Bread Making Machine or Convection Oven

[connda]

I think I want to start making my own bread.  I've noticed that shrink-flation has hit the brands of bread I buy.  They are shrinking the loaves and then cutting the slices thinner.  I was making french toast yesterday and the bread was just falling apart it was so thin.  I'd rather make my own.

I'm looking at one of two approaches: a bread making machine or a convection oven.  I've made bread in the past but it is time intensive which is making be gravitate to an all-in-one bread making machine.

Does anyone have a good bread making machine and if so, what brand do you recommend that can be purchased in Thailand?

[xylophone]

I had a Panasonic Bread Maker a few years back and it was great. Didn't bring it here with me though!

 

Seems like Panasonic is available here but is expensive, but there are cheaper models available.

[connda]

5 minutes ago, xylophone said:

I had a Panasonic Bread Maker a few years back and it was great. Didn't bring it here with me though!

 

Seems like Panasonic is available here but is expensive, but there are cheaper models available.

Out of stock but they have them  Price is in my ball-park.

https://www.homepro.co.th/p/1061466?lang=en

[pgrahmm]

I spent a frustrated year or longer trying to get consistent results/satisfaction with my first bread machine - a Russell Taylor.....

I ordered this Biolo Mix machine from Shopee & was stunned by the immediate good results along with shorter bread making times....

Now my family & neighbors put in requests for bread.....

The results are close to 100% success to the point where I know I somehow screwed it up if it didn't turn out.....

I read all the reviews carefully of each machine I considered & this machine had much more positive feedback.....

Along the way I learned to add ingredients differently than either machine's instructions.....

I recommend this Biolo.....

Shop prices as you'll find a wide variance for the same machine.....Lazada started carrying the machine shortly after I bought mine.....

[xylophone]

9 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Along the way I learned to add ingredients differently than either machine's instructions.....

Yes I did this when I had my Panasonic breadmaker, but not deliberately I may add.

 

You see very often after a dinner party or a night out I would fancy some fresh bread in the morning, so I would put all the ingredients in the breadmaker, set it for the morning and go to bed........only to find that when I went to get it out of the breadmaker it resembled something like a house brick.

 

Due to a slightly inebriated state I'd often miss out the yeast component, or I would pour in far too much of another ingredient (like oats or millet) thereby ruining the end product.

 

The lesson I learned was not to make bread after a few too many drinks!

[Tarteso]

I use Oven for years, bought in HomePro, I paid about 5000

 

Apart of many recipes of food, I make Bread, Cakes and … Pizzas !!!

One shot, three birds or more…and family happy ????

[Kwasaki]

My daughter in law just bought a little oven from Global house and cooks some nice bread rolls. 

[norfolkandchance]

Morris 19. Bought second hand 5 years ago. Still going strong.

[pagallim]

I have an oven that I use almost on a daily basis for roasting and baking.   In particular, bread and rolls, nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread in the house.   Pies, pasties, and some desserts are easy too.

 

Some Portuguese custard tarts ("Pastel de Nata") that I made today, and some recent rolls and bread.   The versatily of an oven far outweighs those of a bread making machine.

 

[scubascuba3]

16 minutes ago, pagallim said:

I have an oven that I use almost on a daily basis for roasting and baking.   In particular, bread and rolls, nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread in the house.   Pies, pasties, and some desserts are easy too.

 

Some Portuguese custard tarts ("Pastel de Nata") that I made today, and some recent rolls and bread.   The versatily of an oven far outweighs those of a bread making machine.

 

Apparently an air frier oven can make bread?

 

@BritManToo makes bread i recall 

[pagallim]

4 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Apparently an air frier oven can make bread?

 

@BritManToo makes bread i recall 

Yes, I believe so.   I have an air fryer, and also a halogen oven, though not used either for baking, in fact not used either for very much at all.   Guess I'm a traditionalist, sticking to my normal convection oven.

 

[pgrahmm]

1 hour ago, pagallim said:

I have an oven that I use almost on a daily basis for roasting and baking.   In particular, bread and rolls, nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread in the house.   Pies, pasties, and some desserts are easy too.

 

Some Portuguese custard tarts ("Pastel de Nata") that I made today, and some recent rolls and bread.   The versatily of an oven far outweighs those of a bread making machine.

 

We have a full sized oven along with the bread machine....Great to have both...I make 2 or 3 full tray pizzas at a time.....5 minutes of kneading in the bread machine makes things flow along nicely....

There's more than a few things a bread maker can be used for.... 

It's nice to have both on tap....

Making a family fav bread takes less than 10 minutes to compile the ingredients & turn the machine on....Then on to other things.....

[connda]

2 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

I spent a frustrated year or longer trying to get consistent results/satisfaction with my first bread machine - a Russell Taylor.....

I ordered this Biolo Mix machine from Shopee & was stunned by the immediate good results along with shorter bread making times....

Now my family & neighbors put in requests for bread.....

The results are close to 100% success to the point where I know I somehow screwed it up if it didn't turn out.....

