast.

I set my bread maker on basic white bread.

The bread maker has beeped. Bread is done!

Always allow your bread to cool before slicing. I know that it can be hard to resists immediately cutting it, but that will result in a lot of torn and squashed bread.

Here is a slice. Rich, very slightly sweet, wonderful!

Happy bread making!

Mike

Baking as science, bread making, Uncategorized

Fix Your Bread Maker Loaves Of Bread!

One of my favorite things to do is to dive deeply into a topic to gain a broader understanding of it. My fascination may last a day, a week, or sometimes decades. Eventually, I’ll feel that I have learned enough, and I’ll move on to another topic.  However, it is not uncommon for me to return to an area of former interest years later, and so it is with bread makers.

I became interested in bread makers sometime in the 1990s, and that interest lasted for quite a few years. I was fascinated that someone had developed a home appliance that could automate the laborious process of bread-making using a simple, consumer-oriented machine. I was intrigued not only by the process of making the bread, but also by the mechanics of the bread makers, as well as how they differed from each other. As a result, I had an extensive collection, most of which I purchased used or on closeout. I also requested and received some premium machines as Christmas and birthday gifts. Over time, I gave away most of the bread makers, but saved a few on a basement shelf where they sat for over a decade, only to be rediscovered about a year ago.  

During that interim, I continued to make bread but did so using a high-end mixer, often baking six loaves at a time.  Now retired, with most of my kids out of the house, that industrial-level operation is no longer needed, and the single-loaf abilities of a bread machine once again are interesting to me.

I was pleased that my old machines worked, and so I am back on a bread machine baking journey.  Along the way, I have had to rely on my old knowledge as well as new skills to optimize my loaves.  This post is to share some of that knowledge with you.

Are some brands of machines better than others?

The top 4 high-end brands, in my opinion, are Panasonic, Breadman (now discontinued?), Brevelle, and Zijurushi.  I have extensively used all but the Brevelle brand, and I am very familiar with them. I have also used more cost-friendly machines from Oster, Toastmaster, and Regal, among others.  

This Zojirushi bread maker is a well loved classic.

The expensive brands are first to innovate features and may offer a better build. I have examined the bread made from both high-end and cost-friendly machines, and the costly machines produce a better loaf, but the difference is minor.  However, their overall build quality and innovative features may be enough to sway you to pay a higher price. Note that premium features often migrate to cost-friendly brands over time. For instance, you can now find fruit and nut dispensers, end-user programming, and twin paddle loaf pans on a number of breadmakers in the $100 range.

The bottom line is, if you have a cost-friendly brand, fear not, you can still get it to produce a very nice loaf of bread.

Does the shape of the loaf pan matter?

Early bread machines had a vertical “skyscraper” pan that produced a rectangular loaf with slices similar to sandwich bread or a Pullman loaf. They kneaded the dough well, as the shape of the pan kept the dough in contact with the kneading paddle. These machines yielded bread with uniform slices, but the bread, being square, had more of an industrial look.

This thrifted Regal bread maker cost $14 and is still in excellent condition. It makes a perfectly fine vertical-style loaf.
All of the early bread makers had vertical pans, including this Regal machine, and you can still find some newer machines with this style of pan. It makes a squarish slice that cuts nicely, but looks a bit industrial. However, this style of loaf pan possibly does the best job when it comes to kneading and making a loaf with consistently sized slices. However, its bread’s poor aesthetics were likely its downfall in popularity.

Single paddle horizontal loaves were then introduced and are the most popular form factor today. The bread from these machines resembled a traditional loaf, which made it more appealing.  However, the loaves were often very tall, necessitating the end-user to cut the bread in half so it could fit in a toaster. 

I first saw a twin paddle horizontal loaf pan on a Zojirushi machine.  This design produces a loaf that most closely approximates the standard loaf that you would buy at a bakery, as it is both horizontal and the correct height. The downside of this machine is that it creates two holes in the bottom of your bread instead of one due to its twin paddles. Also,  it is more likely to make bread with an uneven top (in my opinion).

The twin paddles on this Zojirushi pan allow it to be a bit longer, making its bread resemble a traditional bakery loaf the most.

None of the above problems impacts the deliciousness of the final product. Your choice of pan is strictly a matter of preference.

How many programs do you need on your machine?

