Making bread yourself is great, but not all of us have time to do it. Investing in a bread maker means you can enjoy freshly baked bread in your own home, without having to commit the time needed for the manual task.
If you’re looking for the best bread maker on the market, we can help. We’ve reviewed the top 5 best bread makers currently available in Australia.
Here’s the cream of the crop when it comes to bread machines for your home:
1. Panasonic SD-2501 Bread Maker (Top Pick)
One of the most popular bread makers on the market, the Panasonic bread machine is designed to ensure making delicious bread at home is a cinch.
Utilising the 550 watts of power, you can choose from a massive 27 bake and dough modes.
As if that wasn’t enough choice, there are also loaf size and darkness options and an additional fruit and nut dispenser that times when additional ingredients are added.
It even has jam and compote modes so you can make toppings for your homemade bread with the same machine!
Customers who appreciate easy-clean kitchen gadgets will love that the product has a diamond-fluro-coated pan that is both scratch-proof and anti-stick.
What We Like:
- Gluten-free program
- 27 modes to choose from
- Loaf size and darkness options
- Diamond-fluro-coated pan
What We Don’t Like:
- Variety of options may be beyond what some customers need
- Must stick rigidly to recipe to guarantee success
2. Breville The Custom Loaf Pro BBM800 Bread Maker
The Breville has a powerful 830 watts of power to assist with easy bread making right in your kitchen at home.
Using the smart LCD screen you can choose from 4 different loaf sizes, 13 automatic programs, 3 crust colours and whether to add seeds, nuts or fruit using the special dispenser.
Those who appreciate a perfect result will love how the mixing paddle disappears before the bake starts to minimise a base hole appearing.
If you have a large family you’re sure to appreciate that the machine makes a large 1kg loaf which means the whole family can enjoy freshly baked bread from just one program.
What We Like:
- 4 different size results including 1kg loaf
- Smart LCD screen
- 13 automatic programs
- 46 recipes included
What We Don’t Like:
- Paddle and pan may be tricky to clean
- Can be noisy
3. Panasonic SD-ZP2000KST Bread Maker
The Panasonic SD-ZP2000 is a modern looking product that is famed for making extremely crisp crusts on delicious loaves.
The product has 18 programs for you to choose from, including a gluten free programme, and the ability to make artisanal shaped loaves. You can create jam and compote too.
Home cooks who love to be organised will love the 13-hour delay timer enabling you to wake up to the smell of fresh baking.
What We Like:
- 13-hour delay setting
- Creates artisanal shaped loaves
- 18 programs
- Creates crispy crust
What We Don’t Like:
- No viewing window
- Bread doesn’t always come out of the pan easily
4. Sunbeam BM2500 Compact Bakehouse Bread Maker
This 450-watt bread machine from Sunbeam offers great value for families wanting to make fresh bread at home with ease.
One key benefit of the product for families is that it is so easy to use, kids can operate it easily (with supervision from mum and dad of course!).
If you are short on time you’ll be pleased to know that it is also very easy to clean, which is great for busy households.
What We Like:
- Easy to use
- Lots of program options
- Compact
- Easy to clean
What We Don’t Like:
- Noisy
- Recipes need to be followed exactly
5. Panasonic – SD-ZB2512 – Automatic Bread Maker
This smart looking appliance from Panasonic has an ample 18 settings including a gluten-free bread programme.
If you appreciate creating delicious sourdough you will love that the bread maker includes 2 sourdough cups, measuring spoons, and a sourdough starter spoon. You can also choose the crust colour on anything you create.
If you’re an organised household the 13-hour delay timer is really handy and enables you to all wake up to the smell of fresh, warm bread.
What We Like:
- Smart design
- 18 settings
- Sourdough accessories
- 13 hour delay timers
What We Don’t Like:
- Largest loaf only 600 grams
- Accessories require additional storage
Bread Maker Buyers Guide
Buying a bread maker is a fantastic choice if you want to create your own freshly made bread right in your own kitchen, without having to put in much work at all.
The problem is that there is so much choice when it comes to buying the best bread machine.
Are the best products complex? Should you look for bread makers with certain settings? What kind of bread maker would work best for all members of your family?
Don’t fret, we have you covered. In our buyers guide we have lots of tips to help you choose the perfect breadmaker for your needs. Hopefully, after reading these handy tips you’ll feel much more informed about your upcoming purchase decision:
How Large Would You Like Your Ideal Loaf To Be?
You’ll get the best out of a breadmaker by creating loaves similar to those you might get in the shop. For that reason, the size of bread you would ideally like is important.
Some bread makers only make a 600 gram product, whereas some can make them as big as 1kg.
If you are used to buying large loaves for the whole family, then look for a product that makes bread the size you need.
Consistency
One thing that you should look for in the reviews of any product you are interested in is consistency.
