Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.
Learn more about our product testing
After making five impressive loaves and a perfectly pliable pizza dough, Breville Custom Loaf was the clear winner amongst the tested machines. Read More
If you aren’t quite a planner, or you just have limited patience, this machine is the one for you. You can have a freshly baked loaf of bread in less than an hour. Read More
This was still one of the most impressive units we tested, with the best feature being the double kneading blades. Read More
Although this machine made some tasty regular and gluten-free loaves, it has no viewing window and results weren't always picture-perfect. Read More
This bread machine had an impressive variety of features that can come in handy for a baker that likes to experiment with different recipes. Read More
Bread—we all love it and especially appreciate it when it’s fresh from the oven. But other than fresh made loaves at a local bakery, most of us settled for the plastic wrapped loaves at the grocery store. The truth is, making your own bread at home—even gluten-free loaves—is easier than you think, thanks to high-tech bread machines.
You see, making homemade bread is something special, in my opinion. My husband grew up in a household where a fresh loaf was baked daily, so once I got married, I knew mastering breadmaking was something I needed to do, stat. And the truth is, it’s actually an enjoyable process to knead and bake. Not only do you know all the ingredients that go into your bread, but it also makes for quite an impressive addition to a dinner party.
While I don’t typically make bread with a bread maker, I found that using one of these nifty machines actually took the guesswork out of the equation. Breville Custom Loaf BBM800XL (available at Amazon for $299.95) was the best bread machine we tested because it consistently produced a nicely shaped loaf with a crunchy crust and soft, pillowy inside. Plus, the machine was so easy to use.
And those on a budget will be pleased with results from the Oster Expressbake CKSTBRTW20 (available at Amazon,) our choice for Best Value.
The Breville Custom Loaf is the best bread machine we've tested.
The Oster Expressbake offers the best value of all the bread machines we've tested.
Double-kneading paddles
Easy to use
Takes longer than other machines
Bulky
Easy to use
Tasty results
Plenty of recipes
Loaf can be lumpy
No viewing window
Great crust color
Wide selection of features
Inconsistent shape
Easy set up
Bakes inconsistently
I'm Andrea Jordan, a lifestyle writer who loves to write about all things beauty, home, food, and family. My love for homemade bread comes from my mother-in-law. She is a mom to seven children and made a loaf of bread at least once a day. Her trick to feeding many mouths and using a bread maker is to let the machine do the work with mixing, kneading, and rising the dough, and then take the dough out of the machine and allow it to bake in a bread pan. A bit more complicated, but it’s a solid option for someone feeding a multitude.
I’m no bread expert, but I have been making bread for a few years now. Although I have used bread makers in the past, my go-to machine for whipping up a fresh loaf is my handy-dandy KitchenAid mixer.
While it’s the easiest for me, I realize that bread makers are better fit for bread beginners or those who aren’t particularly familiar with working with dough. I wanted to test bread machines to help reveal which are actually worth the investment for at-home bakers looking to develop their breadmaking skills.
We baked dozens of loaves of bread to find which bread machines work best.
Before the testing began, we did thorough research to see which bread machines have won over the hearts of reviewers and notable editorial websites. Once we narrowed down the top machines, we made five loaves of bread in each varying in type, size, and crust color. We wanted to make sure that each machine could perform in a variety of categories including white bread, whole-wheat bread, gluten-free bread, and sweet breads. Once these loaves were complete, we put the top three machines to the test with creating a pizza dough.
In addition to the actual bread, we looked at how each machine functioned, the ease of cleaning, and additional features that make it more user-friendly.
Bread makers aren’t new inventions. The first machine was invented in Japan in 1986 and quickly became one of the most popular kitchen appliances over the next few years, making bread baking more convenient and self-explanatory than ever before.
A number of bread machines, like the Breville Custom Loaf, offer a slew of customizable settings and features.
Here’s exactly how bread machines work: Add ingredients into the bread maker pan, press a button, and the machine begins to mix the ingredients for you. Once the ingredients are properly mixed, the machine kneads the dough and lets it rise. Once the dough has risen and rested, that same pan turns into a mini oven and bakes the dough into a loaf shape.
And as with all things technology, the 21st-century bread maker does a whole lot more than make bread. Some have features to make jams, pizza dough, and even pasta. Settings include choosing the loaf size and weight of your bread, and there are even crust settings that allow you to choose the crust color. Consider it a bakery at the touch of your fingertips. ###Can Bread Machines Help You Save Money? On average, you can expect to pay $100 to $300 dollars for a bread maker. While this is a large investment up front, if you find yourself making and consuming bread regularly it can help to save you money in the long run.
On average, a loaf of bread at the grocery store costs about $4, but making a loaf of bread in the bread machine can cost less than $1, if using basic ingredients.
The other benefit of using a bread machine is controlling what ingredients go into your bread. Since you’re making this at home, you can eliminate preservatives, added sugar, and processed ingredients. Of course, this means your bread won’t have as long of a shelf life as store-bought bread, but the nutrition and flavor can be much more impressive.
Andrea Jordan is a lifestyle writer who loves to write about all things beauty, home, food and family. Her work has also appeared on InStyle, Real Simple, Oprah Mag, TODAY.com, and Allure. When she's not writing or testing new products, you can find her cuddled up with her husband and cat while playing a board game.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
Shoot us an email