Breadmakers have gained an ever-expanding number of programs, some for specialty breads and others that do tasks ranging from making jam to cooking rice. Most specialty bread programs are not significantly different from standard programs and may be unnecessary. Additionally, I have no plans to stir-fry or make jam in my breadmaker.  The three essential programs that every machine should have are basic (white bread), whole grain/multi-grain, and dough. Some may want a program for gluten-free bread, if that is the reason they are buying a machine. I have made many different bread types using the standard settings on multiple bread makers with success. Some of the extra programs seem more gimmicky than anything else to me.

You can do all sorts of things using the dough program. Here I made the dough in the bread maker and then formed it into hamburger buns that I baked in the oven.

Additional stuff

Bread makers sometimes have convenience features that you may want.  Some Breadman, Panasonic, and other brands feature an automatic seed and fruit bin that drops these ingredients into the bread dough at just the right time.  Other bread makers, like many of the Zojirushi units, can be programmed to the user’s baking specifications.  Many machines have crust darkness controls, delay timers, warming features, fast bread cycles, and other options that some may find desirable.

My problem

When I returned to bread maker bread making, I had a few clinkers, but most of my loaves were delicious.  However, they often seemed much shorter than the ones I saw on YouTube. This led me to dig deeper into the topic once again, and I have come up with some solutions. 

But first acceptance!

Realize that a bread made from freshly ground whole wheat will never rise as high as a bread made from commercially milled white bread flour. The same can be said of bread loaded with seeds, cheese, or other weighty additions.  Yeast can only do so much heavy lifting.  However, it is possible to optimize these breads so that they can be the best that they can be.

Use the right recipe source

Your machine will come with a variety of recipes that have been tested with that machine.  Start there, as you are likely to have the greatest success, and you will gain an understanding of how dough performs in your bread maker.  I have used recipes submitted by others on the internet with good results, as well as recipes from known sources, like Better Homes and Gardens or a flour or yeast company’s website.  Remember, you can download instruction/recipe manuals for many bread makers by searching for them online. 

Recent cookbooks (published in 2024 and 2025) on Amazon from unknown sources may be problematic, as some are now created with AI, and the recipes may not have been thoroughly tested. Make sure that you read the book’s reviews carefully when buying a newly published book. Likewise, you may have to do some trial and error, adapting Grandma’s famous bread recipe. 

Using a recipe from a bread maker’s cookbook is a great way to start your bread-making journey, as it is designed to be as foolproof as possible. This recipe makes a wonderful light wheat bread. I leave out the basil for general-purpose sandwich and toast making.

About flour

Flour is simply a vegetable product made from milling a vegetable down into a fine powder.  Most often, the vegetable is a grain of some sort.  There are many different types of flour, with common ones being wheat (of various kinds), buckwheat, and rye.  However, flours can be made from other grains, like spelt, and even nuts, like almonds. Each of these flours will have its own unique characteristics. 

Wheat flour is often categorized by the amount of gluten that it has.  Bread flour contains around 13% gluten, AP flour has around 11% gluten, and cake flour has around 8% gluten. Gluten is what gives bread its remarkable chewy tenderness.  This characteristic is excellent for bread; not so good for cake, as no one wants a chewy cake.  Hence, less gluten in cake flour.

Some folks have gluten allergies and can’t eat breads made from flours that contain gluten.  They eat breads made using more complicated gluten-free recipes, which are a compromise as they don’t have the same bready characteristics as gluten-containing breads. 

You can make gluten-free bread using a bread maker’s basic cycle, but because the bread doesn’t contain gluten, it doesn’t require all the kneading that develops the gluten in traditional bread. A gluten-free bread program reduces the kneading times, which may result in a better gluten-free loaf.  If you have Celiac disease and are primarily making bread to produce gluten-free bread, you may want a machine with a gluten-free bread program. 

The chemistry

Bread making has existed for thousands of years and has been the staff of life and main calorie source for many different cultures.  Flour is mixed with water and yeast and kneaded.  The kneading process alters several proteins in the bread, specifically glutenin and gliadin which form gluten. This results in an elastic dough and a deliciously chewy and spongy baked bread. 

The yeast, being a live organism, utilizes the sugars and starches in the dough and produces carbon dioxide, a harmless gas.  This gas causes bubbles in the dough, making the bread rise and expand. Baking the bread kills the yeast, leaving us with a delicious, light loaf of bread. 

