Random question.

[rivka]

Do you have a bread machine? If so, what do you think of it?

It's that time of year again: my parents want to know what we would like for Christmas. I was thinking that a bread machine might be a good thing to have. We frequently buy artisanal-type bread from the grocery store, but (a) it's expensive, and (b) it goes stale so quickly. bosssio brought us a loaf of homemade bread after Colin was born, I think made in a bread machine, and it was delicious and stayed fresh for several days.

So is good bread-machine bread easy to make? Are there lots of different kinds? I've seen bread-machine mixes, but presumably you can also make bread in a machine from scratch, right? Any brand recommendations?

Comments

[janetl.livejournal.com]

I had a bread machine, and gave it to Goodwill. I didn't think the bread was all that good -- I like a crisp crust. The deal-breaker, though, was that the deep sound of the motor frightened one of my cats and caused him to spray.
I'd definitely try the no-knead recipe before getting a bread machine. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?ref=dining