If you don't have time to make it yourself, they're alright. A few things to consider:

The 'recipe' for bread machines is very limited. it relies on a specific order of specific ammounts of specific components to work right. You're only going to get one kind of bread out of it, basically.

My experience with these also, is that since they bake a 'vertical' loaf, it tends not to rise as much, and you get really compacted, really dense bread compared to normal homemade bread laid out to rise in nice wide horizontal pans.

Maybe this was just our machine, but I also felt like the crust always comes out way too thick and hard as a rock. Maybe just our machine, but I always suspected it also had something to do with the increased density caused by the vertical weight of the loaf.

I'm spoiled by a wife who loves to bake bread. when you make the switch to all-homemade bread, the difference is amazing. But be careful. Once you get started, making the switch back to air-weight, tasteless, substance-less preservative-filled commercial storebought bread is just not an option anymore.

For home i just use some nice mixing bowls.Was good enough for my grandma.
Made some great nutbread a few days ago,about 5.5 loaves,...
brought one to the neighbors,they've been very nice lately.Have fun,...rik

They don't make bread as good as hand made bread---but what they produce beats store bought all hollow.

I can't agree with Thousand about the genericness of the loaf; there are whole cookbooks out there for bread machines. Got my first introduction to chocolate bread from a friend's bread machine as a matter of fact...warm, spread with cream cheese and topped off with fresh crushed, slightly honey sweetened raspberries.....HEAVEN. There *is* a knack to using them, but you can say the same for hand made bread.

Depends on your bread usage, too; I've rarely pulled off a good batch of only one or two loaves of bread and the second one usually gets relegated to pain perdu or bread pudding. If you go through a loaf every couple three days, a bread machine could be an economical option for fresh healthy bread but---is your household uses a loaf or more daily, you're just as well off finding the time to bake up a full batch.

Not sure how a bread machine might fit into the figuring for an off grid system, it's been years since I had one and I don't recall how much power they pull. I might pick one up at a thrift store some time soon, though; with summer having popped open like a jack-in-the-box this past week here, I'm baking NOTHING possibly till November. :-( Setting up the bread machine to cycle through and be cooling a fresh loaf before the heat comes on, while I'm sleeping, sounds like just the thing. I know I'm likely to be able to pick one up for under ten dollars at any given thrift store around here, too. People get and end up not using them, decide they take up an unreasonable amount of counter space, and donate them.


A bread machine and an automatic drip coffee pot, both set up the night before, just might make some mornings worth getting out of bed for. :-)

I bought one a couple of years ago. Used it maybe 3 times. I found my handmade bread was better. Just my opinion though. Anyway it never got used again and I eventually donated it to a charity church thrift store. I like making my bread by hand so much better. And that bread machine won't do anyone any good when there's no electricity to power it. I would rather save my power for more important things.

Someone mentioned efficiency & or energy conservation with this topic,..
this www.backwoodshome.com/article...h30.html
or more refined tools might be an interesting approach,or addition to a sun space.
Also some recipes solarcooking.org/recipes/bread.htm

The design could be very well done robustly with a small welder,
to realize a very cool tool.
A random thought on this,i wonder about the sun energy in food,would this
have physiological beneficial effect ?

I have to admit two things..... I am lazy.... And, I only use my bread machine to make pizza dough.... So, I only use the machine to mix and knead... then take it to an oiled bowl to rise...

Although, I used to enjoy the smell of fresh bread in the morning, I just didn't think the final product was all that great... plus, one end of the loaf has a hole from the mixing paddle... :(

its so easy to make bread on your own and so much better. Don't get another kitchen gadget like that.

and yes- its collecting dust in my mom's kitchen and my grandmothers.

i have had bread out of the machine's before and honestly i like my bread much better.

I have one at home and tried it once. I may not have used the right flower because the bread didn't come out right. And it's a little confusing to use. I think I may get rid of it and just make bread the old fashioned way.