Best Bread Makers

The Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA Virtuoso Plus is the latest release from the brand, which has been improved to become an absolute leader on the market. With 700 Watts of power, this home bread maker allows you to bake a standard loaf (white or whole wheat bread) in just 2 hours and 25 minutes on a rapid course. Speaking about courses, the Virtuoso boasts an extended range - in addition to standard settings, it has an Italian bread course and four more exclusive ones for specific diet breads (Salt-free, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, and Vegan). Besides bread, the machine can also make several types of dough and sweet jams.

Yet, the biggest advantage over most other bread makers is the fact that it's a highly customizable machine that can cater to your specific needs. Owing to the Homemade course, you'll be able to create your own unique settings and recipes. That is to say, you can adjust the knead, rise and bake times according to your preference and experience. In total, the machine memory allows you to store 3 customized settings.

No matter what setting you choose, you can expect for even baking and browning results thanks to double heating elements (on top and bottom) and double kneading blades. As said, the Virtuoso Plus model has undergone some improvements and now it has a strong 3/8" contact between the blades and the shafts compared to the slim 1/8" on the standard Virtuoso. Probably because of a sturdier construction and a beefier motor, it weighs several pounds more albeit being designed in the same-size body. The unit weighs 24 pounds, meaning you'll need to put some effort to move it from one place to another.

The Oster bread making machine is a quite affordable option that has a power of 650 Watts. Though it isn't the best result in our review, this unit can bake flavorful bread loaves. And if you think the Oster bread maker will cook for too long, you're wrong - the heating element is good enough to bake bread in less than an hour.

Moving on, we would like to emphasize that the Oster bread maker has quite a lot of settings that include not only different bread recipes (Basic, French, Whole Wheat, Quick, European) but also allow you to prepare some other dishes such as jam and dough. If you like pastry, like bagels, for example, you can choose Bagel Dough mode and experiment with baking.

Many people don't like waiting for too long till their loaf of bread is ready and that's why Oster offers 2 express bake modes - Ultra Fast for a 1.5-pound loaf (58 minutes) and Ultra-Fast for a 2-pound loaf (1 hour, 20 minutes). The users' manual contains a lot of recipes and detailed instructions about each of the 12 bread settings and 3 crust settings. However, keep in mind that none of the express bake modes allow you to choose the crust color and use the delay timer. So, you can only load the ingredients and push the 'Start' button.

If you are looking for your first bread making machine and not sure whether you'll like homemade bread or baking process in general, it might make sense to turn towards entry-level models like the one from Hamilton Beach. Though featuring no bells and whistles, the Hamilton Beach 29882 gets the job done perfectly well and will allow you to extend your menu options. With its help, you will be able to cook not only bread, but also cakes, jams, flatbreads, croissants, and many other fluffy baked goods your family loves.

The Hamilton Beach bread maker isn't the most powerful, obviously. Yet, its 600 Watts power output should be more than enough for average use. Plus, when switched to the quickest setting, it bakes a 1.5-pound loaf in less than an hour, which is a very good result.

It's worth noting that the Hamilton Beach 29882 has only 2 loaf size options, which are 1.5 and 2 pounds. While we find it okay, some users, who live alone or eat only a little bread, might want to consider smaller models.

What distinguishes Cuisinart is that they don't fear to experiment and approach food making differently. And the Cuisinart CBK-200 is a great example of that. What makes it special, you may ask? It's one of the two Cuisinart bread makers that has a convection fan, which enables hot air circulation inside the pan resulting in richer crust color and better crispiness of a bread loaf.

Be ready that due to the fan, the Cuisinart CBK-200 will operate a bit noisy. However, this noise isn't loud and will unlikely draw much of your attention. What's more, the fan can be switched off anytime.

Another remarkable feature of the Cuisinart CBK-200 is a removable lid, which makes cleaning the baking chamber a breeze. The minimalist design of the bread maker adds to the ease of maintenance, requiring just a quick wipe of a damp cloth. Externally, the machine sports a beautiful stainless steel housing with glossy chrome detailing that makes it look very high-tech and allows it to match well any contemporary interior.

The KBS Pro Stainless Steel Bread Machine is a great option for new cooks and beginners due to its versatility, ease of use, and consistent results it delivers.

Actually, you simply need to follow three easy steps to get it up and running. Namely, you should choose a recipe that you'd like to try out, pour all the ingredients inside the machine, and press a corresponding button. You can choose between three crust settings, loaf size, and mode, as well as 17 different preprogrammed functions to make different kinds of bread and more. With the KBS Pro Stainless Steel Bread Machine, you will be able to cook French bread, gluten-free bread as well as jam, yogurt, and even rice wine. However, keep note that this bread maker is not capable of making pizza dough or croissants. So if these pre-sets are important for you, you may want to consider other entries. 

Aside from the abovementioned 17 preprogrammed functions, there's a 15-hour delay timer on the control panel, allowing you to have a freshly-made crusty loaf of bread first thing in the morning or when you return home from work. You simply need to load up the appliance with ingredients of your choice and you can go do your things without wasting precious time.

The only thing that somewhat mars the impression about the KBS Pro Stainless Steel Bread Machine is the included instructions. The majority of novice users say that they are rather vague and quite hard to follow due to the lack of straightforward directions.