Other ingredients can be added to the bread to modify it.  Salt adds flavor and controls yeast growth, while sugar adds sweetness and helps fuel the yeast. Eggs and milk add richness and can alter the texture of the bread. Butter and oils add richness, flavor, and tenderness. Spices add flavor, and seeds and nuts contribute texture.  

If you understand how yeast grows and how ingredients impact yeast, you can solve most of your bread maker problems.

Common bread machine bread issues

-The clinker.  In this example, the bread never seemed to rise and is a hard, horrible baked mess. Causes: This is often caused by using bad yeast, forgetting to add yeast, improper mixing, leaving the paddle out of the machine, or insufficient liquid.

-The collapse.  In this example, the bread seems to rise rapidly, but then collapses during the baking process. Causes: This is often caused by excessive yeast, or too warm a proofing temperature, overproofing,  or dough that is too slack.

-The shorty. In this example, the bread does rise, but not to an expected level. Causes: Insufficient or poor-quality yeast, inadequate liquid in the dough, insufficient proofing time, inadequate gluten development, insufficient kneading time, or unfavorable baking conditions.

This bread was still delicious, but it should have been at least 50% taller.

-The uneven top.  In this example, the bread’s top is uneven or bumpy. Causes: This is common in bread machine bread, especially bread from those machines with two paddles.  You can smooth out the dough before the final rise, or do what I do, which is nothing. On dual paddle machines, some say that pointing the paddles in the same direction at the start of baking solves this problem, but Zojirushi says it doesn’t make a difference. 

-The paddle holes.  Causes: The kneading paddles create holes in the bottom of the bread.  You can remove the paddles at the start of the last rise to minimize the holes, or do nothing.  I do nothing; it is not a big deal.

-The yuck.  In this example, something went terribly wrong.  The bread is too salty, bland, or otherwise disgusting. Causes: Bad ingredients, spoiled ingredients, or user error.

The good news is that we know that the machine is doing what it does correctly, so the above problems are most likely due to user error or, rarely, environmental issues.

Yeast issues

Yeast is a living microscopic organism. The dried yeast that we buy is a cultivated strain of yeast known to produce a flavorful bread product.  Yeast manufacturers carefully grow yeast in a solution and then remove the water by dehydration.  The yeast is ground into a fine powder.  Dried yeast is still alive, but in a suspended state.  Adding water will hydrate the yeast and revive it. Provide a bit of sugar in the water, and the yeast will start to metabolize the sugar and produce carbon dioxide bubbles. 

Yeast will eventually die in a suspended state, but you can lengthen the time before its demise by refrigerating the yeast or, better yet, freezing it. You can take it directly out of the freezer and use it in your recipe.  

Yeast exists everywhere, and it is floating around the room that you are sitting in right now.  Sourdough is bread made from this natural yeast that is allowed to grow in a solution of flour and water.  Making sourdough is an art, but the result is a delicious, crusty, slightly sour bread.  

You can buy commercial yeast in soft “cakes,” but these are now hard to find.  Dried yeast is readily available in packets, jars, and “bricks.” The bricks are substantially less expensive than individual packets.  Yeast comes in two forms: Active and Instant.  Instant yeast is sometimes rebranded as Rapid-Rise or Bread Maker Yeast. 

Bread-making machines will specify which type (Active or Instant) to use.  Typically, active yeast must be activated in water before use, but it can be added without activation in a bread maker.  Instant Yeast does not have to be activated to be used in baking.  The main difference between the two yeasts is that Instant yeast is pulverized into smaller granules.  

These two forms of yeast products have become more similar over the years, and some home bread makers directly substitute one for the other.  However, others are more strict and use different amounts when switching from one type to the other, and some avoid substituting altogether. 

Dead yeast is the most common reason why your bread will not rise properly, and this is easily testable.  Add a small amount of yeast to warm (not hot) water that has a pinch of sugar in it.  Wait a bit, if your mixture starts to have bubbles, it is good.  No bubbles, and the yeast is dead and useless. Yeast within its expiration date can still be bad if stored in a hot place in your home, a store, or in a warehouse. 

I buy yeast in bulk as it is significantly less expensive. I store it in the freezer to increase its freshness.

The measurement issue

Another widespread end-user problem when bread-making is measurement error. 

