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A bread machine mixes, kneads, rises and bakes a loaf in one tall pan with almost no work. It makes sense for everyday sandwich bread on a schedule, and its dough cycle is a handy kneader for rolls and enriched doughs that you then shape and bake in the oven. It does not make a crusty sourdough boule.
Good for: set-and-forget sandwich loaves, and the dough cycle for rolls, pizza and brioche. Not for: open-crumb sourdough, which needs long fermentation and a hot, steamy oven.
If you want fresh sandwich bread several times a week without planning, a machine with a delay timer does it while you sleep. If you bake mainly sourdough, a loaf pan in the oven gives a better crust for less counter space.
Most machines have a dough setting that mixes, kneads and gives the first rise, then stops. Take the dough out, shape it, proof it and bake it in your oven. It is the easiest way to make soft rolls and enriched doughs without a stand mixer.
Machines are sold by loaf size, usually 1 to 2.5 lb. Choose one that makes the loaf you eat in two or three days, and weigh ingredients with a scale for consistent results.
Some have a sourdough setting, but the short schedule gives a mild, tight loaf. Use the dough cycle for mixing and do the long fermentation outside the machine.
Keep what you own when it does the job. These are the other exact models we profile.
A two-blade bread machine that bakes a 2 lb rectangular loaf and has Dough and Sourdough Starter settings.