I read all the reviews carefully of each machine I considered & this machine had much more positive feedback.....

Along the way I learned to add ingredients differently than either machine's instructions.....

I recommend this Biolo.....

Shop prices as you'll find a wide variance for the same machine.....Lazada started carrying the machine shortly after I bought mine.....

Yeah, I was looking on Lazada and was those.  They run in the 5K to 6K THB range.  Thanks for the info.  Any recommendations on recipes?

[KhunLA]

@connda

Had a bread machine in USA, it was excellent.  Bought 1 here, and have yet to get 1 good loaf out of it.

 

I make excellent bread (pat my own back), and you don't need a machine, any machine.  

 

I do use a stand mixer now, as easier to clean than the food processor.

 

Bread is one of the simplest things to bake, and no sugar required if anti simple carbs.  I don't put sugar in mine, not that a tbsp on sugar is going to kill you.

 

Loaf pans are iffy here, and I have 3 different version, and 2 suck .... really suck.   I make it now in my spring form pan, as bottom & side crust turn out just right.

 

Here's the basic recipe I use, for loaf or rolls.

@ 07:20 of this vid:

Also do my own peanut butter, process just before the bread recipe.  Buy roasted peanuts @ Makro, 500gr/50 baht, and make 250gr batches at a time.

 

Don't need food processor or stand mixer, and can simply make in a bowl, just takes longer, and a bit more elbow grease.

 

 

Use bread flour, not all purpose.  Makro 1kg/41 baht.

 

I don't do moisture in over, or dampen top of bread, as makes crust too hard for my liking.

 

Time wise, start to finish, less than 2 hrs:

15 min mix

15-20 min proof

deflate/30-45 mins proof

<30 mins, two/13 ish mins temps, as in vid.

Done @ 190F/88C

[patman30]

Buy the oven,
you can and will use it for so much more.

[pgrahmm]

1 hour ago, connda said:

Yeah, I was looking on Lazada and was those.  They run in the 5K to 6K THB range.  Thanks for the info.  Any recommendations on recipes?

Garlic oregano french bread is a fav + Mango Hawaiian bread seem to be the 2 front runners.....I thought the cinnamon raisin turned out ok, but response was lukewarm....Those are the 2 that seem pretty standard.....

 

[Will B Good]

4 hours ago, connda said:

then cutting the slices thinner.

I suspect they are thicker.....less sandwiches per loaf?

[Mark1066]

On 3/25/2023 at 7:26 PM, patman30 said:

Buy the oven,
you can and will use it for so much more.

I'd buy both. A convection oven isn't going to knead dough for you but a bread maker will. And if you prefer, you can use the bread maker just to knead, then put the dough in your oven. A good choice if you're making larger loaves or you don't like the hole you get in the bottom of the loaf with a bread maker.

[patman30]

20 minutes ago, Mark1066 said:

I'd buy both. A convection oven isn't going to knead dough for you but a bread maker will. And if you prefer, you can use the bread maker just to knead, then put the dough in your oven. A good choice if you're making larger loaves or you don't like the hole you get in the bottom of the loaf with a bread maker.

you could also buy cheap dough mixer for 1200-2000 baht
or you can buy a better mixer that can do a lot more and comes with a hook for dough starting from 4000 baht

[Mark1066]

2 minutes ago, patman30 said:

you could also buy cheap dough mixer for 1200-2000 baht
or you can buy a better mixer that can do a lot more and comes with a hook for dough starting from 4000 baht

Okay, so a dough kneader/mixer and convection oven sounds like the best solution?

 

(My wife bought my bread maker so I didn't look into those options. I was more worried about the domestic role reversal implications at the time. ????)

[patman30]

10 minutes ago, Mark1066 said:

Okay, so a dough kneader/mixer and convection oven sounds like the best solution?

 

(My wife bought my bread maker so I didn't look into those options. I was more worried about the domestic role reversal implications at the time. ????)

one trick wonder machines are a waste of $$$$ imo (former chef)
something like this
https://www.lazada.co.th/products/hafele-43-600w-6-i2789886629.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.133.6d34b6c28idrgr

would be much more useful,

that is a small mixer though,

you can get cheaper brands too
such mixers are very useful to have
 

[Mark1066]

Just now, patman30 said:

one tick wonder machines are a waste of $$$$ imo (former chef)
something like this
https://www.lazada.co.th/products/hafele-43-600w-6-i2789886629.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.133.6d34b6c28idrgr

would be much more useful,

that is a small mixer though,

you can get cheaper brands too
such mixers are very useful to have
 

Okay thanks. Not sure what you mean by 'one tick wonder'?

 

The loaves I've made with the machine she bought have been fine overall (apart from one with too much water/oil in the recipe that tasted more like a crumpet than a loaf of bread) but the space limitations / orientation of the loaf are a little annoying. If you make a larger loaf, it gets taller rather than longer, which is not what I want. 