In the US, it is common to measure by the volume of ingredients using a measuring cup. This is especially error-prone when measuring flour, which can be packed fluffy or solid in a cup, significantly changing the amount of flour added to a recipe.  Additionally, flour can attract water in a humid environment or lose water in a dry climate, which impacts its volume. Add other errors, such as not leveling the cup, and it is easy to understand why this method is less than ideal. 

A much better way to measure is by weight, in grams.  This is also a more straightforward method, as you can place your baking pan on a digital kitchen scale and then tare the scale, which sets the display at zero.  Add the amount of flour in grams for a more accurate measurement. 

I now weigh almost all my ingredients, including liquids. Not only is it more accurate, but there is less cleanup.  I simply tare the scale and add ingredient one, then tare the scale back to zero and weigh the next ingredient, and so forth.  

I have an older scale that can bounce back and forth a few grams, so I still use volume measurements when weighing anything less than 20 grams.  Therefore, when measuring my salt and yeast, I still use measuring spoons. For everything else, I use the scale, and it has definitely resulted in better bakes in my bread machine.

You can find many volume-to-weight conversion tables on the internet.  Here are some common ones:

Bread flour 1 cup = 120 grams

AP flour 1 cup = 120 grams

Water 1 cup = 227 grams

Milk 1 cup = 227 grams

Butter ½ cup = 113 grams

Sugar 1 cup = 198 grams

Yeast 2 ¼ tsp = 7 grams

Salt 1 T = 8-18 grams, depending on the salt type

Place your pan on a kitchen scale and press tare, and the scale will zero out. You can then weigh your ingredient. Press tare again for the next ingredient. The weight for this flour was supposed to be 340 grams, and I have 342 grams. Such a small difference will not harm the bread.
My scale is old, and I don’t trust it to properly weigh tiny amounts. If the item is less than 20 grams, I use measuring spoons.

Ingredient temperature issues

Only a few bread makers have an ingredient warming feature. Yeast, being a living organism, is sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Too hot, and you kill the yeast.  Too cold, and you slow its growth.  The ideal temperature range for yeast is between 80° F and 90° F (27° C and 32° C); however, going up to 110 ° F (43 ° C) is typically OK, and some dry yeasts may prefer this slightly warmer environment.  If the temperature is too hot for you to put your finger in a liquid, it is too hot for the yeast.  Conversely, if you are adding cold milk and butter to your mix, don’t expect the yeast to be happy. Try to have ingredients at room temperature or a bit warmer when making bread.

Environmental issue

If your environment is too hot or too cold, or if your machine is placed next to something too hot or cold, it will impact your rise.  This is usually an easy problem to solve using common sense.

An additional measuring issue

You can measure everything correctly and still be off. Many bread machine bakers will check their machine after 5-10 minutes of initial kneading.  If the dough ball looks too liquidy, with the dough not completely incorporated into a ball, or too dry, with a ratty-looking ball or a lot of raw flour present, this is the time to fix it. For liquidy dough, add a tablespoon of flour and wait 30 seconds; if the dough doesn’t all form into a ball, repeat until it does.  Do the same if the dough is too dry, but add a tablespoon of water in place of the flour every 30 seconds until the ball is smooth and roundish. Once you achieve a smooth ball, you can close the lid and go about your business.  The machine will do the rest of the work on its own.

Your dough should look like the above. Add flour slowly in small amounts; if it is too slack, add water in small amounts; if too dry.

If you see a lot of flour stuck to the sides of the pan, you can use a silicone spatula to knock it down into the pan at the same time.

Wrong setting issues

I already stated that most of us only need a few program settings on our machines.  However, you still need to use the right setting.  Whole wheat bread needs different kneading and rising times compared to white bread.  If you try to make whole wheat bread using the “basic” setting, you will likely be disappointed with your results. 

Bread flour vs. All Purpose (AP) flour

Bread flour has a bit more gluten, and this will give you a better product and a better rise.  Many recipes will ask you to use bread flour for this reason.  However, I have often used regular AP flour even when the recipe calls for bread flour.  Would my bread have been better with bread flour?  Probably, but it was still excellent with AP flour. 

Ingredient concerns

We already talked about bad yeast, but it is possible that another ingredient that you are using is not up to standard.  This is most common with flour. It is easy to try a different brand or batch of flour if you are concerned about this.

