Is A Bread Machine Worth It? We Asked An Expert

Everybody loves fresh-baked bread, but not everybody loves having to make it. That's where bread machines enter the equation. One of the more interesting specialty kitchen appliances you can buy, bread machines take mixing, kneading, and baking out of the equation, delivering you a fresh loaf of bread with no more effort than dumping the right ingredients into it. However, they aren't cheap. Most will run you over $200, and even the budget brands will be $150 or more. Considering the bread most of them turn out is solid (but not great), it's a tough value proposition. So, we reached out to an expert, Chef Billy Parisi, the owner of Parisi's Italian Kitchen in Crown Point, Indiana, to ask whether buying a bread machine is worth the cost.

Parisi urges home bakers to give normal bread making a try first before making up their minds. "I would say start by using equipment you already have," he explains. "Almost everyone has a simple loaf pan or a 13x9 pan." For Parisi, the process itself is enjoyable. "See if you enjoy working with dough by hand and don't mind the rustic/primitive nature of kneading," he suggests. "See if you even have the patience for waiting during the rise, bake, and cooling times." Bread machines are all about convenience above all else, cutting you out of the process almost entirely, and Parisi notes, "If you love all those things, as I do, you'll never have a need for it."

Despite this, Parisi does admit a bit of a bias. "To be completely honest, I've never used a bread machine in my life," the chef admits. "There's really nothing to them. Pour in the ingredients and press start." For him, the reward of doing it by hand means a bread machine is already out of the question. That said, it's worth considering Parisi's comments about using the equipment you already have. You may not want to go through the whole process, but appliances like a stand mixer can help, and even a food processor can make mixing bread dough a breeze. The rest is just waiting, shaping, and baking. Bread machines will still take about four hours and mostly make sandwich bread-style shapes anyway, which aren't as challenging as some other styles.

In the end, the calculus comes down to you. If you truly feel like you don't have the time — and you want fresh loaves of bread consistently enough to justify the cost — a bread maker may deserve a place in your home. Even if you are mostly making simple sandwich bread, it can help those who aren't confident bakers make a loaf without preservatives or artificial ingredients. It's worth it to give bread-making by hand a chance, or at least try and use other multipurpose equipment first, but if you want fresh bread with minimal effort, the best bread makers can get the job done.