What Is the best way to make bread?

The introduction of modern, electrical bread makers into the kitchen has resulted in an incredible amount of people starting to make their own loaves and developing some intriguing personal recipes. However, many people also lament the loss of traditional bread making techniques from the kitchen and argue that using a machine just isn’t the same and doesn’t produce a sufficiently high quality product. So, which side is right? Do the new age electric bread makers hold the baking high ground, or is it the more traditional kneaders?

Kneading

People are rightly split over the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches when it comes to kneading bread. While many view the process of kneading your own bread as incredibly therapeutic and enjoyable, an equal number view it as a time-consuming chore. There is no doubt that a bread maker, like the fabulous Kenwood BM450, will do the job much quicker, but whether this is a good thing is down to personal preference.

Mess

When it comes to making bread the traditional way, you can be sure that there will be a fair amount of mess to clean up at the end. Bread makers, like the Morphy Richards 48330, prevent this from being an issue, consigning all the mess to the interior of the machine. If you don’t mind tidying up the mess afterwards, go with the traditional method. However, if you’re more interested in convenience, a bread maker is perfect for you.

Texture

Generally, bread makers create a loaf that is of a more dense and heavy texture, even when using the same recipe as the old fashioned method. You may be able to rectify this by using special bread machine flour instead of general all-purpose flour, though whether you want to will be a matter of taste and personal preference. Some people will prefer this unique density – it will largely depend on the type of bread you are used to eating.

Taste

Finally, some people will tell you that bread made the old fashioned way will always taste better. While this may be the case for lots of people, it isn’t for others and a huge number of people are happy to take a small drop in quality in exchange for the convenience of a bread maker. However, the only way you’ll know which is best is by tasting both yourself!

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