I have a problem with my city water, and I’m guessing that the water treatment chemicals inhibit yeast growth.  To compensate, I very slightly increase my yeast and very slightly reduce my salt, which is yeast-inhibiting, in my recipes. If a recipe calls for two teaspoons of yeast and 2.5 teaspoons of salt, I may change that to 2.25 teaspoons of yeast and 2.25 teaspoons of salt. Another option that I could try would be to use distilled or filtered water.  

Salt issues

Salt adds flavor, but it also inhibits yeast growth.  Because it can inhibit yeast, it is also used to modulate yeast growth.  Too little and the yeast will overgrow, too much and the yeast is inhibited or dies. All salts (table, Kosher, sea salt, etc) are the same chemical, sodium chloride.  However, the granular sizes of different salts vary significantly.  A tablespoon of one type of salt may have more or less actual salt than another.  For instance, table salt is finer and therefore more concentrated than Kosher salt.  If a recipe calls for one teaspoon of Kosher salt, the conversion is to use around ½ of a teaspoon of table salt.  Doing a one-to-one conversion will lead to too much salt, and this could inhibit the bread from rising. Conversely, going in the opposite direction can lead to overproofing and having a loaf collapse.

It is essential to separate the dry salt and yeast when loading your bread maker.  I put the salt on one edge of the pan and place the yeast in a little depression in the middle of the pan.  If they touch when they start mixing, the strong initial concentration of the salt could kill the yeast. Separating the two dry ingredients prevents that from happening. 

To protect the yeast, I place the salt along one edge of the pan and the yeast in a little hole in the middle of the flour.

Order ingredient concerns

Bread makers require that you add ingredients in the order listed. Some of this is because some delayed recipes can sit for hours before baking.  You don’t want your yeast bubbling away or your powdered milk going sour.  Develop good baking habits and add the ingredients in the order listed.

Adding extras

There are products called dough enhancers designed to improve your bake.  These are a combination of ingredients that may contain several ingredients like Vital Wheat Gluten, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), lecithin, yeast nutrients, and diastatic malt.  However, you can use these additions separately if you wish.  I sometimes add a tiny bit (less than 1/8th of a teaspoon) of ascorbic acid, which helps my rise.  Additionally, Vital Wheat Gluten (VWG) added at 1 tablespoon/2 cups AP flour can turn AP flour into bread flour.  VWG can also help with the rise of breads made with 100% whole wheat flour. Diastatic malt can aid in rise and texture.  Lecithin can assist in the texture and tenderness of the bread.  All of these are optional, but one or several may help if you have tried more conservative options and you are still not getting the results that you want. 

Adding fruits and nuts

If you add fruits and nuts at the beginning of your baking, the paddle will chop them up too much.  Some machines can drop them in at the right time, and others will beep to tell you that it is time to add them.  This is usually towards the end of kneading.  

If your fruits and nuts are clumping towards the bottom of your finished loaves, toss them in a bit of flour before adding them to your dough.  This is especially useful for sticky ingredients like raisins. 

Dealing with an uneven top

This can happen with any machine, but the dual paddle ones are more susceptible.  Honestly, an uneven top doesn’t bother me a bit.  However, if it bothers you, you can smooth the top of the bread at the start of the final rise. 

Bread machines are more likely to make a loaf with an uneven top. This doesn’t bother me at all. If it bothers you you can redistribute the dough before the machine’s final rise.

Soggy bread issues

Leaving your bread in the machine after it is baked or immediately sticking hot bread in a plastic wrapper will result in a soggy loaf.  It is best to cool it out of the pan on a rack if you want a crisp crust.  I often leave it in the pan for 5-10 minutes first, which causes less tearing at the paddle site. If you like a softer crust, wrap the bread in a clean dish towel to cool.

Mold and stale bread issues

I have found 3-week-old store-bought bread at the bottom of our bread basket that was perfectly edible. That is scary. Homemade bread is fresh and natural and doesn’t have preservatives.  When stored properly, expect 3-4 days before you need to turn the bread into bread crumbs, French toast, or bread pudding. 

The best way to store bread is in a cool, dry place in a container with some ventilation to prevent mold growth. There are many options, including a bread box, a bread bag, or wrapping the bread in a clean kitchen towel.  I use a cake cover that has a vent hole on its top. If the bread looks good at the 5-day mark, I may still eat it, but I’ll toast it first to make it more palatable. 