[PoorSucker]

On 3/25/2023 at 5:59 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Apparently an air frier oven can make bread?

 

@BritManToo makes bread i recall 

I bought this. Makes everything.

https://www.hafelehome.co.th/products/oven-air-fryer-25-l

[Wobblybob]

A better investment would be a stand mixer with a paddle, bread machines might give you an ok loaf, but with a stand mixer you can make as many loaves as you wish and then freeze them for later use. Failing that mix the dough by hand. Happy baking. 

[MAF666]

We have used the same Breville bread maker for 20 years.

12 years on our boat in Thailand and Oz, 8 years living here.

Perfect loaf every time.

We also use the bread maker for mixing specialty loaves dough , like rolls or raisin breads, then bake in the air fryer.

Too easy and you will never want supermarket bread again 

 

[Elkski]

Ah!  The softer side of you gents.  Goid  Bread is  something I crave when in Thailand.   This thread makes me hungry.  We have a sour dough starter.  My favorite recipe is a honey beer miche you can find at https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/honey-beer-miche-recipe   But it does take lots of work.  Fun thing is it calls for 299g beer so a 12oz let's you have a sip in the morning.  A coffee stout or a chocolate porter are winners.  But a Guinness will do in a pinch. 

[pgrahmm]

Bread machines can make cakes, puddings, sticky rice, jam/jellies, yogurt, or bake....The first machine had a rice wine recipe....

I have made cakes & it works....A drizzled pound cake does fine, but other cakes taste like cake but looks bread shaped.....

I've tinkered with the idea of baking bread & cutting lengthwise to make bread based quick pizza.... It's easy to make & tuck a couple of loaves in the freezer for my "on demand" daughters.....

Even without all the preservatives laced in commercial bread the homemade bread lasts up to a week bagged in the fridge.....

For what they can do they are a fine kitchen addition....

In the future I'll always have one based on just taste & freshness alone....

We do have the mixers, air fryer, oven, food processor(s) - simple & complex, a blender that could grind down a Christmas ????....But why go through all that stuff when, in under 15 minutes I can have the bread of my choosing in process....

I personally don't want to spend hours in the kitchen doing what I can do in minutes.....I like & was raised on sourdough & I can come pretty close....

 

[GreasyFingers]

On 3/27/2023 at 6:48 PM, pgrahmm said:

Bread machines can make cakes, puddings, sticky rice, jam/jellies, yogurt, or bake....The first machine had a rice wine recipe....

I have made cakes & it works....A drizzled pound cake does fine, but other cakes taste like cake but looks bread shaped.....

I've tinkered with the idea of baking bread & cutting lengthwise to make bread based quick pizza.... It's easy to make & tuck a couple of loaves in the freezer for my "on demand" daughters.....

Even without all the preservatives laced in commercial bread the homemade bread lasts up to a week bagged in the fridge.....

For what they can do they are a fine kitchen addition....

In the future I'll always have one based on just taste & freshness alone....

We do have the mixers, air fryer, oven, food processor(s) - simple & complex, a blender that could grind down a Christmas ????....But why go through all that stuff when, in under 15 minutes I can have the bread of my choosing in process....

I personally don't want to spend hours in the kitchen doing what I can do in minutes.....I like & was raised on sourdough & I can come pretty close....

 

Very late to this topic but just bought a bread maker. What I need now is a wholemeal bread mix (so i don't need to measure the different quantities) and the brand of yeast, and where to buy.

[moogradod]

2 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

Very late to this topic but just bought a bread maker. What I need now is a wholemeal bread mix (so i don't need to measure the different quantities) and the brand of yeast, and where to buy.

We brought our bread maker from Switzerland. It is fully automatic but what does this help if you have no bread mix. So, like @GreasyFingerswe are on the search for a bread mix (preferably NOT wholemeal, but for dark bread), I do not recall that you have to add yeast, it is somehow everything in the bread mix.

 

To buy yeast here seems to be a problem. Never seen FRESH yeast anywhere. Only the horrible dry yeast (at Big C Extra). But fresh yeast is required for Sourdough Bread, my favourite. Which unfortunately cannot be made in the bread maker. The preparation of a Sour Dough dough is quite complicated and takes a lot of time (days). But if I would get fresh yeast I would try. But where (Pattaya Area).

[KhunLA]

@GreasyFingers

Never heard of bread mix, but did a quick search, and did see it offered, along with sachet of yeast 'included', so the mix doesn't have everything needed.

 

Which yeast is going to depend on sugar content of the bread.   I use no sugar, so I use 'red' (for <8%).  Other 2 version are brown & blue, depending on sugar content.

 

"While fermipan® brown is the instant yeast of choice for high-sugar applications (greater than 15 percent sugar), fermipan® blue is advised for sweet goods with 8 to 15 percent sugar, and fermipan® red is the instant yeast of choice for baked goods with less than 8 percent sugar based on flour"

 

https://www.lallemand.com/BakerYeastNA/eng/PDFs/LBU PDF FILES/2_13SWGD.PDF