With bread makers, even the most expensive designs may not produce successful results. If you have purchased a bread maker to save you time, having to constantly remake bread because a recipe has failed defeats the object of the purchase.
Reviewers are highly likely to mention lack of consistency in baking success if the breadmaker is not reliable.
Special Recipes & Programmes
Although you can put your own ingredients into a machine, ideally it will have a programme specifically for the type of loaf you want to make.
Some common speciality loaf and bread types are gluten-free, pizza dough, sourdough and artisanal type breads.
If you know you specifically want to make these types of loaves, prioritise machines with pre-programmed settings for them.
Handy Features and Extras Count
There are lots of bells and whistles with these types of machines that are actually very handy. Here are some of the most popular features:
Crust settings – allow you to choose light-medium loaf colour options.
Delay timers – a timer delay means you can have fresh warm bread ready when you wake up in the morning by delaying the bake start time.
Viewing windows – keep an eye on your loaf through a viewing window as it progresses through the bake cycle. This will help you determine the right time to stop a cycle of add other ingredients.
Automatic fruit and nut dispenser – an ingredient dispenser saves you time and effort manually adding extra ingredients yourself.
Design – want to leave your bread machine out on display? Consider how it will aesthetically fit in with your kitchen decor, other kitchen appliances, as well as required counter space. Stainless steel is often the best bet in modern kitchens.
Yeast dispenser – A less common feature, a yeast dispenser will release the yeast into the dough at the perfect moment in the kneading process. If you’re keen for automation in your bread making process, this is one less thing to worry about.
Quiet Is Better
Bread machines aren’t ever going to be silent, but many are quiet. This is important when the device is busy making a loaf of bread for hours on end. This is crucial if you plan to have it working through the night to bring you warm fresh bread in the morning.
Hopefully these tips have you feeling a little more informed about your upcoming bread machine purchase. With the best products for your family, you’ll all soon be enjoying delicious homemade bread every day.
How to Use a Bread Maker
Want to know what’s involved in the process of making bread at home? While the exact steps will vary between specific appliances, here are the basic steps:
Determine your bread maker capacity
You’ll want to check the instruction manual to understand the bread pan and loaf sizes and the amount of ingredients to use. Use the below as a general guide:
- 1 cup flour = 500g loaf
- 2 cups flour = 750g loaf
- 3 cups flour = 1kg loaf
Decide on a recipe and settings
Start off with a basic recipe from the instruction manual or recipe booklet before you start to get creative. Basic recipes should only call for the following ingredients: Bread flour, Yeast, Water (or milk), and Salt. Note that you can use whole wheat flour or a combination of whole wheat flour and white bread flour. Further down the line you can look to integrate ingredients like rye flour and grain mixes.
Use the manual to gain an understanding of the various settings on your machine.
Common settings include:
- Dark, Medium or Light – to customise the crust colour of your loaf
- Rapid – for quick bake times
- Yeast Free – for recipes that use only baking soda for raising
- Gluten Free – adjusts for the change in ingredients in gluten-free recipes
- Bake Only – commonly used to extend the baking time
- Dough – great for pizza dough
Think about timing
When do you want your bread to be ready? Consider the kneading and bake time along with the option for a delayed start if this is a feature of your breadmaker.
Add your ingredients
Ensure you measure precisely and add ingredients in the correct order – this may vary between appliances.
Choose your settings, hit the start button, and leave the bread maker to do its thing!
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Tips for Yeast
If you haven’t done much baking before, working with yeast can be a very new experience for many home cooks.
While dry yeast does work in bread machines, you’re best to start off using rapid-rise yeast (or instant yeast or bread machine yeast). This type of yeast becomes active much faster than dry yeast and works better in breadmakers. Rapid rise yeast can be mixed in with your other dry ingredients, while regular dry yeast will need to be activated first, by mixing it with water.
If you’re using regular baking yeast, avoid letting it come into direct contact with salt or sugar. This interaction can decrease the activity of the yeast. However, rapid or instant yeast is fine to come into contact with these ingredients.
Stepping things up a notch
Mastered the white loaf and ready to take your bread making to the next level? Here are some other baked goods that you can make in your bread maker:
- Banana Bread
- Sourdough Bread
- Pizza Dough
- Artisan dough
- Olive or Pumpkin bread
- Donuts
- Cornmeal
- Cake
- Pudding
Bread Maker Kmart
Kmart currently does not stock any breadmakers. For wallet-friendly alternatives to the products listed above, consider checking out Target or Amazon.
Bread Maker FAQs
Is it cheaper to make your own bread if you create similar loaves in your bread maker to those that you normally buy. You’ll enjoy even further savings if you make the same type of bread frequently and can therefore purchase ingredients in bulk.
Ingredients are placed into the pan and then into the bread maker are rested and warmed, then stirred with a kneading blade, proofed and baked over the course of usually between 2-5 hours.
