Best Bread Machines (Review)

If you love bread and/or are on gluten free diet then the ones sold in stores is no good. Bread made at home is so much healthier and tastier, especially freshly baked that’s still warm. However not everyone has time to put the effort to bake loaf manually. That’s why modern bread machines are such a useful devices, you just add the ingredients and they will do all the job for you.

I have done extensive research to help you choose the best bread machine out of 8 different models. Find out which bread machines you should consider and which ones to avoid!:

#1 Zojirushi BB-PAC20BA Bread Maker

Zojirushi BB-PAC20BA is pretty heavy and big. You can create 3 custom settings with custom timings or use 10 pre-programmed settings (basic, basic wheat, basic dough, quick, quick wheat, quick dough, jam, cake, sour dough starter & home made). You can choose between three crust levels: light, medium or dark. It also features 13 hour delay timer. Zojirushi BB-PAC20BA isn’t very loud but obviously it does make a bit of noise.

Texture crust and browning is very consistent but most importantly bread tastes great! Works well for making gluten free bread if that’s what you are looking for. Instead of making square bread like most bread makers do Zojirushi BB-PAC20BA makes longer loaf which shape wise resembles bread than you can buy in store.

Design wise it’s not the most elegant unit, it does look a bit outdated. It features two dual kneading blades and they mix dough evenly. They are made out of aluminum and aren’t very durable, they most likely won’t last more than couple years.

#2 KBS Pro Stainless Steel Bread Machine

KBS Pro stainless steel bread machine features 17 different programs (including gluten free mode), 3 loaf sizes (1, 1.5 and 2.2 lb) and 3 crust options. Other features include 15 hour delay timer, 1 hour automatic warming and 15 minute power interruption recovery. It has 710 watt copper motor which kneads the dough properly.

Bread turns out near perfect – it is very soft and tasty. What makes this bread machine stand out is its pan that has ceramic coating and detachable fruit nut dispenser that adds ingredients at the right time.

KBS Pro bread machine is 13.7 inches long, 8.6 inches wide and 11.8 inches high. It has very elegant metal casing with a window on lid. It feels well made and isn’t too loud.

KBS Pro bread machine is FDA approved and ETL Listed Mark meaning it complies with North American safety standard.

#3 Hamilton Beach 2 lb Digital Bread Maker

Hamilton Beach bread maker has 12 baking settings – basic, french, gluten-free, whole grain, quick bread, sweet, 1.5 lb express, 2 lb express, dough, jam, cake and bake. They all work well including the gluten free mode in case you have celiac disease or are on gluten free diet for other reasons. It also offers a choice of 3 crust settings: light, medium and dark. You can choose between two loaf size options: 1.5 and 2 lbs.

Hamilton Beach bread maker is very simple to use – just add ingredients, select cycle, press “start” button and wait! It comes with whole grain and gluten free recipes. As long as you follow them precisely (which is not hard at all) the bread will turn out great! It’s very tasty and feels fresh. Once you get hang of recipes you can try to experiment by adding new ingredients.

If you want to wake up to fresh bread you can use delay feature. Just add ingredients and it will start making bread after specific amount of time so it’s ready when you want it to be.

Some of the bread makers are very loud during kneading process, this one isn’t. It still makes some noise but isn’t excessively loud. It does vibrate but doesn’t seem to move due to that, however that might depend on surface machine is placed on.

It has see through window so you can see the bread in the making which is something a lot of kind find very interesting however the window can get foggy due to moisture.

Interior pan can be removed and is dishwasher safe. Bread machine also comes with 2 kneading paddles so you can use one while the other is being washed in dishwasher.

Overall Hamilton Beach bread maker is inexpensive yet performs really well. It might not be the best bread maker out there but it’s more than good enough and the value for money is amazing!