I store my bread under a cake dome that his an air hole.

If the bread is thoroughly cooled, you can store it in a plastic bag or Tupperware container; however, this will soften the crust, and your chances of getting moldy bread will increase. 

Storing bread in plastic will keep it fresher for longer, but it will also increase the likelihood of mold growth.

Another way to preserve bread is to freeze it or freeze half of it.  Thawing on the counter will give you bread nearly as fresh as when it was baked. 

Cutting the entire loaf into slices will hasten its demise as you have more surface area to dry out.  However, I do that as my family won’t eat it unless it is convenient.  It is a compromise that I have to make.

My family won’t use my bread if they have to slice it themselves. Although not ideal, I pre-slice my bread. I use a slicing guide as I tend to cut on a slant. Slicing as needed will keep your bread fresh longer, but “ya gatta do what ya gatta do!”

There you have it – a collection of tips to turn you into bread machine experts.

Happy bread baking!

Mike

bread making, cooking, cooking appliances energy savings., frugal cooking, Uncategorized

Save Money, Make Inexpensive And Delicious Bread Machine Bread!

This is another in my series on saving money on groceries while improving your dining experience. 

As inflation and the Trump tariff taxes continue to push up prices, it makes sense to find ways to stretch your food dollars.  Making your own bread is not only less expensive than store-bought bread, but it also tastes better and can be customized to your needs. Like thicker or thinner slices?  No problem., Sick of the outrageous prices of gluten-free bread?  Make your own. Desire a specialty bread for a special meal?  Absolutely!

My wife made a run to the grocery store and was happy that Ezekiel Bread had been restocked.  However, she wasn’t pleased when she realized that a small loaf was now ten dollars. She didn’t buy the loaf.

Bread is the staple of life, and just about every culture has some form of bread.  Bread is considered a subsistence food that provides the calories, vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber necessary for life.  

When I was growing up, my mother bought “Silvercup” bread, which was one step above “Wonder Bread.”  It was good for sandwiches, but likely not the best in terms of nutrition.  We also bought bread from our neighborhood bakery. What a difference that bread was.  I have fond memories of walking into that place and being welcomed by the scent of freshly baked bread.  I remember, with fascination, the clerk taking a fresh loaf, pushing it through a slicing machine, and then deftly shoving it into a waxed bag.  That bread was the best.

My grandmother made most of her family’s bread, and it was delicious.  She made a light rye bread that was baked into a large, round loaf.  She didn’t buy yeast; instead, she would seed a new batch of dough with a portion of the dough she had saved from the week before.  I can’t imagine that she measured anything; she just knew what to do after baking thousands of loaves of bread by hand. Making bread was part of her life, and I’m sure it occupied at least one whole day of her week.

My mom would make yeasted bakery, but I don’t recall her making bread.  Most of her yeast bakes consisted of various filled coffee cakes, which we called kolaches, not to be confused with those delicious fruit-filled cookies called Kolacky.  

I’m not sure exactly when I made my first loaf of bread, but I started to make it regularly during my residency.  I was divorced at that time, and one of the few things that I took from that marriage was a large Cuisinart food processor, as my ex had no use for it.

I love machines, and the Cuisinart is one of them. I was determined to learn how to utilize every aspect of its capabilities, including its ability to knead bread dough.  I read somewhere that a flour company had a recipe book for “cool rise bread,” and I tracked down their address, which was in another state.  This was before the internet, so that task was more complicated than typing in a query in Google. I wrote them a letter..

A few weeks later, I received a nice note from the flour company, saying that they were surprised to hear from me, as their flour was not sold in the Chicago market.  However, they sent me the booklet and wished me well. I adapted their recipes for my food processor.

Cool-rise recipes were ideal for me at that time, as I could quickly mix and knead the dough in the food processor, then drop the dough into a couple of bread pans that I placed in the refrigerator, where they would slowly rise. Eight to 48 hours later, I would bake the bread at my convenience.  Having fresh bakery fresh bread as a poor medical resident was a tremendous morale booster. Typically,  I ate generic white bread that tasted like sawdust. 

When the bread machine craze hit in the 1990s, I bought a machine that made one-pound loaves.  I upgraded to a machine that made 2-pound loaves sometime in the early 2000s, and I still have that machine today. However, I eventually stopped using my bread machine, and I’m not sure why.

