Keen to enjoy homemade bread but put off by all the kneading by hand, flouring, and yeast-starting that comes with it? Then using one of our tested bread makers that does the hard graft for you—like the KBS Pro ($150) or Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus ($400)—may just be your ticket to carb heaven. A great way to liven up a club sandwich or add heart to a hot soup, homemade, unprocessed bread not only tastes great but can be easily made in one of the latest bread makers in just a few simple steps.
With a good bread maker, you can produce a generously sized 1-pound basic tin loaf in around four hours from start to finish, which is ideal for slicing up and popping in one of our recommended toasters. Bread makers come with various settings for bread styles beyond your standard loaf too—with French, gluten-free, whole wheat, and sweet options such as banana and date loaf all just a “set and forget it until it’s ready” step away. Some bread machines also have settings for making pizza and pasta dough or fruit jam, which is great if you’re feeling even more adventurous in the kitchen.
“Time and temperature are essential in bread baking, and consistency is one of the biggest variances we face as bakers,” Peter Edris, head baker at New York’s artisan Frenchette Bakery, told WIRED when we asked him how he creates the perfect loaf. “If you want to make good bread, then you need to have the right equipment for the job—invest in a good scale, a good thermometer, and time everything.” Without a team of professional bakery staff on hand, we embraced the shortcut solution to domestic bliss and called in a range of the latest bread makers to test. Here we’ve highlighted our favorite designs, included tips on what to consider before you buy, and shared expert advice on how to get the best from your home bakes.
