Here we have provided a buying guide to help you think about the different aspects of a bread machine and decide what qualities are important to you.
Exterior
The exterior includes the color, size, shape, and overall look of the bread machine. The color is often white, black, gray, stainless steel, or a combination. The size varies, but some people pay careful attention to size if they want their bread machine to stay on the counter yet not take up too much counter space. The shape is usually fairly rectangular; however some are more dome-shaped or rounded while others are boxier. Some other aspects of the exterior could include a viewing window at the top, an LCD screen, buttons, and a list of the settings on the exterior of the bread machine.
Settings
There are multiple settings available to use on a bread machine. Most bread machines allow you to set the size of loaf you would like to bake, which ranges from 1 to 3 pounds. The crust color options are usually light, medium, or dark. Some machines have a delay timer which is nice for having bread ready in the morning when you wake up or when you get home from work. The menu settings on each machine vary. Some examples are Basic, French, Whole Wheat, Sweet, Quick, Dough, & Jam. Special settings a bread machine could have are an ExpressBake setting which bakes a loaf of bread in an hour or less and a Gluten Free setting.
Interior
The interior includes a bread pan, pretty much always nonstick, and either bakes a horizontal or vertical bread loaf. There is either one or two kneading blades or paddles, also nonstick.
Included
Included are your bread machine oven, a bread pan, one or two kneading blades, and an instruction manual. Sometimes a measuring cup, measuring spoon, and a number of recipes are also included.
Other Things to Consider
Another thing you might consider is the brand of the bread machine. Some brands exclusively make bread machines while others are more common for kitchen appliances across the board. Either could be fine, depending on what you’re looking for. If you are comfortable with a certain brand, perhaps you’d like to stick with that one.
Some bread machines have special features, such as beeps to indicate it is time to remove the kneading blades if you want or to indicate that it is time to put add-ins into the dough whether that is fruits, nuts, etc. Even more advance than that, some have a kneading blade that goes down on its own to minimize a hole in the bread loaf or have an automatic fruit/nut dispenser.
Cost
Another important aspect of the bread machine is the cost. Bread machines range from about $45 to $300. Things like size of bread loaf, settings available, special features, and being aesthetically pleasing can all have an effect on the cost. You’ll have to decide what you’re willing to spend and what your top must-have features are.
