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WHICH? REVIEWS: Bread makers

Bread maker prices have plummeted over the past few years so whether you're into white or wholemeal, or something a bit seedier, check out our reviews and get baking!

The main players in the bread maker market are Breville, Kenwood, Morphy Richards, Panasonic and Russell Hobbs, but you can also find own-brand bread makers at big chains such as Argos and Tesco.

You can pay up to £100 for a stylish bread maker packed full of programs and features, but you don't have to pay that much to get your hands on a decent machine. Good models are available for between £0 and £80 and you can pick up even cheaper bread makers if you go for a supermarket own-brand.

You can find out our Best Buy recommendations by taking out a £1 30-day trial to www.which.co.uk. Below, we explain more about the features of bread makers.

Accessories

All bread makers come with a measuring beaker and a measuring spoon for smaller quantities. A few grams here or a teaspoon there can have a big effect on the taste, texture and appearance of your loaf, so unless you're an expert judge by eye, use the utensils provided to get your measures spot on.

Bread pan

Your bread bakes in a non-stick bread pan. This contains the kneading paddle, a rotating shaft that drives the paddle and a handle to lift the pan out of the bread maker. Use plastic rather than metal utensils on the non-stick surface and wash the pan by hand.

Cool wall

All of the bread makers on test have insulated outer walls that stop the surfaces from getting too hot during baking. Nonetheless, they do get warm, so still take care around your bread maker.

Kneading paddle

The kneading paddle mixes the ingredients in the bread pan and kneads them into dough. Some kneading paddles collapse after the kneading cycle so that they don't leave a hole in the bottom of your bread. When you clean the pan, remove the kneading paddle as some baked bread can accumulate beneath it, which could affect the efficiency of the bread maker.

Viewing window

If your machine has a window, you'll be able to check your bread as it bakes without opening the lid and reducing the temperature, which could affect how well it rises.

Programming

Control panel
Selecting the right program for different kinds of bread is easy. Bread makers have settings for the size of loaf, type of flour and even your preferred shade of crust.

Delay timer
A timer with a long delay is the most helpful control you'll find on a bread maker. Set your machine before you go to bed and you'll wake up to aromatic baked bread the next morning.

Rapid bake
You can bake a white loaf in under an hour with some bread makers. This is useful if you're in a hurry, but the end result is rarely as good as when you bake on a standard program.

Baking options

Bread
Bread makers can produce white, brown, wholemeal and granary loaves. But you'll have a wider choice of baking programs, loaf sizes and crust finishes when baking white bread.

Gluten-free
A bread maker is handy if you suffer from coeliac disease and need to go gluten-free. Coeliac disease is a condition caused by intolerance to gluten, which is found in barley, rye and wheat flour as well as oats. Bread makers allow you to make your own gluten-free bread using special bread mixes or the recipes provided.