The Ultimate Bread Maker Guide: Best Picks in Australia

If we had to choose one guilty pleasure, bread would probably be it. It’s delicious, goes well with almost anything, and keeps you full. Oh, and don’t even get us started about the yummy smell of a fresh loaf. 

Luckily, you now have the power to easily make bread completely innocent, packed with essential nutrients, and free of guilt and unhealthy additives using a bread maker to bake your own. 

With this awesome appliance, you choose what goes into your dough and you can make healthy but still delicious choices that improve your overall well-being. Keep reading to learn more about:

• How a bread maker works
• The best bread maker Australia has to offer
• Where to buy a bread maker

Pros and Cons of a Bread Maker 

If you’ve ever read any bread maker reviews, you’ve probably seen that almost everyone that’s used one is hyped about the results. On the other hand, there are still some issues reviewers complain about. 

Here is a shortlist of the pros and cons: 

Pros 

The number one advantage of using a bread maker is that you get to choose what you put into your loaves. This means that instead of buying bread that is full of preservatives or other potentially harmful agents, you can experiment at home with healthy bread maker recipes that comprise guilt-free and nutritious elements like whole-wheat, gluten-free, or organic flour as well as vitamin-packed nuts, seeds, or dried fruit. 

Of course, that’s not to say you can’t make your own bread at home without this appliance. 

But the second main benefit of a bread maker is that it requires little to no effort. You simply pack it with your favourite ingredients and it does all the work for you. No more kneading the dough by hand, no more sweating, no more aches. 

Last but not least, this appliance is conveniently easy to use and it keeps you from turning your kitchen into a war zone when making bread. 

Cons 

Just like any other device in your kitchen, the bread maker takes some time to master. Until you do, you may find yourself faced with issues like loaves that are not fully cooked, are too dense, or collapse instead of rising completely. 

Thankfully, we can tell you that, from our experience, it only takes a few loaves to nail the right proportions and take your bread-making to the next level. All you need is a little patience, especially if you use a modern bread maker with automatic functions, customizable programs, and optimised baking performance. 

Another con if you enjoy crunchy sourdough bread is that the coating may not be to your liking. Because they use less heat than an oven, bread makers, therefore, deliver a crust that is less thick and crispy. 

How to Use a Bread Maker?

Any basic bread maker recipe will include water, flour, and yeast. You will also need some salt and, if you prefer, some sugar as well. Your first step is to gather these ingredients. 

Most appliances provide clear instructions on how much to fill the inner container and what proportions of water vs. flour you need to use to get the perfect loaf. 

The second step after you’ve lined up all the ingredients is to put the liquid ones into the container. Then, it’s time to add the flour, season with salt, and, finally, add the yeast. 

All the steps that follow will depend on the type of bread maker you are using and the functions it offers. If you have a state-of-the-art model, you can select anything from how you want your loaf’s crust to be to when you want the machine to start baking. 

Most models also have different settings and programs for different types of dough. 

What Else Can I Make in a Bread Maker?

You can use this appliance to make a ton of bread recipes like: 

• White 
• Whole-wheat 
• Multi-grain 
• Milk 
• Butter 
• Banana 
• Potato 
• Cornbread 

Apart from delicious and nutritious loaves, you can use this appliance to prepare all kinds of healthy dough, snacks, and desserts. You can find many online bread maker recipes for pizza dough and other yummy treats like pretzels and bagels and desserts like: 

• Pound cake 
• Lemon cake 
• Chocolate cake 
• Cinnamon rolls 

How Much are Bread Makers?

Although the basic principle is the same, bread makers come in so many shapes and sizes that it’s no surprise their cost ranges from $100 to over $500. 

If you are not necessarily into experimenting with various settings and recipes, you can get a basic model for $100 to $150 that will most likely do what you need it to. 

If, on the other hand, you want the best of everything, you can choose a model that has multiple functions and programmes and take your bread baking and dough making to the next level. 

What Should You Look for When Buying a Bread Maker?

The first thing we recommend you look at when you buy a bread maker is the quality of its parts. The sturdier the materials used to make the machine are, the more chances it will have to stand the test of time. And to keep up with your experiments. 

Next, you should select a model that is easy to use, with comprehensive controls and intuitive, user-friendly options. Most allow you to select different loaf sizes and the type of crust you prefer. 

For more control, you can choose a model that has automatic as well as customizable programs and enough settings to allow you to bake bread just the way you like it. 

Advanced options like the Optimum BM1000 have additional features for optimised baking performance like the delay timer, the ingredient dispenser, heat intensity controls, high rotating speeds for better kneading, and built-in microprocessor monitors.

Which Is the Best Bread Maker to Buy?

You can call us biassed, but we have the bread maker reviews to support our claims when we say that the Optimum BM1000 is the best bread maker Australia has seen to date. 

The Optimum BM1000 is innovative, modern, has a sleek design, and is made from high-quality materials like stainless steel and aluminium. It comes with 17 variable programme settings, a large LCD display, one-touch buttons, manual timer and temperature controls, as well as an automatic ingredient dispenser for even distribution of nuts, seeds, raisins, or dried fruit. 

To top things off, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and an extended 5-year domestic warranty. 

Check out what people are saying about the best bread maker Australia has to offer here. 

Summary 

You’ll have a hard time finding an appliance that beats the convenience of a bread maker if you are a bread and dough aficionado. This versatile gadget takes all the effort out of making your own dough, can fully unleash your imagination when it comes to delicious combos and recipes, and is one of the easiest ways to incorporate healthier and more nutritious foods into your diet. 

If you are hungry for more amazing gadgets that can revolutionise your cooking skills, check out our entire range of home cooking appliances here.