Nothing beats the taste of crisp and fragrant crust of homemade bread. But it takes a lot of time to prepare the dough and bake it in the traditional way in the oven, which not all housewives have. No worse than the oven, modern kitchen helpers bake bread - bread makers. But the choice of equipment in stores is so great that it is very easy to get lost among such a variety. We will tell you in what parameters you should choose good bread machines in our article. Here we will present the rating of their models in 2016.
How to choose a bread machine for home?
A bread machine is a compact version of a home bakery. And to assess the quality of the bread that it bakes, just load the ingredients in the bowl according to the recipe and press a few buttons on the control panel. An automatic bread maker will do the rest on its own. The hostess can only wait 3-4 hours (depending on the chosen bread preparation program).
The bread machine works according to the set program. She kneads the dough, gives it a "rest", then kneads it again, gives it a final lift again, and only then begins to bake it. Everything is exactly the same as when cooking bread in the oven, but only your hands are not involved, which means that precious time is saved significantly.
Good bakers have a dispenser built into the lid of the appliance, with which additional ingredients can be loaded into the baking process. It can be yeast, nuts, raisins, poppy seeds and other components. In addition, when choosing a bread machine for the home, it is important to pay attention to such characteristics of the device as power and control system, volume of thicket, the presence of additional programs and other functions.
We evaluate the technical parameters: power and type of control
Bread machines are produced by most manufacturers of large household appliances, as well as lesser-known brands. Therefore, their range in stores is simply huge. When choosing a bread machine for the home, you need to focus on two main parameters: power and type of control.
The power of the device varies on average from 500 to 1600 watts. Of course, the higher it is, the faster it will cook pastries. But first you need to decide for what purposes the equipment is acquired. If you plan to bake only bread in it, and the time of its preparation is not significant, then it is quite enough to purchase a bread machine with a capacity of up to 700 watts. At the same time, it will consume much less energy than a higher power model.
More expensive, good bread makers, with a power of 800-1100 watts, cope with the tasks assigned to them faster, and at the same time, in addition to bread, you can cook many other interesting dishes.
You can control the programs of the bread machine using the usual and touch buttons. The former are considered more reliable, while the latter are more innovative and convenient, but they do not always withstand power surges.
Optimal baking capacity
The next important parameter that you should focus on when choosing a bread machine is the volume of the bowl or, in other words, baking. The size of the model itself depends on it.
Small bread makers have a bowl volume of 500 ml and are designed for making bread no larger than 0.5 kg. However, this amount is quite enough for a family of 1-2 people.
More spacious bread makers are designed for baking bread weighing 800-1200 grams. Such an acquisition would be appropriate for a family of 3-4 people. And the most capacious models allow you to cook bread weighing up to one and a half kilograms.
Good bread machines, which are more modern, allow you to adjust the volume of baking yourself, offering a choice of one of three options. Usually it is bread in the size of 500, 800 and 1500 grams.
Number of modes
Different bread machines require the execution of 3 to 25 programs. More expensive models have more features, and vice versa. At the same time, there is a basic set of functions that any bread machine performs. Before you go to the store, you should definitely study them. Perhaps this set of programs will be quite enough for you and you won’t have to overpay for unnecessary functionality.
Basic programs:
- three options for browning crust (weak, medium and strong);
- preparation of yeast and yeast-free pastries with and without yeast;
- baking wheat bread;
- cooking french baguette;
- accelerated baking, allowing you to get delicious home-made bread in just 2-2.5 hours.
In more advanced models, more different types of bread are prepared, for example, whole grain, Italian, Borodino, gluten-free. In addition, you can bake sweet confectionery: muffins, rolls, pies, as well as Easter cakes, prepare jam, fruits in syrup, yogurt and much more. Some bread makers have a heat setting mode. But, of course, you will have to pay extra for such multifunctionality.
Additional functions
There are a number of features that customers find useful and pay attention to when choosing a bread machine for home:
- A glass window on the lid of the bread maker and lights - allow you to observe the process of making bread day and night.
- Dispenser - an additional container with which some dry products are not loaded into the bowl immediately, but already in the cooking process. This device allows you to maximize save the beneficial properties of additives.
- Protection against children and power surges - the first function makes it possible to block the control panel from the intervention of children, and the second allows the bread maker not to turn off for some time after the lights go out.
- Delayed start - allows you to start cooking bread 13-15 hours after setting the mode. This function allows you to get hot bread for dinner while you are still at work, or for breakfast when you are still sleeping.
- Maintaining heat - the bread stays warm for some time after the end of the program.
Good bread maker: ranking of the best 2016
We present the rating of the best home bakers of 2016. The list is based on the results of customer demand for these models and expert ratings.
- Redmond RBM-M 1919.
- Kenwood BM-450.
- Panasonic SD-ZB 2502 WTS.
- Polaris PBMM 1601 D.
- Philips HD 9016.
