Eight Great Reasons to Buy a Bread Machine

There's no fragrance as heavenly as the smell of fresh home-baked bread. But who has the time to bake bread these days? It's a project that takes several hours, from start to finish, and one that you can't just walk away from part way through. If you have to plan ahead and figure out how to squeeze a big block of time out of a busy schedule, then fresh bread will seem like an impossible dream. But help is at hand.

Modern electric bread machines may be a long way from that homey image of the happy homemaker, up to her elbows in flour, but the product that comes out of these miracle gadgets will do you proud (and make your neighbors jealous).

If you love good bread, stop wishing and start baking. Here are eight great reasons to buy a bread maker.

1. It's quick and easy.

Did you know that you can bake a loaf of bread in as little as two or three hours? I'm rarely in that much of a hurry, but it's nice to be able to start the bread right after breakfast and have it ready in time for lunch. If you work all day, mixing and kneading dough when you get home isn't exactly what you're looking forward to. But take five minutes to measure the ingredients, dump them in the machine, set the timer, and you can look forward to a delicious evening snack.

Cleanup is a cinch. No bowls or pans to wash out. Not to mention the table or counter covered with flour. Your machine's bread pan is non-stick and cleaning it requires only a quick swish with a soapy sponge.

2. You don't need a lot of space.

If you can find about a foot and a half square space for the bread machine, and some place to store it when it's not in use, you're set. Old-fashioned bread making takes a fair amount of space - the mixing bowl, the bread pans, the elbow room for kneading. My kitchen is about the size of a very small boat galley, so I do my baking on my sewing table.

3. Stay cool, even in summer.

Your bread machine will get hot for the hour it's actually baking, but the heat it gives off is nothing compared to what a full-size oven can do to your kitchen. It also cools off very quickly, so if you have to live with an uncomfortably warm kitchen, there's no need to add extra air conditioning to your electric bill.

4. Save your hands and your back.

If you have arthritis or any kind of physical condition that limits your mobility or your energy, kneading bread can be a real pain. Your bread machine doesn't require you to do anything more strenuous than measure the ingredients and dump them in the baking pan. That's one of the very good reasons why I bought my bread maker.

5. One loaf at a time has its advantages.

Do you live alone? Most standard recipes make two or three loaves of bread. That's overkill, unless you enjoy feeding the neighbors. You can freeze the extra loaves, but they're not going to be as tasty or as moist.

Do you like variety? Making just one loaf at a time allows you to experiment with different types of bread and ingredient mixtures. If one loaf turns out less than delicious, it's not a huge loss.

6. Beginners don't have to fear failure.

If you've never baked bread and have dreaded the possibility of doing all that work, only to wind up with an inedible door-stop, a bread machine makes the process almost fool-proof. If you can follow directions, you can bake perfect bread.

7. You know exactly what's in it.

Are you trying to get additives out of your diet? Or do you have an allergy that can put you at risk when you buy commercial bread? Baking your own allows you to avoid the bad stuff and enjoy the good. Allergy cook books and internet sites offer many alternatives to the usual ingredients, and any bread recipe can be adapted for the bread machine.

8. Home-made bread is the best - no argument.

Even if you know where there's an extraordinary bakery, and can afford the prices, you're never going to taste bread that's better than your own, warm, moist, and dripping with butter.