As a child, I was always amazed when my grandma would talk about making homemade bread with such ease. Eventually, I learned that a bread machine played a key role in the baking (and mixing, and kneading) of these loaves\u2014a fact that only heightened my amazement. To me, the idea that one could just throw ingredients into a box, press a button or two, and eat still-warm fresh bread a few hours later felt like magic.<\/p>\n
In the following years, encounters with bread machines outside of my grandma\u2019s house remained rare. Though I\u2019m sure they\u2019re a staple appliance in many homes, I rarely heard of people using them, buying them, or talking about them, especially since 2020’s sourdough boom. I certainly had never used a bread machine, and it wasn\u2019t something I was planning on purchasing anytime soon.<\/p>\n
This all changed when, seemingly overnight, my TikTok feed became inundated with videos of 20- and 30-somethings touting their bread machines<\/a> as the<\/em> new hack for cheaper, better bread. So, I decided to put these claims to the test. Is a bread machine really the answer to my bread-price-inflation woes? Could I save money by making my own bread, and if so, how much? I found a bread machine on sale for $60<\/a> (though many TikTokers are adamant that there are countless bread machines under $10 at thrift stores, waiting to be brought home) and began the tests.<\/p>\n First, I wanted to see if the breadmaker actually did what it claimed to do: make decent bread. I made a total of four loaves, including two kinds of white bread, one loaf of whole-wheat, and, of course, a version of my grandma\u2019s cottage cheese and dill bread. It was my first time using one of these appliances, and I was struck by how easy the prep was\u2014it was basically nonexistent. I tossed in the ingredients (still in a specific order, adding yeast last), chose the style of loaf I wanted (basic, whole-wheat, etc.), its size (which could range from one to two pounds), and its crust color (light, medium, or dark). There was also an option to program the machine in advance, which I did late one night. By the time I woke up the next morning, the smell of freshly baked bread had filled my apartment, and a still-steamy loaf was waiting for me in the machine.<\/p>\n Across my tests, I used a variety of flours, including all-purpose, bread flour, and whole-wheat flour\u2014but I didn\u2019t see much of a difference in performance, texture, or taste. I also used active dry yeast for all of the loaves (rather than the yeast specifically made for bread machines) and didn’t face any issues. Because I was trying the machine with a money-saving mindset, I appreciated that I didn\u2019t have to buy any specialty ingredients to get consistent results.<\/p>\n In terms of taste, the bread was good\u2014very good\u2014but not necessarily life-changing. It\u2019s important to keep in mind that this method, at a baseline, can and will not yield the complexity, flavor, or texture of sourdough or another artisan loaf from your local high-end bakery. It will, however, produce a pretty solid loaf of sandwich bread, which is ideal for toasting, serving with soup, and eating warm from the machine with butter. Even though I found their flavors occasionally lacking depth and their crusts a tad dry, I loved the nostalgic taste and squishy-soft interior of these loaves.<\/p>\n Because the bread is not made with any preservatives, it did go stale quickly. By the day after baking, after storing it on my counter, the bread\u2019s quality had declined significantly\u2014and by the day after that, it was no longer something I wanted to eat. While I didn\u2019t try this myself, I imagine that keeping the bread in the fridge (or, even better, slicing and freezing it) would prolong its shelf life significantly. Another key element of the experience was the time it took to make the bread. All four took upwards of three hours from start to finish, meaning it\u2019s not ideal for a last-minute fix. (While the machine does have a \u201cquick bread\u201d setting, it\u2019s not recommended for the best results.)<\/p>\n Ultimately, I felt that the pros (based on the taste and overall experience) outweighed the cons; I would prefer this bread over the average loaf of sliced, white bread available at most supermarkets.<\/p>\n