#4 Breville BBM800XL Custom Loaf Bread Maker

Breville BBM800XL features 13 automatic settings, 3 crust colors, and 4 loaf sizes (1 lb, 1.5 lb, 2 lb, 2.5 lb). It has a powerful 830 watt kneading motor. It’s a competitor to the Zojirushi BB-PAC20BA which is a bit more expensive but overall they are similarly priced. It has some features that Zojirushi BB-PAC20BA doesn’t have, like automatic fruit/nut dispenser and light for looking inside the device through the window.

Bread turns out tasty and texture is good, however it’s not as consistent as bread made with Zojirushi BB-PAC20BA. For example top of the bread is less brown that sides. Shape of the loaf is not as good too but that’s something that might be meaningless to many. Breville BBM800XL isn’t the quietest bread maker, it does make loud banging noises while kneading. It also does vibrate a bit and might “walk around”

Breville BBM800XL is aesthetically pleasing. With its sleek design sleek and stainless steel housing it looks modern. It features large LCD display that’s easy to read and easy to understand controls. Cord is a bit short so you will have to place it near socket. Comes with 46 delicious recipes.

#5 SKG 2LB Automatic Programmable Bread Machine

SKG bread machine features 19 automatic programs, 3 loaf sizes (1 lb, 1.5 lb, 2 lb) and 3 crust colors (light, medium & dark). Other features include 15 hour delay timer

Bread turns out pretty good. Texture is dense and it tastes good. SKG bread machine isn’t too loud when it operates, it doesn’t vibrate and walk around. It’s easy to use and clean.  It automatically keeps bread warm for 1 hour.

Just like most bread makers this one also features viewing window on the lid. It has nonstick coated inner pan. SKG bread machine weighs about 10 lbs.

Double-ended measuring spoon, measuring cup, kneading blade and metal hook for kneading blade are included.

#6 Sunbeam Programmable Bread Maker

Sunbeam Programmable bread maker features 12 baking functions for making bread, dough, jam, and cake with 3 different crust level. and 13 hour delay mode. It can bake up to 2 lbs of bread.

As long as you follow recipe instructions the bread turns out nice. It’s soft and tasty. You don’t have to dig out the paddle from baked loaf and it leaves a very small hole. It’s pretty quiet, it still does produce some noise obviously but it’s not loud.

Sunbeam Programmable bread maker is very simple to use. It has LCD screen but it’s hard to read in bad lighting.

#7 Oster Expressbake Bread Maker

Oster Expressbake bread maker features 12 bread settings (basic, french, whole wheat, sweet, ultra fast (1.5 lb), ultra fast (2 lb), quick, european, dough, bagel dough, jam & bake) and 3 crust settings (light, medium & dark). It has 13 hour programmable baking timer feature lets you have fresh and warm loaf just when you want it.

It’s important to read instructions and follow them. You have to put wet ingredients first and make sure yeast doesn’t touch them. As long as you follow proper recipe bread comes out pretty good. Shape of the loaf is squarish, it’s tall and short like with most bread makers.

It has 650 watt kneading motor. Device can “walk around” during kneading process due to vibrations so be careful it doesn’t fall of the counter. If you find it to be under such risk you can prevent it from happening by obstructing the device by some heavyish object.

Oster Expressbake bread maker is 12 inches long, 11 inches wide and 11 inches high. Cord length is 40 inches. It comes with measuring cup, spoon and kneading paddle.

#8 Cuisinart CBK-110 Bread Maker

Cuisinart CBK-110 Bread Maker features 12 pre-programmed bread options, 3 crust shades and 3 loaf sizes – 1, 1.5 and 2 lbs. It also has 13 hour delay start feature so you can enjoy fresh bread when you wake up or get home from work. Most of the time mixer paddle remain in the pan instead of staying in loaf when you remove it which is convenient.

It does take a while for it to make bread, like 3-5 hours unless you use fast cycle which takes 2 hours and 30 minutes but produces less bread (by ~25%) than you set it to. It does make pretty good bread but some bread makers do it better. Crust is crisp. Machine will beep 10 times when baking cycle has completed. After that it will do 60 minute “keep warm” cycle.

Size wise Cuisinart CBK-110 is compact.