This bread machine is over 20 years old, and it still works!

As my kids got older, I would make bread for them as a treat; soon, they were helping me in the process. By then, I had graduated to a Bosch Universal Mixer, a tremendous mixer that could make six loaves of 100% whole wheat bread at a time.  It was great. However, the Bosch method still required work, and I no longer need six loaves of bread. 

My Bosch Universal Mixer can easily make six loaves of 100% whole wheat bread.
I rarely need this much bread now.
The bread made in the Bosch is fantastic, but it still requires some work.

During the pandemic, I was cleaning my basement and rediscovered my bread machine. Would it even power up after sitting dormant for years?  The answer was yes!.

I do most of the household’s cooking and make a lot of food from scratch.  I cook many combination foods, such as soups, stews, and casseroles.  These types of foods lend themselves well to a bread product, and I’ll often whip up something ranging from cornbread to a savory muffin.  However, nothing has quite the allure of the smell of freshly baked bread.

Humans have been making some form of bread for over 14,000 years, and it is possible to make bread with the simplest methods and ingredients.  Some people love the physicality of kneading dough, but I’m not one of them.  However, I love the taste of homemade yeast products, and that is where my old bread machine comes to my rescue.  I can toss in a few inexpensive ingredients, press a button, and a few hours later, I have a fantastic loaf of warm bread.

There are hundreds of bread recipes that can be made in a bread machine.  White, rye, wheat, fruited, nutted, egg-enriched, sweet, savory, you name it. I made a nice white loaf today.  What did it cost me for a 2-pound loaf of fresh, delicious bread?  Around seventy-eight cents, including the cost of the electricity. 

Bread machines are no longer trendy, so you can often get a used one at a second-hand store for almost nothing.  Just make sure that the pan and paddle are included and that it powers up when plugged in.  They are very durable, as mine is still running strong, despite being over 20 years old. Most electronic gadgets left in a basement for years would be out of commission. Mine is not an isolated case, as there are internet reports of others who are still using their bread machines decades after purchase.

In fact, I recently searched for bread machines on Facebook Marketplace and found many used models in the $10-25 range.  You can’t even go to McDonald’s for that amount of cash.  If you are interested, this is what to look for:

-Get a machine that makes between a 1.5 and 2-pound loaf

-Most prefer a traditional horizontal pan, but a vertical pan also works.

-Make sure that the unit comes with the baking pan AND the paddle. 

-Make sure it powers up when plugged in.

-You can find recipes on the internet, and you can likely download your particular machine’s manual/recipe guide from the manufacturer’s website.

Many new bread machines sell for under $100, but top-of-the-line machines, such as those from Zojirushi, cost hundreds.  Zojirushi is considered the best, but most will do fine with a less expensive brand.

Machines come with multiple programs to make different types of bread.  Most users will use only three types: standard (white) bread, whole wheat, and dough.  The dough setting is a great option, as the machine will do all of the hard work of making the dough, and all you have to do is form it for baking.  The dough setting is terrific for making pizza dough, rolls, coffee cakes, and braided breads, where you make the dough in the machine but bake it in your regular oven.

Most bread machines come with various programs to bake different types of bread, such as white and whole wheat. The controls may appear complicated, but they are very easy to learn, and in most cases, all you need to do is press a button.

Some additional program settings may be included such as sweet breads, and gluten-free bread. If your bread maker doesn’t have a particular specialty setting you can try using the standard white bread setting. Additionally, some machines allow you to create programs where you determine each step of the bread making process. This last option is for advanced users who develop their own recipes or who use unique bread flours that require unusual mixing, kneading, and backing times. Will you use the cake, yogurt, or jam settings that your machine may have?  Probably not, but that’s your choice.

Although many ingredients can be used to make bread, here are the basic ones and why they are necessary:

Flour – There are many types of flour, but for simplicity, let’s focus on white flour.  Most bread machine recipes instruct you to use bread flour, a flour with a 15% gluten content.  When your machine kneads dough, the gluten proteins are altered, becoming stretchy and more flexible.  This results in a delicious, chewy, and spongy bread.  All-purpose (AP) flour is a versatile flour suitable for a wide range of applications.  It typically has a gluten content of 12-13% so bread made with AP flour won’t be quite as chewy or structurally sound as bread made from bread flour.  In an ideal world, use bread flour for optimal results. You can simulate bread flour by adding a couple of tablespoons of Vital Wheat Gluten to AP flour to your bread ingredients, or just forgo the vital wheat gluten and still make a delicious breadmaker loaf using only AP flour. I often do that as I always have AP flour on hand. Lastly, cake flour contains only 7-9% gluten, as you don’t want a chewy cake; the low gluten content assures a tender result. 