- Redmond RBM-M 1907.
- Moulinex OW6121 Home Bread Baguette.
- Gorenje BM900 WII / BKC.
- Midea EHS10AH.
- Rolsen RBM-1160.
Below we consider in detail the characteristics of the first five models from this rating.
The best bread machine: Redmond RBM-M 1919
The bread machine, which led the rating of the best models of 2016, is suitable not only for making homemade cakes, but also for real culinary masterpieces from professionals. It is intended for the preparation of the most diverse confectionery. The bread machine has 25 programs for preparing whole grain and ordinary yeast bread, rye, Italian and Borodino. In addition to bread, in it you can cook jam, yogurt, a delicious dessert and even soup. And you can’t even remember cupcakes and pies - they are perfect here. In addition to the program, the product weight is set from three possible options and 3 types of crust.
The Redmond RBM-M 1919 bread machine perfectly kneads the dough, can prepare baked goods by the set time and maintains the temperature of the finished product for 1 hour. A convenient viewing window allows you to monitor the progress of baking. The bread maker presented the rating of the best headed for no reason. The only drawback of the model is its impressive dimensions, which do not fit harmoniously into the interior of a small kitchen.
Kenwood BM-450
One of the most popular bread machines. The buyers of such equipment are attracted by a reliable and stylish metal case, a convenient control panel and multifunctionality of the model. With the help of a home helper, you can bake different types of bakery products, including yeast and gluten-free bread, make jam and yogurt. 15 functions are programmed in it, and thanks to the built-in dispenser, additional ingredients can be added directly during the operation of the bread maker.
The bread machine, the best of which ranked second in the main list of 2016, offers to cook products in different weight categories (3 options) and with a different crust. There is a delayed start function and a heating mode.
Panasonic SD-ZB 2502 WTS
This model has a lot of fans from all over the world. And absolutely not in vain. By the number of functions provided, the model is considered optimal, because it can easily satisfy the needs of a standard family. The bread machine has 12 bread and baking programs, as well as 10 options for kneading the dough. For example, you can make dough for a pie or pizza in it, and it will turn out to be equally tasty in any case. In addition, in a bread machine you can cook pastries with the gradual laying of ingredients, for example, Easter cakes. This is done thanks to the dispenser, in which you can load yeast, raisins or nuts.
The operating mode of the bread machine is set using the touch buttons on the control panel. It works almost silently, and is relatively inexpensive for such functionality. We can say with confidence that the Panasonic SD-ZB 2502 WTS is the best bread machine. Reviews about her work are found only positive. She has long established herself as a reliable assistant in the preparation of homemade cakes.
Polaris PBMM 1601 D
The Polaris PBMM 1601 D is not just a bread machine. This is a real universal cook, which combines the functions of a slow cooker and a bread machine. Using this innovative technique, you can bake 9 types of bread, knead the dough, prepare several types of confectionery. The advantage of this model is the ability to enter recipes into memory, after which it will be enough to select it on the control panel and run the corresponding program. Management is carried out using touch buttons.
The Polaris PBMM 1601 D model is included in the “Best Bread Makers of 2016” rating, but in reality its functions are not limited to baking bread. Along with baking programs, she has other options. For example, in it you can cook soups, stew meat and vegetables, cook yogurt and heat food to a temperature of 70 degrees above zero. The package also includes a table of recipes, with which help it became more interesting and faster to cook.
Philips HD 9016
This bread machine could be the best according to customer reviews. It has optimal dimensions, made of high-quality plastic without a foreign smell and a sufficient number of functions necessary for daily preparation of home baking. A good home baker Philips HD 9016 includes 12 programs for baking, jam and yogurt. It produces delicious whole grain, yeast and gluten-free bread, muffins and other pastries.
The advantage of the bread maker is the function of accelerated bread preparation, due to which the baked goods are prepared in less than two hours, which can significantly save energy. The bread machine includes a large recipe book with illustrations, which presents different options for making bread, yogurt and jam.
The best bread makers: reviews
The rating of models presented in our article is primarily based on customer reviews. From it it is easy to guess what a good bread machine should be. Reviews, which model is better or worse, are based on the quality of the resulting baking, the speed of its preparation, the presence of different modes and additional functions. An important role here is played by price.
Good bread makers, reviews of which are almost always positive, are the models: Redmond BMB-M 1919, Kenwood BM-450, Panasonic SD-ZB 2502 WTS, Polaris PBMM 1601 D, Philips HD 9016. They also occupy the first 5 positions in our rating.
Finally
In the end, I want to take stock. Which bread machine is the best, it was said above. But, despite this, each buyer for himself determines his "ideal" based on the number of expected functions and programs. For one person, it will be enough to get fresh and fragrant baked goods for breakfast every day, and for another, the ability to create culinary masterpieces is a necessity. Therefore, the rating and selection criteria are presented above, but the final and most correct choice, of course, is yours - the buyers.