Editor’s note: Many of the products recommended in this article are in high demand and may be out of stock at times. We’re doing our best to keep articles updated with available items, but if what you’re looking for is sold out, we recommend searching for similar products from the same brand.

As a work-from-home dad, I try not to buy items from the store that I can make at home. And, since the overpriced bread at the supermarket is packed full of ingredients nobody can pronounce, I was naturally attracted to the fun challenge of baking healthy homemade bread.

With my trusty KitchenAid serving as a competent sous chef, I cut my teeth in the baking world with from-scratch bread. Eventually, the weekly bread dough kneading took its toll on the mixer. And, the demands of parenting and work made my old-fashioned methods inconvenient. In order to meet the high bread standards my family had come to expect (along with the delicious odors making bread produces), I turned to a bread machine.

With the most basic bread makers, you spend five to ten minutes loading the machine with ingredients (most machines come with plenty of recipes), you press a few buttons, and away it goes. You simply wait anywhere from one to four hours for the beeping to let you know it’s done.

The units we chose to include in this guide can make a variety of different bread types, require minimal user oversight, and have a track record of dependability and performance.

Here are the best bread machines:

Prices and links are current as of 7/28/20. We are currently testing new bread machines for a larger update to this guide.

The best overall

If you don't mind spending a little extra for a versatile top-of-the-line bread machine, the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker is your best option.

What sets the Zojirushi Virtuoso Plus apart from other bread makers is that it has two blades for kneading bread and features a heated lid for even baking. This unit makes 2-pound traditional rectangular loaves in the inner cooking pan. The bread is positioned horizontally in the machine, whereas most have a vertical alignment. Zojirushi backs this product with a one-year warranty.

There are 15 pre-programmed settings with the bread machine: white, whole wheat, European, multigrain, gluten-free, salt-free, sugar-free, vegan, rapid white (prepared bread in about two hours), rapid whole wheat, dough, cake, jam, and homemade. There are also three crust shades: dark, medium, and light. Lastly, you can choose to delay the baking cycle for up to 13 hours.

Buyers seem impressed with how it handles gluten-free and vegan recipes and how the heater on the lid browns bread evenly on top. However, it doesn't have a yeast or fruit and nut dispenser.

Pros: Excellent for gluten-free recipes, heater in lid, dual kneading paddles

Cons: Expensive, limited loaf-size options, no fruit and nut dispenser

The best on a budget

Foto: Source: Oster

If you are looking for a cost-effective, no-nonsense bread machine for making fast, healthy loaves, the Oster 2-Pound Expressbake Bread Maker is a smart solution.

Though the name suggests otherwise, the Oster 2-Pound Expressbake Bread Maker can make loaves in a variety of sizes, including 1-pound and 1.5-pound. There are 12 bread settings, including the Expressbake cycle, which makes a 2-pound loaf of bread in less than an hour.

You can choose from three crust settings, and the 13-hour programmable delay baking timer allows you to wake to the smell of fresh bread. This machine comes with a one-year limited warranty.

User reviews praise its variety of settings and the large LCD screen. However, some buyers were not impressed with the mixing paddle or with how loud it gets.

Pros: User-friendly, inexpensive, versatile

Cons: Reports of machine "walking" along counter when making larger batches, noisy

The best compact bread machine

Foto: Source: Walmart

If you are a loaf-a-week household, the Sunbeam 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker will pay for itself within a year, and you can customize the bread to your liking.

The Sunbeam 2-Pound Programmable Breadmaker is a 600-watt unit designed to produce 1.5-pound and 2-pound loaves. There are 12 pre-programmed settings for sandwich bread, cake, jam, dough, ExpressBake (which Sunbeam claims bakes bread in under an hour), sweets, whole wheat, French, basic, and more. It's also compact, measuring only 14 x 9.75 x 9.5 inches, so you won't feel like you're cluttering your countertop with yet another clunky kitchen appliance.

There are three crust darkness settings and a delayed 13-hour timer. The unit should only be washed by hand, and you should not use metal utensils on the non-stick surface. Sunbeam offers a one-year limited warranty with this product.

Some customer reviews found that the Sunbeam is quite loud, while others mentioned that the included recipe and instruction book is not very helpful.

Pros: Small size, dozen preprogrammed settings, affordable, intuitive user interface

Cons: Loud, unhelpful recipe book

The best convection bread machine

Foto: Source: Cuisinart

The Convection Bread Maker by Cuisinart was designed for fast, even baking of a variety of different bread types.

Much like a convection oven or air fryer (which uses the same technology), the Cuisinart Convection Bread Maker uses a fan to circulate heat, allowing it to cook faster and more evenly than its non-convection counterparts.

This 680-watt bread machine can make more than 100 bread, jam, sweet cake, and dough styles. You can also choose three loaf sizes, three crust colors, and 16 pre-programmed menu options. Although, some buyer reviews mention that the control panel can be a bit confusing.

There is also a 12-hour delayed start if you want to pack your ingredients in the afternoon and set it so you wake up to fresh bread the next morning. The bread machine produces tones that let you know when to add mix-ins and when to remove the paddle. Cuisinart offers a three-year limited warranty on this product.

Pros: 16 preset options, convection fan for even and quick baking, comes with excellent manual/cookbook

Cons: Doesn't always sufficiently mix ingredients

The best versatile bread machine

Foto: Source: Breville

With its automatic fruit and nut dispenser and four loaf sizes, the Breville Custom Loaf Bread Maker is ideal for home bakers who like to make a variety of breads.

In addition to its stylish design, the Breville Bread Maker is packed with features. It makes 1-pound, 1.5-pound, 2-pound, and 2.5-pound loaves. Plus, there are three crust colors to pick from and 13 automatic settings. The kneading paddle mixes ingredients thoroughly then collapses before the baking cycle to minimize the hole in the base of the loaf.

Perhaps best of all, this bread maker has a compartment that automatically dispenses fruits and nuts during the kneading phase. Plus, the 133-page user manual has 46 step-by-step recipes, including olive and roasted garlic bread and maple pecan bread.

We like that the Custom Loaf Bread Maker has a viewing window with a light, a nice screen, modern design, and four loaf size alternatives. As for downsides, it's a bit large and noisy.

Pros: Four loaf size options, 13 pre-programmed settings, automatic fruit and nut dispenser

Cons: May be too noisy for some

Some features to consider

Foto:

Appliance makers keep adding features that make these machines the greatest thing since, well, sliced bread. Depending on your needs and how much you are willing to spend, here are some key functions to look out for.

  • Automatic dispensers - Some models have automatic dispensers for yeast or fruits and nuts. The fruit and nut option is helpful because you generally want to add these ingredients later in the process, which then adds another time-sensitive step. With the dispenser, you set everything up and go about your day.
  • Pre-programmed settings - All of the bread machines in our guide have at least ten pre-programmed settings along with three crust shade alternatives (light, medium, and dark). Some common settings include whole wheat bread, sourdough bread, gluten-free, pizza dough, and jam.
  • Quick baking - Many machines offer a quick baking alternative. With this feature, you can have a baked loaf in as little as an hour from start to finish. However, the quality of the bread suffers.
  • Collapsible paddle/blade - Machine-made bread loaves usually have a hole in the base where the kneading blade sat during the baking process. Some manufacturers have remedied this problem by introducing collapsible paddles. Of course, if you don't mind babysitting your machine, you can remove the blade by hand right before the baking phase.

Check out our other great guides for home cooks

Foto: Source: Facebook/KitchenAid

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