AP flour is inexpensive. This bag will make five one-pound loaves of bread. I often use AP flour because it’s in my household stock.
Bread flour is also inexpensive, and it makes a better loaf. If you make bread regularly, consider buying and using bread flour.

Yeast-yeast is a living organism that feeds on the sugars and starches in bread dough and produces carbon dioxide gas, or CO2, as a byproduct.  It is the CO2 gas bubbles that cause bread to rise. The yeast is killed in the baking process. Yeast comes in various types.  Some bread machines use Active Dry Yeast, while others require Bread Machine Yeast, which is also called Instant Yeast. Instant Yeast granules are smaller and dissolve faster than the granules of Active Dry Yeast.

My bread machine uses Active Dry Yeast that I can buy in bulk at Costco. Each loaf uses only around ten cents’ worth of yeast.

Sugar-any form of sugar can be used, white sugar, brown sugar, honey, and molasses.  Small amounts of sugar are added to help jump-start the yeast’s growth. 

Any sugary product can be used for bead making, but most people have white sugar on hand. The recipe below uses around five cents of sugar.

Salt-salt adds flavor and also controls yeast growth.  Never mix salt with the yeast when you add your ingredients; put them in a separate spot in the machine’s bread pan.  

Water– is needed to bind all of the ingredients together.  Naturally, other liquids, such as milk, are sometimes used to achieve a different type of loaf.

Other ingredients-.Eggs, dried fruits, spices, cheese, meats, different types of flours, nuts, butter, cooking oil, powdered milk, you name it.  Each addition requires a slightly different recipe and may require different rising and baking times.  The good news is that others have already figured out all of this. If you have a new machine, read the manual/recipe booklet.  If you purchased a used breadmaker, download its manual, which will include recipes ranging from white bread to pizza dough, specifically created for your machine.

A simple and inexpensive white bread recipe.

*You must add ingredients into the baking pan in the order written. 

-1.5 cups warm water

-2 T cooking oil

-1 and 3/4 t salt

-4 cups or 500 gms bread flour (or AP flour)

-2 T sugar

-2 ¼ tsp bread maker yeast (I use regular Active Dry Yeast with good results)

I weigh my flour for better results. Five hundred grams is equivalent to 4 cups of flour.
Add ingredients in the order listed. I keep the salt and the yeast in separate spots, as salt can kill yeast if it is too concentrated.
Just press a button and the machine will mix and knead the dough in several cycles before baking it.
A perfect loaf!
Use a serrated bread knife when cutting soft breads. The knife on the top is a food service knife, and it wasn’t very expensive. Its slightly longer length works well to make short work out of making slices.
Nothing is quite as wonderful as fresh, warm, crusty homemade bread!

Use your bread maker’s “normal” or “white loaf” setting. Mine makes a great loaf of white bread in 3.5 hours. Total cost of the loaf, including electricity?  $0.78!

Allow the bread to cool at least 30 minutes before cutting.  A serrated knife works best. Any will do, but I like a knife that is a bit longer. It is not necessary to buy an expensive serrated knife, as they are no different from a less expensive one.  Serrated knives don’t cut the bread; they tear into it.  I have also used a standard Chef’s knife.  If it is sharp enough, it will slice bread. 

Remember, that homemade bread has no preservatives or other agents to keep it looking fresh.  If you don’t consume it in a couple of days, freeze it.  You can purchase inexpensive bread bags on Amazon, as well as other types of containers, to store unused bread. If we have any left after a meal, we usually use a large Ziploc-style bag, as we have those on hand.

Homemade bread machine bread is delicious and almost effortless to make. Having a homemade slice of bread with dinner elevates the experience, and a lunch sandwich made with homemade bread is superior to any packaged product.  If you see a machine at a thrift store, give it a try.  If you want to buy new, there are many machines available in the sub-$100 range.  Happy bread making!

Mike

Images are my own or screenshots used only for educational purposes.